Bears fan favorite foward Nathan Walker made the NHL roster for the Washington Capitals. Photo courtesy of Chocolate Hockey
It’s finally here. The Hershey Bears are set to embark on their historic 80th anniversary season in Lehigh Valley against the Phantoms on Saturday night. It’s just one more mark in a renewed rivalry between the teams which kicked off last spring when Hershey knocked off the Phantoms in five games at PPL Center to advance to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Lehigh Valley boasts a roster of familiar yet different roster, partially due to the emergence of several young players taking roles with their NHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Gone are players like Taylor Leier, Robert Hagg, Scott Laughton, Samuel Morin, and Travis Sanheim, who made life tough for the Chocolate and White last year. In their place is a crop of new talent that the Flyers have been stockpiling to keep the rivalry going for the foreseeable future, with top prospects Oskar Lindblom, Mike Vecchione, Mikhail Vorobyev suiting up at the AHL level with veteran forward Matt Read.
Hershey hasn’t rolled over in any way over the offseason, despite the loss of a few players to Washington this offseason. Despite the loss of Jakub Vrana, Nathan Walker, Christian Djoos, and Aaron Ness, Hershey has a crop of new rookies entering the AHL. Lucas Johansen, Connor Hobbs (who introduced himself to Hershey in a big way during last weekend’s preseason game) and Kristofers Bindulis look to factor in with a very familiar core team with additions like Wayne Simpson, Mathias Bau, and John Albert. The loss of Stan Galiev and Paul Carey are voids Hershey will have to replace, but retaining players like Dustin Gazley, Chris Bourque, and Garrett Mitchell along with a lot of familiar faces is good news for the Chocolate and White.
As always, we here at Bears Hockey Nation are excited to be back for such a historic moment, and can’t wait to bring even more great content to Bears fans. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for game updates and much more!
Finally, a feel-good story for Bears fans is the debut of four year Hershey forward Nathan Walker in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. Walker was a standout with the Caps during training camp, and scored a shorthanded goal (that was beautiful if you ask us) in his first preseason game. Washington seems to be rolling out the red carpet for the historic moment, as Walker becomes the first Australian born player to play in the NHL. The Capitals seem to have intentionally scratched Walker for their first game on the road in Ottawa so that his family could be in attendance at Capital One Arena for the Capitals’ home opener on Saturday night against Montreal.
“Nathan has made a lot of sacrifices since a very young age” Walker’s mother Ceri told NHL.com. “Being away from home since the age of 13, living for years in a country whose first language was not English, living with a family that he did not know, spending endless Christmases on his own, missing out on all family and mates’ celebrations. If he steps out onto the ice on opening night, then it would have been all worth it, and we can all scream, ‘He did it!'”
It will certainly be a night to remember for Walker and his family, but for Bears fans as well who saw him develop into a prominent member of the Chocolate and White over the last few seasons. Walker played the power play, penalty kill, and in key situations, even during the Bears’ struggles in the middle of January. Walker even netted the game winning goal in overtime against the Phantoms in Game 1 of last spring’s first round series, and was named the team’s Man of the Year in 2016. It will be a fantastic opening night for Australian hockey, the Washington Capitals, and for Hershey Bears fans.
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