No Off Nights: Sam Bitten’s Relentless Approach

The path to the American Hockey League has been anything but traditional for Sam Bitten.

Before coming into the AHL, Bitten spent three seasons playing overseas. He began in Sweden before moving to the Czech Republic. He dressed in 12 games with Södertälje SK in Sweden during the 2020-21 season and recorded one goal and two assists. He spent two seasons in Czechia, where he found his game. He recorded 16 goals and 11 assists with HC Poruba 2011 in Czechia’s second division. He made the jump to the Czech Extraliga with HC Vitkovice. Bitten dressed in six regular-season games, adding a goal and an assist, followed by the postseason, where he added two more points in those nine games. In the following season, he played in 48 games with HC Plzeň, recording one goal.

The overseas experience ultimately helped shape the player who returned to North America. “What sticks out the most is probably the pride I take in my job. It's definitely an interesting one. I started my pro career in Europe. Everyone will say, once you go to Europe, it's very hard to come back. I was playing a unique style over there that brought me here. For right now, I don't want to change my style because I know what got me here, and I'll remember what brought me to the dance; that's for sure.”

The European experience wasn’t simply playing the games; it was learning the type of player he could become. When he made his return to North America and signed an AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the 2023-2024 season, he entered a new chapter of his career. Since making his AHL debut, Bitten has dressed in 136 regular-season games, and Bitten's European experience wasn't simply about accumulating games. It was about learning what type of player he could become. He has recorded seven goals and nine assists in 136 regular-season games. During his first two seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds, he played in 29 games in the 2023-2024 season and tallied one goal and two assists. During the following season, he played in 60 games and recorded two goals and four assists. 

The infamous word was thrown Bitten’s way at the beginning of last season: Trade. Bitten was traded to the Hershey Bears in November 2025. He played in four games to begin the season. When he joined the Bears, he recorded four goals and three assists in 43 games played. He added a goal and an assist during the 2026 Hershey playoff run. 

Numbers don’t tell Bitten’s entire story. “I think I had a lot to learn in my style and my maturity. I was a player that had a lot of energy, a lot of heart. I love my job, and I like my role, and I try to be as consistent as I can night and night out, and I think that's what brought me here.”

Bitten isn’t the player who needs to fill the scoresheet every night for the team to feel an impact. His value comes from his energy, physicality, and willingness to do the difficult work. “Probably my forechecking ability and my speed. I feel like in the summer I worked a lot on my speed and my intensity. It's really my intensity and the fire I bring to the game.” 

There is an edge to Bitten’s style that goes beyond the physical play. “I have an edge to my style, and that's not only just with the violence. That's just the way I skate, the way I'm out there, and I like to be on my toes and make sure I'm ready for any situation on the ice.” This style has followed him from Europe to Springfield, and now Hershey. Bitten has no intention of abandoning it. 

Bitten isn’t limited to what happens between the boards. He is someone who provides the energy and positivity from the bench and in the locker room. What Bitten brings to a team isn't limited to what happens between the boards. "I think it's just my positivity. I'm a very vocal guy on the bench and in the room. I like to make my teammates feel safe out there.”

Serving that role is important to Bitten. “I hope they know that I have their backs because that's the kind of person and player I am. I think they appreciate that style, and it's a style that I hope isn't gonna go away anytime soon.” Bitten has spent years fighting for his place in professional hockey, and that perspective comes naturally. He understands what it means to have teammates who believe in you. 

Coming from an in-division team, Bitten has faced Hershey from the opposing side before coming to the Hershey side. “I had some good battles against this team, and I'm pretty sure that's the reason they seeked me out in a trade last season in November. Everyone knows that the Hershey Bears have a winning culture here. It's a first-class organization. I'm very lucky to be here, and I don't take it for granted one day.”

The opportunity to walk into a hockey rink every day for a living is something that isn’t lost on him.  “Coming into the Giant Center every day, it's a privilege. I know a lot of guys, a lot of kids, and hockey players would love to be in my shoes.”  Having that attitude is part of his daily routine. “Just every day, don't take it for granted. Make sure I put my work boots on and have some pride in my job.”

Experiencing hockey in multiple countries. Bitten is aware that the AHL presents its own unique challenges. “The Always Hungry League, as they call it. It's not easy turning pro, especially when you make your pro debut in the AHL. It's a hard league. It's very fast; it's competitive. There's a lot on the line every night.”

For young players coming into the professional world from junior hockey, Bitten attributes the biggest adjustment to understanding that professional hockey is a job. “This is our livelihood. I think some kids coming in at 19, they come from junior, very talented players, but they got to understand now this is a job.” Having this mindset, Bitten hopes he is someone that his teammates can look to when it comes to that mindset. “This is it. This is not just something we do part time. There's a lot on the line for everybody every night with the coaches, players, management, and I think that's something I can help with the players and my teammates to make sure they know that every night there's no off night.”  Bitten does not take nights off, and he wants that to show to his teammates “I don't take nights off, and I want them to know that as well.”

Off the ice and away from the rink, Bitten keeps his life simple. “I'm pretty boring when I get out of the rink, to be honest. I like to read. I don't watch much TV, but I like to FaceTime my parents and my brother.”

His brother, Will Bitten, is also in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers. Having kids who are not only in the same league but in the same division is going to make an interesting year for the entire Bitten family. “I know it's going to be a lot of battles there.”

Hockey has been Bitten’s entire life and something that he has always known and counted on. “Hockey is my life. That's all I've ever known. A lot of training goes into this, and I couldn't be happier to do this job.” The appreciation for the opportunity to play professionally is rooted in his time overseas, where the path to playing back in North America was never guaranteed. “I know when I went to Europe, I was every day looking over my shoulder. I want to play in North America, play in the AHL, eventually play in the NHL.”

Being shy about what could be next is something that Bitten does not shy away from, and that’s playing in the NHL. “I train year-round very, very hard. I mean, this is my life. This is my job. This is my passion. I do this to see how far I can take this, and the ultimate goal is to play in the NHL.”

When asked what he would tell his 18-year-old self, he responded with a laugh and jokingly stated: “Uh, where are you going with this, Sammy boy?”  The answer then became serious: “I would tell him I'd be proud of all the work I put in. It’s a long road, and I got many more years, so I'm very grateful. I'm not shy to say it. I would say to keep going because it's amazing what I've accomplished so far, and I feel like I'm just scraping the ceiling of where I'm at.”

Bitten’s journey has led him from Sweden to Czechia to Springfield to Hershey. He sees the path already taken and the path ahead as an opportunity rather than making it a destination. “It's unbelievable. It’s the best feeling in the world to come to the rink and get to train and play this game for a living. You can't take it for granted because when you do, it could be taken away from you.”

Being in the Washington Capitals system and playing for the Hershey Bears, Bitten wants to make the most of the opportunity. “I want to show them that I can earn my NHL contract here at the end of the season.”

For a player who has built his entire career on his energy and intensity, but has also come with consistency and pride, he’s not trying to change who he is or what type of player he is. Bitten wants to see how far he can take his career.