Caps Summon Five from Hershey, Bears Recall Three from ECHL

December 27, 2021

The Hershey Bears, and the club's NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals, have announced multiple transactions today. 

The Bears have recalled three players: Forward Will Graber from Fort Wayne of the ECHL, as well as defenseman Macoy Erkamps and goaltender Ryan Bednard from the club's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. 

Graber, 25, leads Fort Wayne in scoring, posting a team-best in goals (9), assists (14), and points (23) in 18 games this season. The 6'5", 190-pound Graber skated in 20 games with the Bears last season, playing both forward and defense, tallying four points (1g, 3a). 

Erkamps, 26, has one assist in seven games with the Stingrays this season. He skated in nine games with Hershey last season, posting 25 penalty minutes. The 6'0", 196-pound defender has appeared in 126 career AHL games with Binghamton, Belleville, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Hershey, notching 14 points (1g, 13a) and 138 penalty minutes. 

Bednard, 24, in 5-6-0 in 11 games with the Stingrays this season, holding a 2.50 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. He's played in one game with Hershey, stopping 30 shots in a 4-3 loss to Rochester on Dec. 19. He's 5-5-0 in 11 career AHL games with Springfield, Syracuse, and Hershey, sporting a 3.23 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. 

The Capitals have announced that defenseman Michal Kempny and goaltender Pheonix Copley have been recalled from Hershey. Additionally, the club announced that forward Brett Leason and defensemen Alex Alexeyev and Lucas Johansen have been added to the Taxi Squad. 

Kempny, 31, has seven assists in 24 games with Hershey this season. He's played 232 career NHL games with Chicago and Washington, helping the Capitals to a Stanley Cup title in 2018.

Copley, 29, is 8-5-1 in 14 games with Hershey this season, collecting a 2.75 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. He won six of his previous eight starts for Hershey, and holds 29 games of NHL experience with the Capitals and St. Louis Blues. 

Leason, 22, has appeared in 22 games with the Capitals this season, scoring six points (3g, 3a). He's also tallied one goal in six outings with the Chocolate and White this season. 

Alexeyev, 22, has skated in 24 games with Hershey this season, scoring four points (1g, 3a). He's appeared in 94 career games with the Bears, collecting 34 points (6g, 28a).

Johansen, 24, has scored seven points (3g, 4a) in 22 games for the Bears this season. In five seasons with Hershey, Johansen has appeared in 155 games, tallying 52 points (12g, 40a).

The Bears are in action tonight at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The puck drops at 7:05 p.m. from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. The game airs live on the Highmark Bears Radio Network and on AHLTV.