The Washington Capitals announced Wednesday afternoon that they have recalled 2021 second-round pick, Vincent Iorio, from the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings to their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears.

Iorio will join a Bears team that is set for a postseason run that begins Friday night against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He was signed to his entry-level contract by the Caps last October.

NEWS | The Capitals have recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League to the Hershey Bears.#ALLCAPS | @FTX_Official https://t.co/sAitQiPa6z

— x – Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 4, 2022

The right-handed defenseman was the Capitals’ first draft pick in 2021 and participated in the team’s NHL Training Camp for the very first time this past fall. Iorio played in one preseason game before being returned to the Wheat Kings for the rest of the season.

In 60 games for Brandon, he set new career highs in both goals (11) and points (44) while finishing tied for 16th in overall WHL scoring by a defenseman. His junior season ended this past Sunday when the Wheat Kings fell to the Red Deer Rebels in their first-round series.

Iorio showed a bunch of personality while being mic’d up for one of the Capitals’ Rookie Camp practices, showing a close rapport with fellow Canadian Hendrix Lapierre. Both players were called up by Team Canada to compete for spots on this year’s World Juniors team but ended up being a part of the roster’s final cuts.

The Bears announced on Tuesday that they will also be joined by 2020 draft picks Bogdan Trineyev and Bear Hughes on tryout agreements. Trineyev signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the organization on Monday.

We've added @Capitals 2020 Draft picks Bear Hughes and Bogdan Trineyev to the roster. Both forwards have joined the club on tryout agreements.

— x – Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 3, 2022

Here’s the full press release on the Iorio move:

Capitals Recall Vincent Iorio to Hershey

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

The 6’4″, 200-pound defenseman set a WHL career high with 44 points (11g, 33a) this season and was ranked tied for 16th in the League in points among defensemen. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native ranked fifth on the team in assists.

Iorio registered 12 points (5g, 7a) in 22 games with Brandon during the 2020-21 season and ranked third among Wheat King defensemen in points.

The Capitals selected Iorio, 19, with the 55th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. Iorio was ranked 27th among North American defensemen by NHL Central Scouting prior to the 2021 NHL Draft.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB