HERSHEY, Pa. – The Hershey Bears announced they have re-signed defenseman Eddie Wittchow to a one-year AHL contract for the 2021-22 season. Coming off of an impressive season in 2019-20, the shortened 2021 campaign was an important one for the Bears defenseman.
After starting the 2019-20 season with the South Carolina Stingrays, Wittchow was recalled to Hershey and became too good for head coach Spencer Carbery to send down, chipping in offensively at a pace that would have surpassed his AHL career-high set with the Springfield Thunderbirds (15 points). By all counts, Wittchow succeeded and then some with the Bears this past season, skating in 19 games and recording four points (one goal, three assists) as well as playing in a number of different roles.
Wittchow brings a skill set that all fans of hockey can appreciate. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in at 225 pounds, Wittchow brings size and strength to Hershey’s blue line, outmuscling players and providing an element of toughness that the Bears have not had in abundance in recent seasons. This past season saw Wittchow utilized in a number of different areas, most importantly at forward where he skated on the fourth line for the depleted Bears and scored his only tally in Hershey’s season finale, an important goal to put the Penguins out of reach.
//twitter.com/hbhnationblog/status/1394037897402191876?s=21
“He’s a Swiss army knife, and he plays with so much energy,” Carbery said of Wittchow at the season’s end. “He’s so competitive and he sticks out like a sore thumb whether he’s playing defense or forward, and it’s a luxury to be able to play him on forward this past weekend. Another fitting thing is that Eddie is loved by our guys, he’s such a nice young man and so soft-spoken for how he plays the game. For him to score such a huge goal for us, the guys were just thrilled for him and his smile was pretty special to score such a huge goal.”
Wittchow is an excellent player for the Bears to retain going into an important 2021-22 campaign. Not only is he a well-liked player on and off the ice by his teammates, but he’s played a role in Hershey’s success since he earned his way onto the roster.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see him sport an alternate captain’s emblem on his uniform in the fall, either, as he wore the same during his time with the South Carolina Stingrays.
