Hershey Forward Justin Nachbaur Suspended Three Games for Shoving Nicolas Boivin

The American Hockey League’s Player Safety Committee suspended Hershey Bears forward Justin Nachbaur for three games after he shoved linesperson Nic/Nicolas Boivin during Hershey’s game at Laval, the league announced Feb. 14. The ban, issued under AHL Rule 40.4 for a Category III physical abuse of an official, removes Nachbaur from Hershey’s upcoming road dates at Belleville and Toronto.

AHL public release listed the specific games Nachbaur will miss: Feb. 14 at Belleville, Feb. 16 at Belleville, and Feb. 18 at Toronto. In the Feb. 13 contest in Laval, Nachbaur received a minor penalty for roughing and a game misconduct for physical abuse of an official; the League’s disciplinary minimum for Category III offenses is three games, triggering the automatic suspension.

Scoutingtherefs and other reports identify the official involved as Nic Boivin or Nicolas Boivin, listed on the game roster as linesperson #16. Scoutingtherefs detailed the in-game sequence, saying Nachbaur shoved Boivin during an altercation, and listed the referees and linespersons on the ice as Morgan MacPhee (#43), Jack Young (#24), Jeremy Faucher (#97), and Nicolas/Nic Boivin (#16). Scoutingtherefs noted that MacPhee and Faucher are splitting time between the AHL and NHL this season, an element that underscores how AHL disciplinary rulings can ripple up through the officiating pipeline.

The AHL rule cited by Scoutingtherefs reads in part: "40.4 Automatic Suspension - Category III - Any player who, by his actions, physically demeans an official or physically threatens an official by (but not limited to) throwing a stick or any other piece of equipment or object at or in the general direction of an official, shooting the puck at or in the general direction of an official, spitting at or in the general direction of an official, or who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall be suspended for not less than three (3) games."

Game context: the Laval Rocket beat the Hershey Bears 6-1 in the same contest where the incident occurred, per Scoutingtherefs. Scoring and momentum for the Rocket were unaffected by the sequence, according to All Montreal Hockey, which described the act as a misplaced attempt at intimidation during Laval’s win.

Nachbaur’s season numbers were listed by Scoutingtherefs as two goals, one assist and 74 penalty minutes in 26 games. That stat line frames him as a physical presence on the roster; All Montreal Hockey added that the forward has yet to appear in the NHL and characterized the suspension as a deserved enforcement of league policy protecting officials, saying the league has zero tolerance for such behavior and calling the decision fair to protect the integrity of the game.

Neither the Hershey Bears nor Justin Nachbaur are quoted in the available reports, and the AHL release provided no additional comment beyond the suspension notice. With the three-game ban in place for the Belleville and Toronto trips, Nachbaur’s first return date is presented differently across sources: AHL PR lists the three specific games he will miss, while Scoutingtherefs says he will be eligible to return when the Bears host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday, without supplying that Friday’s calendar date.