The Hershey Bears continued to add to their goaltending depth on Thursday, signing netminder Ben Kraws to a one-year AHL contract.
The 6-foot-5 Kraws split the 2025-26 season between the AHL’s Texas Stars and ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads. He spent most of the year with Idaho, posting a 16-12-2 record, a 3.03 goals-against average, and a .908 save percentage. The 25-year-old netminder also made four AHL appearances for Texas, going winless (0-3-0) and posting a 4.34 GAA and .840 SV%.
Over the past three seasons, Kraws has appeared in 11 AHL games, posting a 4-6-0 record and recording a 3.38 GAA and .877 SV%. Kraws has also suited up in 71 career ECHL games with Idaho, notching a 39-24-7 record with a 2.94 GAA, .909 SV%, and 5 shutouts. He notably took home ECHL Rookie of the Month honors in March 2025.
Kraws, a native of Cranbury, New Jersey, played for three different college teams during his five seasons in the NCAA: Miami University, Arizona State University, and St. Lawrence University. Kraws’ performance as a graduate transfer in 2023-24 earned him a nomination for the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s top collegiate player. That season, Kraws posted a record of 14-17-6 along with a 2.49 GAA, a .919 SV%, and 2 shutouts with St. Lawrence University.
Kraws’ signing seemingly completes the organization’s depth chart in goal after Hershey re-signed Garin Bjorklund to a one-year AHL contract on Monday. The Capitals and Bears now have six goalies inked for next season, including Logan Thompson, Charlie Lindgren, Clay Stevenson, and Mitch Gibson.
The netminding situation may need to be revisited during training camp or early in the regular season, as the Capitals will have to place Stevenson and Gibson on waivers if they want them to play in Hershey. Stevenson has previously drawn interest from other NHL teams regarding a waiver claim and played well in his four games with the Caps this past year, going 3-1-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
The Capitals reportedly opted not to trade Lindgren during the offseason, and he will remain as the team’s backup. The 32-year-old veteran has been deemed “too important” to Thompson’s success, but then would, in turn, block Stevenson from taking the next step as a full-time NHL player.
