Next up in our Washington Capitals annual prospect review and forecast series is Benton Maass, defenseman for the South Carolina Stingrays. (You can access all of our Capitals Prospect Reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page right here.)

VITALS

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 24-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.

CAREER SUMMARY

Maass was inserted into the UNH Wildcats starting lineup straight out of high school for the 2017-2018 season and remained there all four seasons. As a “true freshman”, Maass played in all 36 games for UNH, scoring four goals, including three power play goals, and contributed 13 assists. Among all Hockey East defensemen, Maass tied for sixth in goals, third in power play goals, and eighth in assists.

Maass’ sophomore campaign did not go as well. He missed a number of games due to a scary injury, and his scoring output was down. Offensively, his shot production did increase for the 2018-2019 season.

For the 2019-2020 season, Maass led UNH with a Plus/Minus rating of plus-7. His 34 blocked shots in 32 games was second-most on the team and his 59 shots on goal were fifth on the team and second among UNH defensemen.  He contributed three goals and seven assists.

Maass played in just 20 games in 2020-21 season due to the Covid-shortened season, recording two goals and two assists. Maass was awarded a fifth year of eligibility due to the pandemic. As a result, Maass entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Maass transferred to Minnesota State University for the 2021-22 season, helping the Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament title game. The 6’3″, 201-pound blueliner scored 14 points (3g, 11a) in 42 games for Minnesota State, and collected 51 points (13g, 38a) in 162 career NCAA games.

After signing a tryout with the Bears on April 20, Maass made his professional debut with Hershey in the club’s regular season finale on April 24 versus Syracuse, recording two shots. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Hershey Bears on May 26, 2022.

For the 2022-23 season, Maass had one assist in two games with the Chocolate and White this year. In 55 games with South Carolina, he registered 11 points (4g, 7a), and also appeared in five Kelly Cup Playoff games.

2022-2023 MONTH-BY-MONTH RECAP AND TREND ANALYSIS

The following is a compilation of our month-by-month prospect reports for Benton Maass during the 2022-2023 season. Also included are his monthly scores (0-5, with 2.5 being average). You can find all of our monthly prospect reports on our “Prospects” page in the top menu.

OCTOBER

The Elk River, Minnesota native has played in all four of South Carolina’s games this season. He recorded a secondary assist on Tarek Baker’s first period goal against Norfolk on October 22. That is his sole point thus far.

Monthly Score: 2.5

NOVEMBER

Maass has been in and out of the lineup for South Carolina, playing five games in November. When he suits up, he plays on the third defense pairing. Maass had zero points in the month.

Monthly Score: 2.0

DECEMBER

Maass found more consistent playing time in December. After playing third pair minutes, he has seen time on the top defense pairing.

First career goal for Brenton Maass, TOUCH DOWN RAYS!!! pic.twitter.com/eXWkiYyTsZ

— SC Stingrays (@SCStingrays) December 15, 2022

Offensively, Maass posted a goal and an assist in the month to up his season point total to three. 

Monthly Score: 3.0

JANUARY

Maass has settled in to being a professional player and plays with more confidence than he did early in the season. The rookie defender found the back of the net twice in January to up his season total to three.

MAASS DOESN’T LET FLORIDA GET COMFORTABLE😤 pic.twitter.com/c7QJbIBL6y

— SC Stingrays (@SCStingrays) January 28, 2023

He has five points on the season. After struggling to get into the lineup at the start of the season, Maass has earned his way into steady playing time. He is tied for the second best plus/minus rating on the team with a plus 11.

Monthly Score: 3.0

FEBRUARY

Maass nearly equaled the season point total he had coming into the month. He entered February with five points and recorded four points in the month. The native of Elk River, Minnesota compiled three helpers in February, one more than he had in the season’s first four months.

One of those assists came on Kevin O’Neil’s game-winning goal in Worcester on February 5. He also picked up his first power play assist of the season against Atlanta on February 25. Maass netted his fourth goal of the season in the third period of a 3-2 loss to Jacksonville on February 18. The rookie blue liner has a plus 13 rating on the season, the best among South Carolina defensemen.

Update: Maass was recalled to Hershey on March 1.

Monthly Score: 3.0

MARCH

Maass had another good month in March, including his first callup to AHL Hershey where he spent a majority of the month. He played in two games for the Bears an recorded an assist on March 18 against Rochester.

Maass has played in 48 games for ECHL South Carolina, recording four goals and five assists and is a +16 for the season. He will be in the conversation for Hershey’s blueline in September.

Monthly Score: 3.0

APRIL

Offensively, Maass finished the regular with four goals and seven assists in 55 games played for the Stingrays. He Lao had an assist in two games played for the Bears during his callup in March. Mass had no points in five games played in the postseason for the Stingrays. He was a +13 for the regular season and even in the postseason.

Monthly Score: 3.0

MONTHLY SCORE SUMMARY

PLAYER FORECAST

Maass will always be a traditional stay-at-home type defenseman, with very low offensive production, but is a solid force, defensively. We saw steady positive development over the course of the 2022-23 season, piquing our interest for the season to come.

Maass is an unrestricted free agent but should be re-signed by the Bears for the 2023-24 season.

By Jon Sorensen

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