HERSHEY, Pa. – The Washington Capitals made an impactful move for the Hershey Bears on Saturday afternoon, signing defender Cameron Schilling to a one-year, two-way deal for the 2020-21 season.
Schilling began his career with the Bears back in the 2012-13 season and makes his return to the organization after departing following the 2014-15 season. Schilling’s contract is worth $700,000 at the NHL level and $365,000 at the AHL level.
Schilling, 32, played in 210 regular seasons with the Bears as well as 19 playoff games during his tenure with the Chocolate and White. He had 13 goals and 37 assists in the regular season, as well as five goals and six assists in the postseason. After departing Hershey, Schilling skated with the Rockford IceHogs, Ontario Reign, and Manitoba Moose, as well as a brief stint of four games with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Schilling has consistently put up seasons of 20+ points since departing Hershey, and was a career best plus-25 during the 2017-18 campaign.
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Schilling is a huge pickup for the Bears, as he becomes a key part of Hershey’s defensive group. He has proven he can play his part on the blue line, as well as occasionally contribute big goals (as seen above during the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs with the Moose). He’s grown from a player finding his footing in the AHL to a skater who can play important minutes. He adds to a group of defenders that’s not quite as plentiful as last season, but has perhaps more quality than ever before with Martin Fehervary, Alexander Alexeyev, Bobby Nardella, Lucas Johansen, Tobias Geisser, Eddie Wittchow, Tyler Nanne, and Will Graber representing Hershey’s current blue line group.
If all goes well, adding another forward to Hershey’s group would be the last piece the team would need.
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