Brett Leason played his first game for the Hershey Bears after signing a one-year, two-way contract on October 27 with the Washington Capitals, worth $775k at the NHL level and $250k in the AHL.
Leason suited up on the Bears’ first line, skating with Andrew Cristall and Spencer Smallman, in the team’s 2-1 victory over the Syracuse Crunch.
“Obviously, I loved playing here,” Leason said to Hershey’s Jesse Liebman during the first intermission of the telecast. “The fans in Hershey were unreal. Washington always treated me well. I’m excited to be back and excited to finally play again and get things going.”
The game marked Leason’s first with the Bears since a March 9, 2022, playoff game against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins — a span of three years, eight months, and five days.
Leason was brought back to the organization for depth after offseason signing Sheldon Rempal left the organization in late October and returned to the KHL.
Leason was forced to sit out Hershey’s first five games due to visa problems. From the sidelines, he observed that the team has a “great group of guys. They work hard. Good coaches, good systems, good goaltenders. I think from top to bottom we’ll be able to do a lot of dangerous things on this team.”
Leason, a Capitals’ second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, spent three seasons in the Caps organization, posting 47 points (18g, 29a) in 114 games for the Hershey Bears and six points (3g, 3a) in 36 NHL games with the Capitals.
The Capitals lost the 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward to a waiver claim by Anaheim on October 10, 2022. Leason played three seasons for the Ducks, posting 48 points (22g, 26a) in 184 games.
