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Caps demote Madison Bowey to AHL Hershey likely for rest of season

By Ian Oland

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March 13, 2018 4:30 pm

After the Caps lost three defensemen over the offseason, Madison Bowey stepped up and showed his moxie, grabbing a full-time roster spot along with Christian Djoos. Unlike Djoos, however, Bowey never really found success at the NHL level.

Bowey had a troublesome NHL debut, settled, and then spent the rest of his time skating with Brooks Orpik. That defense pairing combined to be one of the NHL’s worst duos, and today Bowey was re-assigned to Hershey likely for the rest of the Bears’ season.

Bowey, who is a strong skater, has been a healthy scratch since GM Brian MacLellan landed Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerebek at the trade deadline. He’ll likely benefit from more playing time in the AHL.

And now the Caps are down to two rookies who play full time (Jakub Vrana and Chandler Stephenson).

More from the Capitals:

The Washington Capitals have re-assigned defenseman Madison Bowey to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

Bowey, 22, made his NHL debut on Oct. 14 against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 6’2”, 198-pound defenseman recorded his first point on Oct. 26 against the Vancouver Canucks. In 51 games this season, Bowey has 12 assists, ranking eighth among rookie defensemen. Bowey also has recorded two multi-assist games this season.

Bowey played in one game with Hershey this season. In the 2016-17 season, Bowey recorded 14 points (3g, 11a) in 43 games. In the 2015-16 season, Bowey led all Bears defensemen in points (29) and assists (25), was named as Hershey’s Defenseman of the Year and won the John Travers/Steve Summers Award for the highest plus/minus on the team. In 105 career AHL games, Bowey has recorded 43 points (7g, 36a). The Winnipeg, Manitoba native was drafted by the Capitals with the 53rd overall pick in the second round of the 2013 draft. As a junior player with the Kelowna Rockets, a team he captained for two seasons, Bowey recorded 172 points (58g, 114a) in 259 games. In 2015, Bowey won the World Junior Championship with Team Canada and the Ed Chynoweth Cup as a WHL champion and was named as a First Team All Star in the WHL.

3/14 update: According to Tarik El-Bashir, Caps head coach Barry Trotz says it’s possible Bowey could return to the Capitals in a few weeks.