Capitals recall Vincent Iorio from Hershey Bears after placing Jakob Chychrun on injured reserve

The Washington Capitals are addressing some depth issues on their blueline created by injuries early in the 2024-25 NHL campaign.

Washington recalled defender Vincent Iorio from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Saturday morning. To free up the roster spot to make that possible, they placed defenseman Jakob Chychrun on injured reserve. Iorio had been skating on Hershey’s top defense pairing alongside the veteran Aaron Ness.

Iorio has played in all nine of Hershey’s games to start the year, recording three points (1g, 2a) from the backend. The 21-year-old rearguard was part of the second round of major cuts at this season’s Capitals Training Camp after helping Hershey to a second consecutive Calder Cup championship in June.

The 2021 second-round draft pick has eight prior NHL regular season games under his belt, featuring in Spencer Carbery’s lineup six times last year. He has yet to record his first NHL goal and has one career assist.

Iorio is right-handed, so his recall serves more as depth on the right side of Washington’s defense with Matt Roy still on injured reserve. Chychrun, listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, was replaced in the team’s lineup by Alex Alexeyev against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. Both veteran defensemen skated in non-contact jerseys at the morning skate before the club’s 6-3 win over Montreal.

When Roy and Chychrun are ready to return, two players from the Capitals’ active roster must be sent down to Hershey. Roy is eligible to return whenever he is deemed healthy, while Chychrun, even if placed on IR retroactively, will miss Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Sunday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Players placed on IR must be unable to play for at least seven days.

Puck drop against the Blue Jackets is set for 5:00 pm. Washington will then make a quick trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, to finish off the back-to-back on Sunday.

The Capitals’ full press release is below:

Capitals Recall Vincent Iorio

Defenseman Jakob Chychrun Placed on IR

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. In addition, the Capitals have placed defenseman Jakob Chychrun on Injured Reserve (IR).

Iorio, 21, has recorded three points (1g, 2a) and a +3 plus-minus rating in nine games with Hershey this season. The Capitals selected Iorio in the second round (55th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

During the 2023-24 season, Iorio recorded 14 points (4g, 10a) in 60 regular-season games with Hershey. The 6’4”, 200-pound defenseman ranked tied for third in goals and fourth in points among Hershey blueliners, while his +26 plus-minus rating led the Bears and ranked 10th in the AHL. Iorio, a two-time Calder Cup champion, was limited to eight playoff games in 2024 due to injury. The Coquitlam, British Columbia native also appeared in six regular-season games with the Capitals in 2023-24 and made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on April 21 against the New York Rangers.

Iorio made his NHL debut and recorded his first career point on March 4, 2023 against the San Jose Sharks, becoming the 10th defenseman in franchise history to record a point in his NHL debut. Iorio appeared in three games with the Capitals in 2022-23 and 63 regular-season games with Hershey, where he registered 22 points (2g, 20a). Iorio ranked second among Hershey defensemen in assists, points, games played, shots (86) and plus/minus rating (+17) during the 2022-23 season. In 15 Calder Cup Playoff games, Iorio registered five points (1g, 4a), including an assist in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals.

Iorio has recorded one point (0g, 1a) in nine career NHL games with Washington and 39 points (7g, 32a) in 132 AHL games with Hershey.