The year is over for your Hershey Bears. That means a lot of things- players and staff return home, the ice is scraped at Giant Center and management is preparing for the draft and free agency. For the fans though, it is a time to look back on the season.

That means one thing. It’s report card time. The Chocolate Roar, for the first time, will be delivering report cards for the players for the season. Now- a couple of ground rules:

1. We will be splitting up the report cards into two groups. Prospects and Veterans/AHLers. The prospects group will be made up of players who are both under the age of 24 and have a contract signed with the Washington Capitals organization. Everyone else will be discussed in the other article.
2. To be included in either article you must have suited up for the Bears in at least more than five regular season contests. With that in mind, that means we will not be giving out grades to the following players: Garrett Pyke, Connor Mayer, Alex Gaffney, Phip Waugh, Simon Pinard, Nicky Leivermann, Ethen Frank, Sheldon Rempal, Luke Toporwoski, Kaden Bohlsen, Romain Rodzinski, Jesper Vikman and Jalen Luypen.
3. While we recognize that goalies develop differently and some would consider Clay Stevenson and Mitch Gibson still prospects, both are over the age of 24 and aren’t on entry-level contracts. So they’ll be discussed in the other article.
4. The grades are based on expectations we had for the players coming into the season, or in some cases, after they were traded to the team. Honestly, it is very, very hard to get a failing grade, or to be clear, below a C-. To fall below that either means you underperformed expectations extremely (ex., an expected top six, 40+ point player ends up getting scratched multiple times and only puts up nine points on the season), or you were suspended for a long time/removed from the team by the league or organization.
5. I am not a scout. All opinions are of my own and should not be taken as how the team and organization now sees these players.

With those rules in mind, let’s get to the prospects.

Ilya Protas: A+

I don’t think I can add much here to the accomplishments that Ilya Protas had this season, so let me just list them for you:

• Most goals ever by a 19-year old Hershey Bears player.
• Led the team in goals, assists and plus/minus.
• Led the team with 11 power play goals.
• Was named the team MVP and Rookie of the Year.
• Named to the AHL all-star team.
• Named to the AHL all-rookie team.
• Named AHL Rookie of the Year, the first Bear to do it since Ron Hextall and the first skater to do it as a Bear.
• Scored four points in four games during his late year NHL call-up.

I was worried that coming into the season expectations were a bit too high on the younger Protas brother after a very successful 24-25 season in the OHL. He was still a raw prospect coming in at the age of 19. And yet he blew by all those expectations. Protas will be a star, and expect to see him wearing the red, white and navy blue of the Washington Capitals next year as their third line center. Thank you for bringing the joy this year Ilya, it will serve you well in DC.

Andrew Cristall: A+

You see all those awards Ilya Protas got? Most of them would have been Cristall’s in any other year except this one. The 20-year old, 2023 second-round pick of the Capitals also came into the season with high expectations, and also promptly blew right by them.

While Cristall was not as prolific of a goalscorer as Protas was, he led the team in assists, becoming one of the main creative outlets for the team from the wing. Critically, Cristall was also the only Bear to play all 72 games this season, which should expel some concerns some had about his ability to stay healthy at his smaller size.

It wasn’t like Cristall avoided contact and plays in the corners either. His 200-foot game and skating clearly improved throughout the season, and by the end, he was showing the ability to throw a check more consistently on the forecheck. For some of the comparisons made to Cristall that put him closer to playmaking wingers like Mitch Marner, his style actually reminds me a lot of Brad Marchand. Two slightly undersized players who had very similar first years of professional hockey. Cristall put up 60 points in 72 games, while Marchand put up 59 points in 79 games in his AHL debut season all the way back in 2008-09. Cristall doesn’t have the same nastiness that Marchand has, but he plays with that edge, and in the recent series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, he was willingly in the middle of multiple post-whistle shenanigans.

Unlike Protas, I do think Cristall has a harder pathway to get to the NHL next year, especially if Alex Ovechkin returns for another season. So, as long as he’s a part of the organization, I do think he starts out in Hershey. But his NHL debut is likely to come sooner rather than later, and this season is a huge reason for that.

