Capitals rookie Martin Fehervary is taking his talents back to the Sweetest Place On Earth.
Tuesday morning, the Caps announced they re-assigned the Slovak defenseman to the AHL Hershey Bears. The Bears are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division after a run of very good play.
During his three-game stint in DC, Fehervary saw the Caps give up 14 goals in three games – including 12 combined against the Flyers and Islanders. Fehervary started on a pairing with Radko Gudas but played his final two games with Dmitry Orlov.
Fehervary also scored his first NHL point – a secondary assist on an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal.
It’s unclear how Fehervary fits in with the Capitals plans moving forward as they hope for a deep playoff run. Capitals head coach Todd Reirden cited they wanted to give Fehervary a few games and evaluate him before the trade deadline which is 13 days away.
“He’s had a really strong year development-wise,” Reirden said. “It’s the right spot to put him in to start (on his left side with Radko Gudas) and see where he’s at, so we can continue to evaluate where our prospects are at. And as we get closer to the trade deadline, taking inventory of where our players are at. It’s a good time to do it.”
The Capitals still lead the Metropolitan Division but have fallen out of first place in the Eastern Conference. They now sit third overall behind the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning.
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ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-assigned defenseman Martin Fehervary to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Fehervary, 20, appeared in six games with the Capitals this season. The 6’2”, 200-pound rookie defenseman averaged 15:59 TOI per game and recorded a 53.60 shot attempt percentage (81 shot attempts for, 70 against) at five-on-five. He recorded his first career point – an assist – on Feb. 8 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Fehervary, who was selected with the Capitals’ second round pick, 46th overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut on Oct. 2 against the St. Louis Blues and became the first player selected outside of the first round to make his NHL debut before the age of 20 since Samuel Girard (Nashville, selected in the second round, 47th overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft) on Oct. 10, 2017. The Bratislava, Slovakia, native is one of 11 defensemen in franchise history to make his NHL debut before the age of 20.
In 45 games with Hershey this season, Fehervary has 14 points (4g, 10a). Among rookie AHL defensemen, Fehervary’s 10 assists are tied for 18th and his +12 plus/minus ranks fifth.
Fehervary registered seven points (1g, 6a) for HV-71 in the Swedish Hockey League in 45 games during the 2018-2019 season. He captained Team Slovakia during the World Junior Championship, recording five points (1g, 4a) in five games. Additionally, Fehervary represented Slovakia during the 2019 IIHF World Championship, recording an assist in seven games.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong
