The Hershey Bears have signed defensemen Erik Burgdoerfer and Tommy Hughes to one-year American Hockey League contracts.
Burgdoerfer notched five goals and 13 assists for 18 points along with a plus-18 rating in 64 games with the AHL’s Belleville Senators in 2018-19. He also skated in four NHL contests with Ottawa.
Entering his 10th pro season, Burgdoerfer has skated in 317 regular-season games in the AHL with Belleville, Rochester, Hershey and Oklahoma City, where he has registered 18 goals and 62 assists for 80 points. He was a member of the Bears’ Eastern Conference championship team in 2016, and has five assists in 31 career postseason games in the AHL.
Burgdoerfer has played eight career games in the NHL with Ottawa and Buffalo, recording one assist.
Hughes returns to North America after spending the 2018-19 with Nottingham in the U.K.’s Elite Ice Hockey League.
Hughes appeared in 10 games with the Bears in 2017-18, and has five goals and 25 assists in 236 career AHL contests with Hershey and Hartford.