Bogdan Trineyev: A

Trineyev, along with Henrik Rybinski, were the two older prospects that the organization hoped to see take a jump this season. Regarding Bogdan, he most certainly did.

The momentum from leading the team in points during their short 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs run continued into this year. Trineyev became a vital top-six player for Hershey, playing in all situations on both the penally kill and the power play. He blew past previous career highs in points, goals and assists, leading to a very respectable 17 goals and 28 assists on the year, good for 45 points in 62 games.

His performance earned him both his first career NHL games, playing two for the Capitals this season, as well as a shiny two-year contract extension that came with a considerable pay raise, plus a full one-way contract for the second year of that extension for the 27-28 season.

Trineyev’s skating also continued to improve and while that will never be an elite skill of his, he took steps towards being NHL average at that skill, which boosts his chances of making the Capitals roster next season. I do think he’ll be given that chance, especially if Washington doesn’t extend Brandon Duhaime. He will have competition for a spot on the fourth line, but he has a much clearer pathway to that spot compared to last year.

Overall, Trineyev was one of the Bears most important players this past year, and he will continue to be so if he’s back in the chocolate and white next year.

Alex Suzdalev: A-

Coming into the year, there were doubts that Suzdalev would even be able to carve out a roster spot in Hershey, let alone be a constant player in the lineup. But credit to him, he did the hard work and blew by most preseason expectations.

The 2022 year-old third rounder was a player that arguably came in with a little too much hype out of juniors after spending a year on Connor Bedard’s wing in Regina, but his development seems to be coming together. Spending most of last year in South Carolina, Suzdalev was in and out of the lineup, with some alright offensive production, while Derek King was looking for him to get better in the corners and defensively.

Again, much to Suzdalev’s credit, he got to that place where King trusted him, and was a consistent part of the lineup by February. After putting up 7 points in his first 17 games this year, Suzdalev would put up 14 points in his final 24 games. A big improvement and growth in his consistency.

Now, being held scoreless in the playoffs drops his grade a tad, but Suzdalev has cracked open the door on a path to the NHL again. I’m not saying that he will get there, but he has proven himself to be a useable middle-six player in the AHL in a season where he was 21 for much of the year. That’s a sign of strong growth, and he will be a key part of Hershey’s roster next year as he looks to take another step.

David Gucciardi: B+

Hershey had multiple rookie defensemen on the roster this season, with Gucciardi being one of four who got game time. Gucciardi was the most experienced and oldest of the group, having spent four years at Michigan State and turning 23 two days before the season started. Even with that in mind, expectations may have been too tempered because of his pedigree as a former 7th round pick.

But, I thought of the four rookies this year for the defense group, Gucciardi was the most consistent of the bunch. While he didn’t provide much offense (13 points in 52 games), he was the strongest defensively of the rookies, and his skating ability impressed me. While he would skate himself into trouble sometimes, Gucciardi was generally able to use his skating ability to break presses from opposing teams and sending Hershey off on the counter-attack.

He was also one of only two Bears defensemen who suited up this year who played in more than 30 games and ended with a positive plus/minus on the season, along with veteran Corey Scheuneman. While plus/minus is not the be all, end all, it shows that Gucciardi was responsible on both ends.

His path to the NHL is blocked a bit by the depth Washington has with left handed shooting defensemen, but as a 6’2′ defender with good skating, if he improves on this season, he will start to be noticed by the NHL. Him improving will be vital to Hershey’s success next season, as he could take on a slightly expanded role with next year’s team.

Ivan Miroshnichenko: B+

Miro continues to be one of the more polarizing prospects, at least in my view, in the organization. There is some frustration that he could not build off his 23-goal season in 24-25 this year, with his shooting percentage dropping down below 12% again. As a player described as a shoot first goalscorer, his lack of doing so in two of his three seasons in the AHL has brought questions about how good his scoring ability really is. I do think though that description overlooks his overall improvements as a player this season.

While still not defensively responsible, I did think that this was the best Miroshnichenko has shown us regarding his 200-foot game and his forechecking game. When he is at his best, Miroshnichenko is one of the Bears best forecheckers. His great speed combined with his ability to throw a strong hit, an aspect of his game that I’ve always felt has been overlooked, makes him dangerous as a strong forechecker.

