HERSHEY, Pa. – The Hershey Bears revealed on Wednesday that the club has re-signed defenseman Eddie Wittchow to a one-year AHL deal. Wittchow impressed when jumping into the Hershey lineup this past season after spending time with the South Carolina Stingrays, serving as a reliable defender that stuck around on a very deep Hershey blue line.

Wittchow was something of a secret weapon on defense for the Bears after playing 19 games in South Carolina and 22 total games at the AHL level. Wittchow scored five goals and added four assists, including two game-winning goals this past season. Most recently, Wittchow scored the lone goal during Hershey’s last weekend of the season in a 1-0 shutout win over the Hartford Wolf Pack. His five goals were the most among active defensemen on the Bears lineup in the fewest amount of games played. Despite this, Wittchow was known for his size and responsible defensive play, and was so consistently good that it was hard for Hershey to send him down to the ECHL when the Bears were healthy.

Wittchow finished at a plus-four rating with the Bears this season, and a positive marker is another bright spot for a player that earned another contract and a bigger role in Hershey. It will be interesting to see how Wittchow fits into a very good looking defensive group for the Bears, but if it’s anything like last season, he will take the opportunity and run with it.

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