On Friday, the Washington Capitals reassigned goaltender Vitek Vanecek to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. The same move saw forward Devante Smith-Pelly come back the Capitals, after being placed on waivers in February.
In order to keep a third goaltender on hand, Ilya Samsonov — who played in Hershey’s first playoff game against the Sound Tigers Friday night — has been added back to the roster.
We expect Vanecek and Samsonov to continue to trade places on the Capitals’ roster for as long as both Hershey and the Caps remain in their respective playoffs. Vanecek and Samsonov played in tandem throughout the Bears’ regular season, which saw them team up to send Hershey on a 17-game franchise-record point streak.
NEWS | Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the Hershey Bears
Samsonov will join Holtby and Copley as the team’s third goalie.#ALLCAPS #CapsCanes https://t.co/nTYtSEVTP9
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 20, 2019
When the Capitals first recalled Samsonov on April 11, head coach Todd Reirden told NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan, “It’s just standard practice for us to make sure we have a third goalie in this situation. [Samsonov will] be here through Game 1 and 2 and then we’ll go from there.”
The Hershey Bears play Game Two of their best-of-five Atlantic Division semifinal series against the Sound Tigers at 7 PM on Saturday night.
More from the Capitals:
The Washington Capitals have recalled goaltender Ilya Samsonov from the Hershey Bears, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Samsonov, 22, has posted a record of 20-14-5 with a 2.70 goals against average and a .898 save percentage in 37 games with the Bears this season. The 6’2”, 205-pound goaltender has recorded three shutouts and posted a 10-0-1 record from Jan. 12 through Feb. 27. Samsonov made 49 saves on 52 shots in his AHL playoff debut yesterday against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Samsonov recorded a 12-9-1 record with a 2.31 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in 26 regular season games and a 1-2 record with a 2.30 goals against average and a .913 save percentage in five playoff games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during the 2017-18 season. The Magnitogorsk, Russia, native also represented Russia in two international games, recording a 0.99 goals against average and a .956 save percentage.
Samsonov played in 27 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2016-17 season, finishing with a 15-3-5 record, a 2.13 goals against average and a .936 save percentage, twice earning KHL Rookie of the Week honors. Samsonov also appeared in the 2017 World Junior Championship with Russia and recorded a 2.11 goals against average and a .930 save percentage in six games, leading Russia to a bronze medal and earning World Junior All Star Team honors. Samsonov appeared in 19 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the 2015-16 season, recording a 2.04 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. Additionally, Samsonov played in six playoff games, helping Metallurg win the Gagarin Cup. Samsonov also won a silver medal at the World Junior Championship, appearing in two games for Russia with a 1.00 goals against average and a .956 save percentage. In 87 career KHL games, Samsonov posted a 33-16-9 record with a 2.20 goals against average, a .929 save percentage and seven shutouts.
Internationally, Samsonov represented Russia at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge, posting a 2-1-0 record, a 1.67 goals-against average and .952 save percentage at the tournament. He recorded a 46-save shutout in the bronze-medal game to lead Russia to a 2-0 win over Canada East. Samsonov also represented Russia at the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and recorded two wins and a .942 save percentage to earn top goaltender honors at the 2015 Under-18 Five Nations tournament.
Full RMNB Coverage of Game Five
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
