Brett Leason dressed for his first contest with Hershey after agreeing to a two-way, one-year pact alongside Washington on the 27th of October, a deal carrying a $775k figure in the big leagues and $250k at the AHL rate.
He skated on the Bears' first line, joined by Spencer Smallman and Andrew Cristall, with that trio leading the charge as Hershey nipped Syracuse's Crunch by a 2-1 final.
Filling out Hershey's lineup that evening were the likes of Protas, Cruikshank, Bitten, Strome, Nachbaur, Clarke, Trineyev, Smith, and Rybinski up front, along with Belpedio, Bjorklund, Chesley, Ness, Allen, Schueneman, Stevenson, and McDonald rounding out the back end and crease.
Chatting with Jesse Liebman of Hershey in the opening intermission of the telecast, Leason said he had cherished his earlier days suiting up there, describing the local supporters as incredible and pointing out that the Caps had always been good to him. He added that he was thrilled to return, itching to get back into game action, and eager to get things moving.
It marked his initial appearance in a Bears sweater since a postseason tilt dated the 9th of March, 2022, against the Penguins of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton — a span covering three years, plus eight months and five days.
The club summoned Leason for added depth once Sheldon Rempal, a summer pickup, departed near the end of October and went back to Russia's KHL.
Visa trouble had kept the winger out of the opening five dates on Hershey's slate. Looking on while sidelined, he praised the roster as a hardworking bunch backed by strong coaching, sound structure, and reliable goaltending, reckoning the squad could prove threatening throughout its depth chart.
Taken in the second round by Washington at the 2019 draft, the winger spent a trio of years inside the organization, collecting 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) through 114 outings in Hershey along with six points (three goals, three assists) over 36 big-league games for the Caps.
On the 10th of October in 2022, Washington watched a winger standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 220 pounds get scooped up off waivers by Anaheim. He went on to skate three campaigns with the Ducks, amassing 48 points — 22 goals and 26 assists — in 184 appearances.