The Hershey Bears restocked their cupboards by signing a slew of players who primarily starred at the ECHL level last season on Thursday. Hershey inked forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, as well as defenseman Jayden Lee to AHL contracts for the 2024-25 season.
While many of them will likely spend the entire year with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, they’ll provide injury recall depth for the Bears.
We have signed six skaters to AHL contracts for the 2024-25 season.
Welcome forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, as well as defenseman Jayden Lee to the organization!
📰 https://t.co/w8HU6v5FxK pic.twitter.com/obLNIVpiHI
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) July 18, 2024
Cruikshank is a 25-year-old forward who spent the past two seasons in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He got into 19 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, tallying four points (1g, 3a) but spent most of his year with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers where he posted 43 points (21g, 22a) in 35 games.
Magera, 25, remains in the Capitals organization after spending the past two seasons with the Stingrays after departing Sacred Heart University. He was South Carolina’s leading scorer last year, amassing 74 points (29g, 45a) in 70 games. Magera won the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy as the ECHL Rookie of the Year.
Miller is a 25-year-old forward who played his last two seasons in the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes organization. The St. Cloud State grad has played in five career AHL games but got into 63 games for the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators last year, notching 41 points (23g, 18a) in 63 games.
Nachbaur, 24, has played for four different teams over the past three seasons including the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers and Ontario Reign as well as the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Kansas City Mavericks. In 39 games last season for the Mavericks, Nachbaur recorded 19 points (10g, 9a). The winger was teammates with Aliaksei Protas for two years on the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.
Weiss, 24, spent his first year pro with the Growlers last season. In 56 games, he tallied 39 points (14g, 25a). Weiss was a 2018 fourth-round draft selection of the Colorado Avalanche.
Lee is the only defenseman of the group and the only player entering into his first pro campaign. He led all defenders at Quinnipiac University in scoring with 26 points (3g, 23a) over 39 games. The 23-year-old rearguard was named ECAC First Team All-Conference.
Hershey has also already added forwards Brennan Saulnier, Luke Philp, and Spencer Smallman to their ranks this summer. They’ve also re-signed Alex Limoges, Nicky Leivermann, Garrett Roe, Hardy Häman Aktell, Riley Sutter, Dmitry Osipov, and Jon McDonald.
Here’s the press release from the Bears:
BEARS SIGN SIX SKATERS TO AHL CONTRACTS FOR 2024-25 SEASON
Hershey bolsters organizational depth by adding five forwards and one defender on AHL deals
(Hershey, PA – July 18, 2024) – The 2024 Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, as well as defenseman Jayden Lee to American Hockey League contracts for the 2024-25 season.
Cruikshank, 25, played in 19 games for the Toronto Marlies in 2023-24, scoring four points (1g, 3a). Additionally, the 5’11”, 187-pound center scored 43 points (21g, 22a) in 35 games for the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers last season. Prior to turning pro, the Delafield, Wisconsin native finished his NCAA career at St. Cloud State, leading the team in goals with 23, which ranked tied for third in the nation.
Magera, 25, led Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, in goals (29), points (74), and plus/minus (+21) over 70 games last season. He won the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy as the ECHL Rookie of the Year, and ranked ninth in the league in scoring overall. The Suwanee, Georgia native joined the Stingrays at the end of the 2022-23 season, scoring 14 points (8g, 6a) in 18 games. The 6’1″, 190-pound forward played five seasons at Sacred Heart University before turning pro.
Miller, 25, skated in three games with the Tucson Roadrunners last season, but spent the majority of his rookie campaign with the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators, compiling 41 points (23g, 18a) in 63 games, which tied him for second on the team in scoring. The 5’9″, 201-pound forward hails from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and played five seasons at St. Cloud State before turning pro.
Nachbaur, 24, played in 39 games for the ECHL’s Kansas City Mavericks, posting 19 points (10g, 9a) and 69 penalty minutes. He also added six points (2g, 4a) in 18 playoff games. The 6’3″, 205-pound winger had 17 points (7g, 10a) and led the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits in penalty minutes with 177 in 2023-23. The native of Cross Lake, Manitoba won a WHL title with the Prince Albert Raiders in 2019, skating alongside former Bears Brett Leason and Aliaksei Protas. He has played in eight career AHL games with Charlotte and Ontario.
Weiss, 24, notched 39 points (14g, 25a) in 56 games with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers in his rookie season last year. He played five seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, scoring 116 points (28g, 88a) in 159 games with the Mavericks. The 5’11”, 170-pound forward hails from Raleigh, North Carolina and was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
Lee, 23, served as captain of Quinnipiac University last season, leading all defenders on the team in scoring with 26 points (3g, 23a) over 39 games, guiding the Bobcats to the school’s first NCAA Championship. The 5’9″, 160-pound rearguard was named ECAC First Team All-Conference, and over his five years at Quinnipiac, he scored 73 points (16g, 57a).
