Jonas Siegenthaler Officially Assigned to Hershey From Zurich

We’ve known this was coming since Friday, but it Monday it was made official: Jonas Siegenthaler is joining the Hershey Bears once again.

The six-foot-three-inch defenseman will join the Hershey Bears for the final month of the regular season after playing for the Zurich Lions of the National League A in Switzerland this season. Siegenthaler was expected to start the 2016-17 season in Hershey but returned home to Switzerland for personal reasons.

Last season, Siegenthaler played six games for the Bears, recording a point in his first game, before exercising his option to go back to Switzerland on April 8th.

Siegenthaler, 19, played for Switzerland at the World Junior Championships, recording four assists – third best amongst defenseman in the tournament.

As stated by Troy Mann after Friday’s Bears game, he will not play this first week for Hershey. Tuesday he will practice with the Bears and do the skill development with the team, then stay back in Hershey and skate with VP of Hockey Ops Bryan Helmer and work out with Strength & Conditioning Coach Mike Wagner while the team is away in St. John’s for a series with the IceCaps.

Press release:

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-assigned defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler from the Zurich Lions of the National League A (Swiss) to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

Siegenthaler, 19, recorded seven points (1g, 6a) in 28 games with Zurich this season and has earned 18 points (4g, 14a) in 115 career National League A games with the Lions. Last season, Siegenthaler earned one assist in six games with Hershey. The 6’3”, 230-pound defenseman made his AHL debut and earned his first AHL point with an assist at Lehigh Valley on March 23, 2016. Siegenthaler was drafted by the Capitals in the second round, 57th overall, in the 2015 NHL Draft.

The Zurich, Switzerland, native represented Switzerland at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto. Siegenthaler registered six points (1g, 5a) at the tournament and served as an alternate captain for Switzerland. He ranked tied for second on the team in points and was selected by the tournament’s coaches as one of Switzerland’s Best Players. He was also named Switzerland’s Best Player of the Game on Dec. 27 against the Czech Republic. He led the team in time on ice per game (25:00) and finished the tournament ranked tied for third among defensemen in points and fourth in assists. Siegenthaler has represented Switzerland at three World Junior Championships (2015, 2016, 2017).