Summary: The Hershey Bears have signed 23 year old forward Kyle Jackson to a one year AHL contract for the 2026 27 season. The former Seattle Kraken draft pick brings three seasons of strong ECHL production to Hershey as he looks to establish himself as a full time AHL player.
Hershey Bears Add Scoring Depth, Sign Forward Kyle Jackson to One-Year AHL Contract
HERSHEY, Pa. — The Hershey Bears continued shaping their roster for the 2026-27 season Wednesday, signing forward Kyle Jackson to a one-year American Hockey League contract.
Hershey announced the deal on Aug. 26 through vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer. Jackson joins the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate after splitting last season between the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL and Bloomington Bison of the ECHL.
At first glance, the signing might look like another depth addition during the final stretch of the offseason.
Jackson's recent production suggests there may be more upside involved.
A Consistent Producer in the ECHL
The 23-year-old forward appeared in 38 games for Bloomington during the 2025-26 season and produced 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points, finishing fourth on the team in scoring despite playing fewer than 40 games.
That works out to better than a point per game.
Jackson also put together an 11-game home point streak from Oct. 18 through Dec. 13, collecting eight goals and 13 assists during the run. He was selected for the 2026 ECHL All-Star Classic before earning a recall to Hartford.
He added five assists in six playoff games for Bloomington.
More importantly for Hershey, the production wasn't an isolated breakout.
Jackson recorded 52 points in 67 games with the Wheeling Nailers in 2024-25 after posting 44 points in 53 games with the Kansas City Mavericks during his first professional season in 2023-24.
Across his first three ECHL seasons, Jackson has accumulated 58 goals and 82 assists for 140 points in 158 games.
According to the Bears, those 140 points are the second-most produced over the past three seasons by an ECHL player who will enter the upcoming season under the age of 24.
That's an intriguing résumé for a player still trying to make the jump permanently to the AHL.
Jackson Has Already Had a Taste of the AHL
Jackson isn't entirely new to this level.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound forward played 12 games for Hartford last season, recording his first AHL goal and adding an assist.
He previously appeared in two games for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during the 2024-25 season.
That gives Jackson 14 career AHL appearances with a goal and an assist.
His next challenge will be translating the offensive ability he has consistently demonstrated in the ECHL into production against AHL competition.
Hershey gives him an opportunity to do exactly that.
From Seattle Draft Pick to Hershey
Before turning professional, Jackson spent his major junior career with the North Bay Battalion of the Ontario Hockey League.
His best season came in 2022-23, when he erupted for 31 goals and 52 assists for 83 points in 67 regular-season games. He added another seven goals and 11 assists in 20 playoff games.
That followed a 62-point campaign in only 45 games the previous season.
The Seattle Kraken selected Jackson in the seventh round, 196th overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft, but his professional career ultimately took him through Kansas City, Wheeling, Bloomington, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hartford before Wednesday's deal with Hershey.
Jackson also experienced a lengthy postseason run almost immediately after turning pro.
As a rookie with Kansas City in 2023-24, he was part of a Mavericks team that captured the Brabham Cup as the ECHL's regular-season champion and advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals after winning the Western Conference.
Why the Signing Is Interesting for Hershey
Hershey's roster has undergone changes during the offseason, particularly among its forwards.
The Bears have retained or added several players on AHL contracts while the Capitals organization continues supplying Hershey with NHL-contracted prospects. Hershey's offseason tracker currently includes returning forwards such as Grant Cruikshank, Dalton Smith, Sam Bitten, Matt Strome and Jalen Luypen, along with other offseason additions.
Jackson now enters that competition.
There are no guarantees that his ECHL scoring immediately translates to the AHL, and his 14-game AHL sample remains far too small to draw conclusions.
But that's also what makes this an interesting move.
Hershey isn't asking Jackson to arrive as a finished product. The Bears are giving a productive 23-year-old forward an opportunity to prove that he has outgrown the ECHL.
Three consecutive productive professional seasons suggest he's earned that chance.
For an organization with a long history of developing players while simultaneously expecting to compete for championships, that's the kind of low-risk roster addition that could become considerably more valuable if Jackson's scoring follows him to Hershey.
The Road to Opening Night
Jackson will compete for his place on a Hershey roster preparing for the franchise's 89th season in the American Hockey League.
The Bears open the 2026-27 campaign at GIANT Center on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. against the Charlotte Checkers.
Between now and then, Jackson has an opportunity to turn Wednesday's signing into something larger.
He's already proven he can produce in the ECHL.
Now comes the opportunity to show he belongs in Hershey.