Hershey Bears Name Opening Night Roster for 2026-27 Season

The Hershey Bears have announced the club’s 2026 Opening Night Roster. The puck drops on the 89th season of Hershey Bears hockey at GIANT Center tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. vs. the Charlotte Checkers. 

Hershey’s roster is comprised of 30 players and is as follows:

Forwards (19):
Joey Anderson, Sam Bitten, Jonny Brodzinski, Andrew Cristall, Grant Cruikshank, Josh Dunne, Tyler Kopff, Lynden Lakovic, Jalen Luypen, Eriks Mateiko, Theodor Niederbach, Terik Parascak, Ludwig Persson, Petr Sikora, Spencer Smallman, Dalton Smith, Matt Strome, Alex Suzdalev, Bogdan Trineyev

Defensemen (8):
Cam Allen, Louie Belpedio, Ryan Chesley, David Gucciardi, Justin Holl, Jacob MacDonald, Jon McDonald, Leon Muggli

Goaltenders (3):
Garin Bjorklund, Mitch Gibson, Cal Petersen

Hershey’s 2026 Opening Night Roster features 19 players who dressed for the Bears during the 2025-26 regular season and/or the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs. 

Up front, returning players include Bogdan Trineyev who is back for his fourth season in North America after posting a career-best 45 points (17g, 28a) in 62 games, and Matt Strome, the 2024 Calder Cup hero. Key additions include veteran Jonny Brodzinski, a former captain in Hartford who spent the last two seasons with the NHL’s New York Rangers, as well as Lynden Lakovic, Washington’s first-round pick (27th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft. 

On the blue line, Louie Belpedio returns for a second season after recording a career year and leading all rearguards in points with 34 (9g, 25a). New to the Bears defensive corps this season are fellow veterans Jacob MacDonald and Justin Holl. MacDonald set an AHL record for goals by a blueliner with 31 in the 2024-25 season while Holl is a veteran of 405 NHL games and won the 2018 Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies. 

Between the pipes, goaltender Mitch Gibson is back after working his way up to Hershey from the ECHL and earning an NHL contract. Experienced netminder Cal Petersen is also on the roster after joining Hershey on an AHL deal following the loss of netminder Clay Stevenson, who was claimed on waivers by the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. 

Six players enter the 2026-27 season classified as AHL rookies, while eight players (Anderson, Belpedio, Brodzinski, Holl, MacDonald, Smallman, Smith, Strome) enter the campaign as veteran players (261 or more professional games in the AHL, NHL, or elite European leagues).

Additionally, forward Patrick Thomas remains in Hershey to continue his injury rehabilitation, but he cannot be officially added to Hershey’s roster until he is healthy.

Bears Roster by Contract Status:
NHL contract: 21
AHL contract: 8
Professional try-out: 1

Bears Roster by NHL Draft Status:
1st Round: Lakovic, Parascak (2)
2nd Round: Chesley, Cristall, Holl, Muggli, Niederbach, Smith (6)
3rd Round: Anderson, Belpedio, Mateiko, Persson, Suzdalev (5)
4th Round: Gibson, Strome, Trineyev (3)
5th Round: Allen, Brodzinski, Petersen, Smallman (4)
6th Round: Bjorklund, Sikora (2)
7th Round: Gucciardi, Luypen (2)
Undrafted: Bitten, Cruikshank, Dunne, Kopff, MacDonald, McDonald (6)

Bears Roster by Country of Birth:
United States: Anderson, Belpedio, Brodzinski, Chesley, Cruikshank, Dunne, Gibson, Holl, Kopff, Petersen, MacDonald, McDonald (12)
Canada: Allen, Bitten, Bjorklund, Cristall, Gucciardi, Lakovic, Luypen, Parascak, Smallman, Smith, Strome (11)
Russia: Suzdalev, Trineyev (2)
Sweden: Niederbach, Persson (2)
Czechia: Sikora (1)
Latvia: Mateiko (1)
Switzerland: Muggli (1)

Bears Roster Average Age:
26 years, 15 days

Oldest Player on Bears Roster:
Justin Holl, 34 years, 8 months, 2 days

Youngest Player on Bears Roster:
Lynden Lakovic, 19 years, 9 months, 20 days

Bears Roster Average Height:
6’1”

Tallest Player on Bears Roster:
6’6”: Eriks Mateiko

Shortest Player on Bears Roster:
5’10”: Andrew Cristall, Jaylen Luypen

Bears Roster Average Weight:
199.47 lbs.

Bears Roster Lightest Player:
Jalen Luypen, 171 lbs.

Bears Roster Heaviest Player:
Eriks Mateiko, 223 lbs.

Saturday’s Opening Night starts the 2026-27 season, presented by Penn State Health. Purchase tickets to Saturday's Opening Night by CLICKING HERE.