Next in our annual Washington Capitals review and forecast series is… Benton MassDefense of South Carolina Stingrays. (You can access all of the Capitals’ prospects reports and player analysis on our “Prospects” page here.)
Vitals
Mass, 6’2″, 195 pounds, right defensive tackle, was selected by the Capitals in the sixth round (#182 overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Elk River, 24, from Minnesota State, spent four seasons in the Playing at the University of New Hampshire, he had a fifth year of college eligibility, due to COVID, playing at Minnesota State, he was signed to a one-year deal by the Hershey Bears on May 26, 2022.
Career summary
Maas was included in the Home Nations Wildcats starting lineup immediately after high school for the 2017-2018 season and remained there for all four seasons. As a “real freshman”, Maas played in all 36 matches for United Nations, scoring four goals, including three power play goals, and contributing 13 assists. Among all Hockey East defensemen, Maas is tied for sixth in goals, third in power play goals, and eighth in assists.
The sophomore’s MAS campaign did not go well. He missed a number of matches due to a dreaded injury, and his goalscoring output was poor. Offensively, he increased his shot production for the 2018-2019 season.
For the 2019-2020 season, Mass led UNH with a plus/minus plus rating of 7. His 34 blocked shots in 32 games were second on the team and his 59 shots on goal were fifth on the team and second among UND defensemen. He contributed three goals and seven assists.
Maas only played in 20 games in the 2020-21 season due to the shortened Covid season, scoring two goals and assisting two. Maas had his fifth year of eligibility due to the pandemic. As a result, Mas entered the transfer portal at the end of the 2020-21 season.
Maas transferred to Minnesota State University for the 2021-22 season, helping the Mavericks to the NCAA Tournament title. The 6’3″, 201-pound blueliner has scored 14 points (3g, 11a) in 42 games for Minnesota State, and has accumulated 51 points (13g, 38a) in 162 NCAA games.
After signing a trial with the Bears on April 20, Maas made his debut for Hershey in the club’s regular season finale on April 24 versus Syracuse, hitting two shots. He was signed to a one-year deal by the Hershey Bears on May 26, 2022.
For the 2022-23 season, Maas had one assist in two games with Chocolate and White this year. In 55 games with South Carolina, he scored 11 points (4g, 7a), and also appeared in five Kelly Cup Playoff games.
Monthly summary and analysis of trends from 2022 to 2023
The following is a compilation of monthly odds reports for Benton Mass during the 2022-2023 season. Also includes his monthly grades (0-5, with a 2.5 on average). You can find all of your monthly leads on the “Prospects” page in the top menu.
October
Elk River, Minnesota, has played in all four of South Carolina’s games this season. He recorded a minor assist on Tariq Baker’s first-half goal against Norfolk on October 22. This is his only point so far.
Monthly score: 2.5
November
Maas was in and out of South Carolina’s squad, playing five games in November. When dressed, he plays in the third defense pair. Mass earned zero points for the month.
Monthly score: 2.0
December
Maas found more consistent playing time in December. After playing the third minutes in the double, he saw time in the upper defense double.
Brenton Maass’ FIRST CAREER GOAL, TOUCH DOWN RAYS!!! pic.twitter.com/eXWkiYyTsZ
– SC Stingrays (SCStingrays) December 15, 2022
Offensively, Maas recorded a goal and an assist on the month to bring his points total for the season to three.
Monthly score: 3.0
January
Mas has settled into being a professional player and is playing with more confidence than he did at the start of the season. Rookie Defender He found the back of the net twice in January bringing his season total to three.
Mas never let Florida feel comfortable😤 pic.twitter.com/c7QJbIBL6y
– SC Stingrays (SCStingrays) January 28, 2023
He has five points in the season. After he struggled to get into the lineup Early in the season, he worked his way up to consistent playing time. He is tied for the second-best plus/minus rating on the team with an 11-plus.
Monthly score: 3.0
February
Measures It is almost equal to the total points for the season in which the month was entered. He entered February with five points and scored four points in the month. The Elk River, Minnesota native compiled three assists in February, more than in the first four months of the season.
One of those assists came on Kevin O’Neill’s winning goal at Worcester on February 5. He also caught his first assist of the season against Atlanta on February 25. Measures He scored his fourth goal of the season in the third period of a 3-2 loss against Jacksonville on February 18. The rookie blue line had a plus-13 rating on the season, the best among South Carolina defensemen.
Update: Maas was recalled to Hershey on March 1.
Monthly score: 3.0
He walks
Maas had another good month in March, including his first call to AHL Hershey where he spent the majority of the month. He played in two games for the Bears and recorded an assist on March 18 against Rochester.
Maas played in 48 games for ECHL South Carolina, scoring four goals and five assists and is +16 for the season. He’ll be in Blueline’s Hershey Conversation in September.
Monthly score: 3.0
April
Offensively, Maas finished the regular season with four goals and seven assists in the 55 games he played for the Stingrays. Law had an assist in two games played by the Bears while being called up in March. Maas had no points in five games played in the postseason for the Stingrays. He was +13 for the regular season and even the post-season.
Monthly score: 3.0
Summary of monthly results
player expectation
Maas will always be a traditional stay-at-home type defensive man, with very low offensive production, but a solid defensive force. We’ve seen steady positive development over the course of the 2022-23 season, which has sparked our interest for the upcoming season.
Mass is an unrestricted free agent but must be re-signed by the Bears for the 2023-24 season.
Written by John Sorensen
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