Hershey Bears Re-sign Defenseman Benton Maass, Sign Defenseman Nick Leivermann To One Year Deals
The Hershey Bears announced on Thursday that the club has re-signed defenseman Benton Maass, and signed defenseman Nick Leivermann to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 campaign.
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Maass, 24, skated in two games with the Bears last season, registering one assist. He also served as a Black Ace during the club’s run to a 2023 Calder Cup title. Last season, he played 55 games with Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, registering 11 points (4g, 7a) in his rookie campaign. He tallied his first professional goal for South Carolina on Dec. 14 at Atlanta. He also appeared in five Kelly Cup Playoff games.
The native of Elk River, Minnesota was selected by the Capitals in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. After four years at the University of New Hampshire, Maass transferred to Minnesota State University for the 2021-22 season, helping the Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament title game. The 6’2″, 205-pound blue liner collected 51 points (13g, 38a) in 162 career NCAA games.
Leivermann, 24, joins the Bears after completing his collegiate career at Notre Dame. The 5’11”, 186-pound defender collected 20 points (6g, 14a) in 29 games in 2022-23 for the Fighting Irish, serving as team captain. He led the team’s defenders in scoring. He was named a 2023 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and claimed Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fourth straight season.
The native of Eden Prairie, Minnesota was an alternate captain for the Irish in 2021-22, and in five years at Notre Dame, posted 78 points (23g, 55a). He was originally selected in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