His overall playmaking has also improved, putting up a career high in assists this season. But the struggles with consistency do continue to exist, though you do have to wonder how much of that still lies in splitting consistent time between the NHL and AHL this season, plus an early year upper-body injury that kept him out for about five weeks. He was still one of Hershey’s best players, don’t get me wrong, but I think the organization and fanbase were hoping for production closer to last season that didn’t materialize this year.

The Capitals organization still clearly trusts Miroshnichenko, as shown by the two-year extension he received this year, with both year’s being one-way contracts, paying him his NHL salary rate no matter where he ends up playing. But, he will also no longer be waiver exempt starting next season, meaning Washington could have to make a decision on him as a full time Capital sooner, rather than later.

Eriks Mateiko: B

Hershey lost lots of players to injury this year, but I don’t know if any sucked more to me personally than when Mateiko had his achilles torn by a skate blade in a game against Cleveland in early January. Not only was the rookie preparing to go represent his home country of Latvia at the Olympics, but his offense had started to pick up as he was playing more consistent hockey.

I really felt as though we were about to see a second half breakout by the 20-year old on Hershey’s bottom six, so to see him go down with a freak, season-ending injury sucked. However, in terms of expectations, I think the rookie slightly over performed where his expectations were coming into the season. I can say for sure I did not expect him to slot into the Bears bottom six on opening night, and to his credit, until the injury he was a consistent member of the lineup.

Derek King described Mateiko as a Swiss army knife, one who can slot at both center and on the wing. He also showed success with the penalty kill, and his 6’6 frame made him hard to move in the corners. Mateiko does have to get more comfortable with the physicality of the pros, and you haver to hope his skating doesn’t take much of a hit post-achilles injury, as it is one of the attributes he needs to improve on to have a shot at the NHL. But pre-injury, it was a good season for Mateiko, which is why he gets a B.

Cam Allen: B

Similar to Mateiko, Allen lost the majority of the season due to injury. In Allen’s case, it was a lingering shoulder issue that needed season-ending surgery. However, like Mateiko, I was impressed with Allen’s strides in the games he played this season.

Allen showcased his above average skating, particularly for a defender. He was quick, allowing him to both drive offense from the point and get back into plays quickly. He showed an ability to be a power play quarterback as well, leading from the point on the Bears second unit when healthy. He also got to show off his wicked slap shot, which needs accuracy improvements to become lethal, but it’s a great trait to have.

He does need to show improvement in his own zone and improve his offensive consistency in terms of output. That’s something we would have likely started to see by the end of the season if he was healthy. And, with health being an issue Allen has dealt with since his time in juniors, he will have to prove he can stay on the ice next season. Thankfully, it being a shoulder issue means that his skating isn’t affected by the injury, but this is something he will have to overcome to have a shot at the NHL.

Allen will hope to slot in as the Bears 3RHD next year and will likely be the second power play unit’s quarterback again. He showed signs of being a good contributor at this level in the games he played this season. But, he will have to show more consistency in his own zone, plus staying healthy, to grow again.

Leon Muggli: B-

I was surprised that Washington made the call to bring Muggli over from Switzerland for his age 19 season. I thought he would be kept on a similar path to Jonas Siegenthaler, who played two full season in Switzerland after being drafted by the Capitals before coming over to Hershey at the age of 20. Muggli coming over a year earlier was a risk, and it was a year, like so many of his teammates, that ended up being shortened at points because of injury and inconsistency.

Unlike some of his fellow rookies, Muggli was not a consistent part of the lineup from game one, playing only in two of the Bears first four games. In the second game he played, Muggli suffered an upper-body injury that kept him out until mid-December. And by the time he came back, it was time for Muggli to join up with Switzerland’s U-20s team for the World Junior Classic (WJC).

While Muggli put up a strong performance in the WJC this year again, it also meant he missed three months of possible playing time with Hershey. After returning, he was in and out of the lineup, never really able to solidify his spot in the defensive group. There were things to like about his play. Muggli showed a little more offensive prowess than was expected of him and he was a slightly above average skater.

