The Hershey Bears announced on Thursday that they have re-assigned defenseman Benton Maas and forward Bears Hughes to the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL.
Henrik Borgstrom and Lucas Johansen have joined the Bears Training Camp after clearing waivers.
Additionally, the Bears have assigned to following players to @SCStingrays:
Bear Hughes, F
Benton Maass, DThe club’s Opening Night roster will be released tomorrow.
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 13, 2022
Maass, a 6’2”, 195-lb, right-handed defenseman, was selected by the Capitals in the sixth round (#182 overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old, Elk River, Minnesota native spent four seasons playing for the University of New Hampshire and spent a fifth year of collegiate eligibility due to Covid playing for Minnesota State. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Hershey Bears on May 26, 2022.
Cassius “Bear” Hughes, a 6’-1”, 165 lb. center, was drafted by the Capitals in the fifth round (#148 overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Hughes, 21, was not signed by the Capitals prior to their rights expiring for him (June 1, 2022), but the Hershey Bears did ink him to a one-year deal for the 2022-23 season.
The Bears will announce their opening night roster on Friday. They open the season on Saturday night when they host the Utica Comets at Giant Center. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.
By Jon Sorensen
Looks like the Stingrays will be a Bear of a team! Dont want to push anyone out of Hershey but would love to see Bear in Hershey soon.
I view this as a positive as they should get more ice time, more game experience playing against older more experienced players.