The Hershey Bears have released goaltender Jacob Mucitelli from his amateur try-out, it was announced Tuesday.
The move comes after the Bears recalled goaltender Seth Eisele from the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays as well as having goaltender Garin Bjorklund assigned to them by the Washington Capitals (he was also playing with the Stingrays).
Mucitelli inked his ATO with the Bears after having spent this season playing NCAA D-III hockey for Aurora University. In 24 games with the Spartans, Mucitelli collected a 2.47 GAA and a .913 SP. Having spent the past two seasons at Aurora, Mucitelli also spent time with the University of Maine and Clarkson University between 2020-2023.
A product of Lake Elmo, Minn., Eisele joins the Bears after spending the majority of the year with the Stingrays, putting up a 19-10-1 record along with a 2.30 GAA and a .914 SP in 31 regular season games. Eisele also got into one game for Hershey but struggled, collecting the loss as well as a 4.10 GAA and a .800 SP.
In his first year of pro hockey this year, Eisele spent five seasons in the NCAA between 2019-2024, suiting up for Lake Superior State University and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
The last move amongst the group, Bjorklund joins the Bears after also spending most of the season in the ECHL. In 29 regular season games with South Carolina, he collected a stat line of 21-4-3, a 2.02 GAA and a .927 SP. Having gotten into two games with Hershey, Bjorklund looked solid, going 2-0 while putting up a 1.49 GAA and a .942 SP.
Drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Bjorklund is in his second full pro season, having yet to break into the AHL full time.
With two more reinforcements joining the Bears, they have solid depth in case they need to make use of it. With Hershey set to take on the Charlotte Checkers in the Atlantic Division Finals, they will be the team to watch as they look to defend their title.