But, he had the issues that every 19-year old defensemen will have. He wasn’t great positionally and his personal consistency in his own zone wasn’t there. And like many prospects at his age, he will have to adjust to playing more physical hockey in North America. Expectations are still strong for the teenager, and he was mentioned specifically by Derek King as a player who he thinks could breakout next year, and a full offseason as a Bear should prove helpful. Overall, a slightly above average season for Muggli, with the hopes bigger steps could be taken next year.

Ryan Chesley: C+

This one stings. As the 37th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and after a very strong junior season with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, expectations were high for the then 21-year old Chesley coming into the season. He certainly got his opportunities, playing in 64 games this season, being one of the few Bears to not fall victim to mid-to-long term injury this season and leading rookie defensemen on the roster in that category.

However, it was mostly a season of struggle for the younger. After showing off some offense prowess during his cameo appearance last season, Chesley was unable to replicate that consistently this season. He wasn’t able to always lead offense from the point and rarely got chances to do so on the man advantage. His skating was solid and his positioning wasn’t bad, but it was poor decision making that got him in trouble multiple times this season.

His -19 was the highest on the team, and by far and away the highest of the defense, with Aaron Ness coming behind him at a -6. Chelsey has to improve his decision making to get better overall. There were too many time where he’d make the wrong pass or the wrong decision that would lead to a turnover in the neutral zone or the defensive zone and lead to a goal.

This is a mental trait that needs fixing, meaning it is one of the most fixable attributes of a hockey player. Plus, most of the other tools are there, and I do think Chesley absolutely can be an NHL defenseman consistently in his career. Washington can help his development by bringing in a strong, capable veteran AHL defenseman to pair with Chesley next season, with Aaron Ness potentially retiring. Chesley can get to a higher level, he just didn’t get there this season.

Henrik Rybinski: C

As I stated earlier, both Rybinski and Bogdan Trineyev were given opportunities this year to expand their roles and produce more. While Trineyev took his opportunity by the horns, Rybinski did not. Even with a bump up to the second line and increased power play opportunities, Rybinski put up five less points than last season in only one less game.

In terms of his overall game, there wasn’t much growth. He is still a very solid middle-six AHL center, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, I think management was hoping he’d build off of last year more and improve in his point production.

That just didn’t happen and there were moments where Rybinski would disappear offensively during the regular season that damaged the team. Rybinski missed three weeks in early March through injury and the Bears did miss his defensive responsibility and his strong penalty killing, but with more center prospects on the way and an expiring contract, I’m not sure that Rybinski did enough to come back next season. That will be something to watch as the offseason transpires.

Zac Funk/Ludwig Persson/Patrick Thomas: C

Putting these three together because they all had very similar seasons. They spent about a month with Hershey at the beginning of the season, but were unable to secure spots in the startling lineup consistently and spent most of the season with South Carolina of the ECHL.

I didn’t expect these players to break through and I figured they’d be scratches or ECHL players, so that’s no knock on them. They all continued to get valuable experience playing hockey for the Stingrays, though admittedly I had hoped for more consistent producing from Persson at that level after spending the last two playing against men in Finland. All three will continue to have chances to play for spots next season on the Hershey roster, but are still on the outside looking in. But that was who Alex Suzdalev was coming into this year and one of these players developing like him would be a success.

Garin Bjorklund: C-

Man, I had such high hopes for Bjorklund coming into the season. After finally staying healthy and having a great 24-25 season with South Carolina, I and many others thought this would be the year Bjorklund established himself as an AHL goalie, pairing with Clay Stevenson as his backup.

While Bjorklund had a solid start to his full time AHL career (which included a pass that started a two-on-zero against Lehigh Valley that is still the greatest pass I have ever seen a goalie make in my life), he struggled starting around Thanksgiving and wasn’t able to find his game. In his last 11 starts he only had one game where he put up a .900 save percentage or better and was clearly overtaken by Mitch Gibson as Stevenson’s backup by February.

Bjorklund is once again performing well in South Carolina, and it could help boost his confidence back up. However, with this being the last year of his current contract, it will be interesting to see if he gets another deal from the Capitals or if it will have to come in the form of an AHL contract from the Bears. I am leaning towards the latter in that case, which doesn’t mean his time with the organization is over, but he has a long way to go if he ever wants to get considered for an NHL spot.