The Washington Capitals announced on Sunday morning that they have assigned goalie Ilya Samsonov to the Hershey Bears.
Samsonov has not played since January 17, after which he contracted COVID-19.
From the Caps:
#Caps assign goaltender Ilya Samsonov to the Hershey Bears (AHL).
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) February 14, 2021
Samsonov’s assignment is for conditioning, as he has not seen game action in nearly a month, much of which was spent away from the team and practice.
The 23-year-old goalie wil start for Hershey against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 1 PM.
The projected lineup for your Hershey Bears on this Valentine’s Day afternoon vs. the @LVPhantoms, presented by @IceBreakersMint.#HBH pic.twitter.com/mHXK5YbrdQ
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) February 14, 2021
According to Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette, there is no timeline on when Samsonov will start again for the team and he could play several games for Hershey.
@InsideAHLHockey – Ilya Samsonov is in the house and will get the nod. Have to think they're looking to get him ready to return to the ice in Washington after his illness pic.twitter.com/TC0Hp4EmId
— Beids (@juliebeidler) February 14, 2021
Last week, Samsonov said he had trouble walking and breathing when sick with coronavirus.
Goalies Craig Anderson and Vitek Vanecek remain on the active roster. The Caps face the Penguins today at 3 PM.
