The Hershey Bears announced on Wednesday that they have signed Capitals prospects Dru Krebs, Benton Maass, and Garin Bjorklund to amateur tryout agreements which will allow them to finish this season in the AHL.
They will join goaltending prospect Clay Stevenson, who signed his own amateur tryout deal with the Bears two weeks ago after agreeing to a two-year entry-level deal with the Caps in late March.
We’ve signed @Capitals draft picks Dru Krebs, Benton Maass, and Garin Bjorklund to amateur tryout agreements.
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) April 20, 2022
Krebs, brother of current Buffalo Sabres forward Peyton Krebs, is a defenseman that was selected by the Caps in the sixth round of the most recent entry draft. He has spent the past three seasons in Canadian junior with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. This season he had 19 points in 66 games with a minus-58 plus-minus rating which is less of a mark on him and more of an indication that he played the most minutes on a truly terrible Tigers team.
Maass is the oldest of the prospects as he comes out of the NCAA via both the University of New Hampshire and Minnesota State University – Mankato. The 23-year-old defenseman was a sixth-round selection all the way back in the 2017 draft. In 42 games this past season with the MSU Mavericks, Maass recorded 14 points on the way to an appearance in the NCAA National Championship game.
Bjorklund is a goaltender that was picked by the Caps in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He is another unfortunate member of a Medicine Hat team that won just eleven games in the WHL this season. Being that he was the goaltender on such a poor team, his stats from this season are ugly. He amassed an 8-36-2 record with a 4.26 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage.
The Bears have three games left on their regular season schedule and are still looking to clinch a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s the full press release from Hershey:
BEARS SIGN TRIO OF WASHINGTON DRAFT PICKS TO TRYOUT AGREEMENTS
Dru Krebs, Benton Maass, and Garin Bjorklund join the Chocolate and White
(Hershey, PA- April 20, 2022) – The Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed defenseman Dru Krebs, defenseman Benton Maass, and goaltender Garin Bjorklund to amateur tryout agreements.
Krebs, 19, was selected by the Washington Capitals in the 6th round of the 2021 NHL Draft. He appeared in 66 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League this season, striking for 19 points (4g, 15a). The 6’0″, 180-pound defender has tallied 43 points (7g, 36a) in 144 career WHL games.
Maass, 23, was selected by the Capitals in the 6th round of the 2017 NHL Draft. After four years at the University of New Hampshire, 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 blue liner scored 14 points (3g, 11a) in 42 games for Minnesota State, and the native of Elk River, Minn. collected 51 points (13g, 38a) in 162 career NCAA games.
Bjorklund, 19, was Washington’s 6th round draft pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He appeared in 48 games for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers, recording a 8-36-2 record with a 4.26 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage. In 96 career WHL games, the 6’2″, 178-pound goaltender is 40-48-4 with a .892 save percentage.
The Bears return to action on Friday at Lehigh Valley. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. at the PPL Center. The game may be heard on the Highmark Bears Radio Network or viewed on AHLTV.
Headline photo: Ian Oland/RMNB
