The Hershey Bears re-signed forward Justin Nachbaur to a one-year AHL contract on Thursday morning.
Nachbaur, 25, played his first season in the Bears’ organization this past year, appearing in four games for Hershey and recording 24 penalty minutes. He played the majority of the season in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays, recording 28 points (12g, 16a) and 173 penalty minutes in 48 games.
Nachbaur has played in 12 career AHL games with the Bears, Charlotte Checkers, and Ontario Reign, but has yet to record his first AHL point. According to HockeyFights, the Manitoba native has dropped the gloves 36 times since making his pro debut during the 2021-22 campaign. He fought 11 times this past year.
The six-foot-three, 205-pound forward played his junior hockey in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders, where he was teammates with Washington Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas for two years.
Hershey has now re-signed three players in as many days, inking defensemen Jon McDonald and Nicky Leivermann to contracts earlier this week.
Here’s the full press release from the Bears:
BEARS RE-SIGN FORWARD JUSTIN NACHBAUR
Nachbaur appeared in four games with Hershey last season
(Hershey, PA – July 10, 2025) – The Hershey Bears announced today that the club has re-signed forward Justin Nachbaur to an American Hockey League contract for the 2025-26 season. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.
Nachbaur, 25, skated in four games with the Bears in 2024-25, making his Hershey debut on Feb. 8 versus Syracuse. He logged 24 penalty minutes, including two fighting majors.
The native of Cross Lake, Manitoba spent the majority of the season with Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, where he led the club with 173 penalty minutes. Nachbaur skated in 48 games for South Carolina in 2024-25 and tallied 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists). He added two assists in six playoff games for the Stingrays.
The 6’3″, 205-pound forward has played in 12 career AHL games with Charlotte, Ontario, and Hershey. He’s also appeared in 151 ECHL games with Greenville, Kansas City, and South Carolina, scoring 79 points (39g, 40a) and posting 447 penalty minutes.