Six days ago, the Giant Center was packed to the brim, a sellout crowd in attendance to watch NHL preseason action, as the Washington Capitals took on the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tonight, the Giant Center was a little less full, but no less passionate, as the Bears kicked off their preseason action against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
This will be Hershey’s only home preseason game of the three they’ll play this year, with trips to Wilkes-Barre and Allentown to come later this week.
Capitals Continue to Make Final Cuts
A few hours before puck drop tonight, the Capitals moved closer to their final roster, placing four players on waivers for the purpose of sending them to Hershey.
Newcomers Graeme Clarke and Louie Belpedio, along with recent stalwarts Bogdan Trineyev and Henrik Rybinski, were all placed on waivers to come to Hershey. We’ll know by 2 p.m. tomorrow if they all cleared, which is to be expected. That puts the Capitals training camp roster at 33 with 10 more cuts needed to be made by Monday’s NHL roster deadline.
That would mean another 10 players, if all who will need to clear waivers clear waivers, coming to Chocolatetown. The battle for the two forward spots open is still the one to watch.
Sonny Milano and Hendrix Lapierre are the favorites for those spots as it stands, which would mean Ivan Miroshnichenko, Andrew Cristall and Ethen Frank would be sent to Hershey (Frank would have to clear waivers, Cristall and Miroshnichenko would not). With two preseason games still to go for the Capitals, that final decision will likely be taken down to the wire.
Fans should also take notice of the decisions that need to be made regarding Vincent Iorio and Clay Stevenson. A couple weeks ago, it seemed Iorio could push Dylan McIlrath for the backup right-handed defenseman spot in Washington with a good enough camp, with Iorio no longer waiver exempt. Iorio has had an excellent camp so far, and the Capitals may attempt to send down the older McIlrath rather than risk the younger Iorio.
There’s also been lots of smoke around teams potentially claiming Clay Stevenson. That would be a blow to the Bears, as Stevenson would be the clear number one goalie in Hershey if he makes it here. That’s no longer a certainty.
The Game
The Bears put out a lineup of mostly new faces tonight. No Matt Strome, no Aaron Ness, no Spencer Smallman. Jon McDonald, Dalton Smith, Ryan Hofer, Grant Cruikshank and Nicky Leivermann are the names you’ll know who played tonight, while you may remember Ludwig Persson and Alex Suzdalev from cameo appearances in recent seasons.
For a group that mostly came together for the first time this past Sunday for the opening of camp, the Bears forecheck was impressive the whole game. It was fast, hard and is hopefully a good omen of the way Hershey will play under Derek King this season.
Some players who stood out included Luke Toporowski, who didn’t make the score sheet but was noticeable almost every shift he played tonight. Kyler Kupka, who put up 53 points in 54 games last season for South Carolina, kicked off the Bears scoring with an excellent tip in front, then got an assist on Hershey’s third goal of the night with a perfect pass to set up Ludwig Persson. Kupka then added a second goal, bringing his point total for the night to three. A solid first appearance for Kupka in a Bears uniform.
Nicky Leivermann also impressed on the back end. Leivermann added a shorthanded goal to make it 4-1, but left late in the third with what looked like an ankle injury. Here’s hoping that injury is not serious.
Garin Bjorklund was rock solid in net. His performances will be under an increased microscope depending on the status of Clay Stevenson. Bjorklund made a few very nice saves that showed off his athleticism as he pulled off a solid 23 save performance.
It may just be preseason hockey, but a 5-1 win in any game is nothing to sniff at. It was a great performance by tonight’s group, and an encouraging first sign for the 2025-26 season.
Postgame Comments
Postgame Comments- Garin Bjorklund
The Chocolate Roar 