Practice Notebook: Lines Begin to Take Shape for Bears on Day 2

After opening training camp Tuesday with only a handful of skaters, the influx of several players assigned to Hershey from the Washington Capitals enabled Derek King and his staff to begin to piece together several forward lines today which could be the makings of what the Bears will put on the ice in a pair of preseason games – at Lehigh Valley and at home versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton – this weekend.

One line combination that should be familiar to Bears fans is the trio of Dalton Smith, Grant Cruikshank, and Sam Bitten, who played together as a unit for portions of last season in a rotation with Matt Strome. The three were sporting matching green practice sweaters for Wednesday’s session.

For Bitten, whose re-signing with Hershey was announced by the club in April, it’s his first training camp with the Bears after being acquired in a November 2025 trade with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

“It’s just good to be back with everybody here. I know camp’s always a little stressful for everybody, the adrenaline’s up, a lot on the line here, but I love it,” Bitten said. “I think I thrive in those occasions. I’m just excited to be back with the fellas and hopefully we’re going to keep going like this and get ready for a big season.”

After arriving in Chocolatetown last season, Bitten quickly established himself as a player with a penchant for a constantly-churning motor that has the capacity to get under the opposition’s skin.

That was evident during the first day of camp, when Bitten and defenseman Rhett Parsons were involved in a tense exchange that looked like it could have come to blows had the situation escalated. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the pair wrapped practice up with a friendly fist-bump.

“That’s how I play. I told him that after. I said, ‘Whether it’s you or anybody, I’ve got one speed out there.’ I take pride in my job. And I appreciate when there’s a player on the other side and trying to do the same; I respect that style. It’s all good,” Bitten said. “This is a big deal to be here. Everyone’s trying to make their impression, make a mark. So I understand the competitiveness that comes out.”

Parsons agreed that there’s no bad blood between the two.

“I know he’s a physical guy – I respect how tough he is,” Parsons said. “The intensity and the drills makes him better, makes me better. I think I’m just going through every drill with purpose and that’s how I play my game.”

Luypen Pushing for Permanence

Last year Jalen Luypen came to camp on a tryout basis, having signed an ECHL contract with Hershey’s affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. Even after earning a professional tryout agreement and making the opening night roster for the Bears, the former 2021 Chicago Blackhawks draft pick signed multiple AHL PTOs during the 2025-26 season, first with Hershey, then with Tucson, then with Hershey again before eventually earning a full contract with the Bears for 2026-27.

Now, Luypen is hoping to stick on a more permanent basis. With only two potential preseason games in which he could draw into the lineup, the 24-year-old knows those will be prime opportunities to make the case for an extended stay with Hershey.

“I just want to make it a difficult decision for them in the coaches room to choose me over maybe a younger guy coming in or a draft pick,” Luypen said. I just want to make those decisions hard for them and make sure I’m always in those conversations.”

During Tuesday’s practice, Luypen pushed himself to the point of asking the training staff to place a trash container at the edge of the bench in case he needed to throw up. Today, wearing a light-blue practice sweater on a line with tryout invitees Josh Prokop and Ryan Sandelin, he seemed to be in lighter spirits, and after the main session ended, he was taking extra faceoff practice with assistant coach Louis Robitaille.

“It’s good. You always just want to work your butt off. When camp comes around, you’re working 110 percent every drill out there,” Luypen said. “And if I’m going to go use the garbage can, it means I’m just giving it my all out there and just going back and doing the same thing.”

Fresh Start for Kopff

A newcomer to the Bears this season is second-year pro Tyler Kopff, acquired by Washington from Buffalo on July 13 in exchange for Zac Funk.

Kopff originally was an undrafted free agent signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the Sabres following his sophomore year at Brown University, and split his first full pro campaign last season between AHL Rochester and the club’s then-ECHL affiliate in Jacksonville. Although he scored in his first game of the campaign for the Americans, Kopff was unable to dent the twine over his next 29 games for Rochester.

For Kopff and Funk, the hope is a change of scenery may yield a more favorable outcome for both.

“My first year, I don’t think it’s any secret, it didn’t go how I wanted, but I definitely feel like I've, you know, learned some things and grown from that experience,” Kopff told Bears broadcaster Zack Fisch as part of a larger conversation that may make its way to air during an upcoming Bears radio broadcast. “I think I’m ready to come here and make an impression and show that I belong here.”

Kopff wore a grey practice sweater Tuesday, skating on a line with Alex Gaffney and Landon McCallum.

Written by Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman