The 2024 Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears announced that the club has signed forwards Grant Cruikshank, Austin Magera, Micah Miller, Justin Nachbaur, and Tyler Weiss, as well as defenseman Jayden Lee to American Hockey League contracts for the 2024-25 season.
Cruikshank, 25, played in 19 games for the Toronto Marlies in 2023-24, scoring four points (1g, 3a). Additionally, the 5'11", 187-pound center scored 43 points (21g, 22a) in 35 games for the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers last season. Prior to turning pro, the Delafield, Wisconsin native finished his NCAA career at St. Cloud State, leading the team in goals with 23, which ranked third in the nation.
Magera, 25, led Hershey's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, in goals (29), points (74), and plus/minus (+21) over 70 games last season. He won the John A. Daley Memorial Trophy as the ECHL Rookie of the Year, and ranked ninth in the league in scoring overall. The Suwanee, Georgia native joined the Stingrays at the end of the 2022-23 season, scoring 14 points (8g, 6a) in 18 games. The 6'1", 190-pound forward played five seasons at Sacred Heart University before turning pro.
Miller, 25, skated in three games with the Tucson Roadrunners last season, but spent the majority of his rookie campaign with the ECHL's Atlanta Gladiators, compiling 41 points (23g, 18a) in 63 games, which tied him for second on the team in scoring. The 5'9", 201-pound forward hails from Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and played five seasons at St. Cloud State before turning pro.
Nachbaur, 24, played in 39 games for the ECHL's Kansas City Mavericks, posting 19 points (10g, 9a) and 69 penalty minutes. He also added six points (2g, 4a) in 18 playoff games. The 6'3", 205-pound winger had 17 points (7g, 10a) and led the ECHL's Greenville Swamp Rabbits in penalty minutes with 177 in 2023-23. The native of Cross Lake, Manitoba won a WHL title with the Prince Albert Raiders in 2019, skating alongside former Bears Brett Leason and Aliaksei Protas. He has played in eight career AHL games with Charlotte and Ontario.
Weiss, 24, notched 39 points (14g, 25a) in 56 games with the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers in his rookie season last year. He played five seasons at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, scoring 116 points (28g, 88a) in 159 games with the Mavericks. The 5'11", 170-pound forward hails from Raleigh, North Carolina and was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
Lee, 23, served as captain of Quinnipiac University last season, leading all defenders on the team in scoring with 26 points (3g, 23a) over 39 games. The 5'9", 160-pound rearguard was named ECAC First Team All-Conference. In 2023, he helped guide the Bobcats to the school's first NCAA Championship, and over his five years at Quinnipiac, he scored 73 points (16g, 57a).
The Hershey Bears are back-to-back Calder Cup Champions! The club will start its title defense as they open the 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 12 versus the Cleveland Monsters at GIANT Center. Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now and more information is available at HersheyBears.com.
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