Hershey Bears Re-Sign Calder Cup Hero Matt Strome for 2026-27 Season
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
The Hershey Bears are bringing back one of the most recognizable members of their recent championship core.
Hershey announced Tuesday that forward Matt Strome has re-signed with the Bears on an American Hockey League contract for the 2026-27 season. Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer announced the deal.
The new contract will keep Strome in Hershey for a fifth season and preserves an important piece of the leadership group as the Bears prepare for another run through the Atlantic Division.
Strome, 27, has become far more than simply a depth forward during his time in Hershey. He has developed into a dependable two-way player, penalty killer, alternate captain and, most importantly, a player permanently connected to one of the greatest moments in Bears history.
Forever a Calder Cup Hero
No matter what Strome accomplishes during the remainder of his career, his name will always have a special place in Hershey.
Strome scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game 6 of the 2024 Calder Cup Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, delivering Hershey its record-extending 13th Calder Cup championship.
That goal capped the Bears’ second consecutive Calder Cup-winning season after Hershey also won the championship in 2023. Strome has been part of a remarkable stretch that has also included a regular-season championship and two Atlantic Division titles.
He did not simply contribute to those teams. His ability to play a heavy, responsible game made him valuable in playoff situations where mistakes become magnified.
At 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds, Strome gives Hershey size along the boards and around the puck while also providing enough skill to contribute offensively.
Career Year in 2025-26
Strome is coming off the most productive offensive season of his professional career.
The Mississauga, Ontario, native recorded eight goals and a career-high 15 assists for 23 points in 55 games during the 2025-26 regular season. He also established a career high with two game-winning goals while serving as one of Hershey’s alternate captains.
The Bears went 14-4-1-0 in games in which Strome recorded at least one point, illustrating the impact his offense had when combined with the rest of his game.
Strome also reached an important personal milestone during the season, appearing in his 300th professional game on Nov. 7 against Toronto.
He added one assist in six postseason games.
Perhaps the most encouraging part of Strome’s development has been the steady progression of his offensive production. He has improved his statistical totals during each of his four seasons with Hershey and has now recorded at least 20 points in three consecutive seasons.
That consistency has transformed him from an organizational depth signing into an established AHL veteran whom Hershey can trust in several situations.
An Important Defensive Presence
Strome’s value goes well beyond goals and assists.
He has played an important role on Hershey’s penalty-killing units during his time with the club. The Bears led the entire AHL with an 87.7 percent penalty kill in 2023-24 and followed that by finishing eighth in the league at 83.6 percent in 2024-25.
For a Bears organization that has consistently built around defensive structure, puck management and depth, retaining a player who understands those systems has obvious value.
Strome can be trusted late in games, along the wall and on defensive-zone assignments. His combination of experience and familiarity should also help a Hershey roster that will once again include younger Washington Capitals prospects adjusting to professional hockey.
Four Strong Seasons in Hershey
Strome has now appeared in 198 regular-season games with the Bears, collecting 25 goals and 45 assists for 70 points.
His postseason résumé is equally significant.
After serving as a Black Ace during Hershey’s 2023 Calder Cup championship run, Strome became a regular playoff contributor. He has appeared in 29 Calder Cup Playoff games for Hershey and has registered two goals and seven assists.
One of those two goals, of course, became one of the most important goals in franchise history.
Strome originally joined Hershey after spending portions of four seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Across his entire AHL career, he has played 289 games and recorded 33 goals and 60 assists for 93 points.
He has also played 57 career ECHL games with the Reading Royals and Greenville Swamp Rabbits, producing 15 goals and 19 assists.
From Flyers Draft Pick to Hershey Mainstay
The Philadelphia Flyers selected Strome in the fourth round, No. 106 overall, of the 2017 NHL Draft.
His path has not ultimately led to becoming an NHL regular, but he has established himself as exactly the type of veteran player successful AHL organizations need.
Strome also received a memorable NHL opportunity last September.
He made his NHL preseason debut for the Washington Capitals on Sept. 25, 2025 against the Flyers at GIANT Center. Strome played alongside his older brother, Capitals forward Dylan Strome.
Washington also dressed brothers Aliaksei and Ilya Protas that night, giving the Capitals two sets of brothers in the same lineup.
For Matt Strome, getting the chance to share the ice with Dylan in the building where he had already created some of the defining moments of his career made the night especially memorable.
Why This Signing Makes Sense for Hershey
Hershey has traditionally succeeded by finding the right balance between Washington’s prospects and established AHL veterans.
Strome fits perfectly into the veteran side of that equation.
He understands the organization, understands the coaching expectations and already has championship experience. There is no adjustment period required.
He can contribute on the penalty kill, provide secondary scoring and handle difficult defensive assignments while also giving Hershey’s younger players an experienced teammate who knows exactly what championship-level AHL hockey looks like.
That continuity becomes especially important during an offseason in which minor-league rosters naturally experience turnover.
Strome may never lead Hershey in scoring, but championship teams require players capable of contributing in multiple areas. His history with the Bears already proves that.
MSB Take
Re-signing Matt Strome is exactly the type of move Hershey should continue making.
Strome has become part of the identity of this era of Bears hockey. He plays hard, contributes defensively, has steadily improved offensively and already owns one of the most famous goals in franchise history.
His 2024 Calder Cup-winning overtime goal alone ensured Bears fans would remember his name forever, but Strome has continued to prove that he is more than a player attached to one historic moment.
Coming off a career-high 23-point season while wearing an “A,” Strome remains a productive and trusted veteran.
Hershey will have plenty of talented Washington Capitals prospects moving through Giant Center during the 2026-27 season. Keeping players such as Strome around them provides stability and championship experience that cannot be measured solely by a stat sheet.
Now Strome gets another opportunity to add to his Hershey legacy.
The Bears will open the 2026-27 regular season on Oct. 3 at Giant Center against the Charlotte Checkers, beginning the 89th season in franchise history.
For one of the heroes of Hershey’s recent championship run, that season will once again be spent wearing Chocolate and White.
