Caps Recall Fucale, Bears Sign Goaltender Bailey Brkin to Tryout

March 18, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Hershey Bears News Release

(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed goaltender Bailey Brkin to a professional tryout agreement. Additionally, the Washington Capitals announced today that goaltender Zach Fucale has been recalled from Hershey. The announcement was made by Washington's senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan.

Brkin, 23, was signed by the ECHL's Reading Royals on Wednesday. He has appeared in 14 ECHL games this season with Iowa and Wheeling, posting a 5-7-2 record with a 3.08 goals-against average and .903 save percentage.

The native of Sherwood Park, Alberta has played in 25 career ECHL games over the past two seasons with Wichita, Orlando, Rapid City, Fort Wayne, Iowa, and Wheeling. The 6'3", 175-pound goaltender has gone 9-13-2 with a 3.33 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage in his ECHL career.

Brkin will wear #1 for Hershey.

Fucale, 27, has posted a record of 19-10-2 with one shutout, a 2.57 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage in 33 games with Hershey this season. He ranks tied for sixth in the AHL in wins.

Fucale appeared in four games with Washington during the 2021-22 season, posting a record of 1-1-1 with a 1.75 goals- against average and a .924 save percentage. Fucale stopped all 21 shots faced in his NHL and Capitals debut at Detroit on Nov. 11, 2021, becoming the first Capital in franchise history to record a shutout in his debut. Additionally, Fucale set an NHL record for the longest career-opening shutout sequence (138:07), passing former Minnesota Wild goaltender Matt Hackett's mark of 102:48 by over 35 minutes at Minnesota on Jan. 8.

Hershey continues the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, when the Chocolate and White return home to GIANT Center where they will host the Rochester Americans for Hall of Fame Night and Print Works On Demand Poster Night tonight at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets for the game.

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2023

• Reign Can't Get Past Canucks - Ontario Reign
• Gulls Downed by Wild - San Diego Gulls
• Canucks Round Out Home Stand With Emphatic 5-2 Victory Over Ontario - Abbotsford Canucks
• Wranglers Fall in Shootout to Roadrunners - Calgary Wranglers
• Silver Knights Triumph Over Condors, 5-3 - Henderson Silver Knights
• Rossi's Hat Trick Powers Wild to 6-2 Win Over Gulls - Iowa Wild
• Belleville Sens' Strong Run of Play Continues with Win in Cleveland - Belleville Senators
• Texas Earns Point in Overtime Loss at San Jose - Texas Stars
• Gust Grabs Two Points for Hogs with Overtime Winner - Rockford IceHogs
• Amerks Fall Short to Bears in Hershey - Rochester Americans
• Arvid Holm Notches 33 Saves for Win - Manitoba Moose
• Griffins' Offense Stifled by Cooley in 2-1 Loss to Milwaukee - Grand Rapids Griffins
• Eagles Claim Standings Point in 3-2 OT Loss to IceHogs - Colorado Eagles
• Wolves Downed by Moose 6-1 - Chicago Wolves
• Cooley Backstops Ads to Win Over Griffins - Milwaukee Admirals
• Feisty Game Ends with Pens Falling in OT to Crunch, 4-3 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
• Monsters Stumble in 4-1 Loss to Senators - Cleveland Monsters
• Bears Pick Up 2-1 Win Over Amerks On Hall Of Fame Night - Hershey Bears
• Brodzinski Strikes Twice as Pack Beat Isles 3-2 - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Bussi Backbones P-Bruins to Victory Over T-Birds - Providence Bruins
• T-Birds Can't Overcome Early Deficit to Bruins - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Crunch Edge Penguins, 4-3, in Overtime - Syracuse Crunch
• Bridgeport Remains in a Playoff Position by One Point Over Hartford - Bridgeport Islanders
• Checkers Trounce Toronto for Second Straight Game - Charlotte Checkers
• Iowa Wild Signs Tyler Busch to PTO - Iowa Wild
• Comets Drop Road Game to Rocket, 4-1 - Utica Comets
• Caps Recall Fucale, Bears Sign Goaltender Bailey Brkin to Tryout - Hershey Bears
• Behind the Bench: 500 AHL Games Completes Full Circle Justin Dowling Moment - Abbotsford Canucks
• Capitals Re-Assign Forward Bogdan Trineyev to Hershey - Hershey Bears
• Blues Assign F Nikita Alexandrov, D Tyler Tucker to T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Game Day - Calgary at Tucson - Calgary Wranglers
• Blue Jackets Reassign Forward Mikael Pyyhtia to Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
• Game Preview: Bears vs. Americans, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
• Wolf Pack Visit Islanders in Crucial Atlantic Division Battle - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Game Preview: Iowa Wild at San Diego Gulls - Iowa Wild
• Game #60 - Calgary Wranglers at Tucson Roadrunners - Tucson Roadrunners
• Bridgeport Islanders Host Wolf Pack at 7 p.m. - Bridgeport Islanders
• Toronto Marlies Host Charlotte Checkers in Second Half of Back-To-Back - Toronto Marlies
• Hogs and Eagles Clash in Fourth and Final Regular Season Meeting - Rockford IceHogs
• Roadrunners' Luck Runs out in Loss to First-Place Calgary Wranglers - Tucson Roadrunners
• Wranglers Blank Roadrunners for Sixth-Straight Win - Calgary Wranglers
• Daccord's 36 Save Performance Backstops Firebirds to 40th Win of Season - Coachella Valley Firebirds
• Coachella Valley Pulls Away in Third Period, Iowa Falls 3-1 - Iowa Wild
• Canucks Put Four Past Ontario, Shut Out Reign 4-0 On Friday Night - Abbotsford Canucks
• Reign Blanked by Canucks - Ontario Reign
• Stars Shoot Past Barracuda, 6-2 - San Jose Barracuda
• Stars Score Six to Tackle San Jose - Texas Stars
• Silver Knights Drop First Half of Back-To-Back to Condors - Henderson Silver Knights

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Hershey Bears Stories

• Goaltender Clay Stevenson Re-Assigned to Hershey
• Bears Pick Up 2-1 Win Over Amerks On Hall Of Fame Night
• Caps Recall Fucale, Bears Sign Goaltender Bailey Brkin to Tryout
• Capitals Re-Assign Forward Bogdan Trineyev to Hershey
• Game Preview: Bears vs. Americans, 7 p.m.