Practice Notebook: Bjorklund Looks to Bounce Back, and a Homecoming for Sandelin

After getting through the roller coaster ride of his first extended season in the American Hockey League, Hershey Bears goaltender Garin Bjorklund is entering the 2026-27 campaign looking to bounce back.

How does he intend to do that? 

“Just win the day, just have fun with it,” Bjorklund said when asked of his objectives for this season following Thursday’s practice at Hersheypark Arena. “Maybe last year I didn’t think it might have went the way that I was really picturing in my head, and there’s always ups and downs throughout the season, and this year it’s just about keep playing my game, have fun, and do what I can to give the team the best chance of winning every night.

“It’s just exciting to be back here and to be in the organization and just any chance I get whenever I'm in the net [in South Carolina] or up here in Hershey, it’s a blessing.”

Bjorklund began the season with a 3-0-1 record, a 1.71 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage and his first AHL shutout, a 25-save performance at Providence on Nov. 1, but his numbers took a hit over his final 13 appearances, registering just two more wins for Hershey and seeing some time back in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays.

When the summer hit, the 2020 sixth-round draft pick of the Washington Capitals also saw his entry-level contract expire. Rather than receive an NHL qualifying offer, Bjorklund was offered and signed an AHL contract with the Bears.

While it could be considered a setback by some, Bjorklund remains motivated with the intent of proving himself worthy of a future NHL contract down the road with the big club. 

“At the end of the day, not signing back with Washington was a tough one, but at the same time, signing back with Hershey, they know me in the organization, I know them, I know what it’s about,” Bjorklund said. “I could always still earn an NHL contract.”

And fortunately for Bjorklund, a teammate from the last few seasons has already walked that path. After Mitch Gibson’s entry-level deal expired in the summer of 2025, he inked an AHL contract with Hershey for last season, and by mid-February Gibson was rewarded with an NHL contract that runs through the end of the upcoming campaign.

“I think that went into some of my decision-making with signing back here with Hershey,” Bjorklund affirmed. “It honestly was a similar situation with him signing an American League deal at the start of the year, and next thing you know, him working his magic and earning an NHL contract, and finishing out the year here in Hershey. So it’s definitely a  possibility and at the end of the day, that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Family Connection for Sandelin

Among the players attending training camp on a tryout basis is Ryan Sandelin. The forward signed an ECHL contract with South Carolina on August 11 but already boasts 149 combined games of AHL experience with Colorado and Iowa under his belt across his first three professional seasons.

“It’s been nothing but first-class; I think everybody in the league knows it's one of the best-run organizations in the league. So just to be here is a great opportunity, and I’m excited to be here,” Sandelin said. “I’m just trying to put my best foot forward – that's all I can do – just take care of things I can control: work hard, do what the coaches ask, be coachable, and wherever the chips fall, they may.

“I’ve never really been in an [AHL] tryout position before, so it’s a new experience for me, but it’s something that’s exciting. I get some new eyes on me, and it’s been something I’ve been looking forward to since I found out I was coming to camp, just trying to make an impression on the coaches and hopefully see what happens from there.”

Sandelin’s opportunity with the Bears is also something of a family homecoming for the native of Hermantown, Minnesota. His father, Scott Sandelin, patrolled the blue line in Hershey for parts of three seasons from 1988-91 near the end of his playing career before eventually retiring to begin successful coaching career in college hockey (he’s been the head coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth since 2000), and it was during the elder Sandelin’s stint in Chocolatetown that he met his future wife (and Ryan’s mother) Wendy during his time with the Bears.

“Both my parents are excited. It’s been a pretty cool experience to kind of see where our whole family started and whatnot. My mom went to school at Penn State and was working at Penn State Health across from the Lodge, where we’re staying. They met at like a players’ bartending event at one of the bars in town.” Ryan Sandelin said. “I just asked how the town was. It’s a cool experience to be practicing in the same building that he played pro in. And then just to check out the town, see what it’s all about.”

Written by Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman