Home / News / Capitals loan Lucas Johansen to Hershey Bears in order to make room on roster for Alex Alexeyev’s season debut

Capitals loan Lucas Johansen to Hershey Bears in order to make room on roster for Alex Alexeyev’s season debut

By Chris Cerullo

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November 9, 2022 3:19 pm

The Washington Capitals take on the Pittsburgh Penguins inside Capital One Arena on Wednesday night and in the lineup for his season debut will be Alex Alexeyev. To make that debut the Caps needed to activate Alexeyev from the injured non-roster list.

The team’s 23-man roster was full so in order to make room for the Russian defenseman, Lucas Johansen has been returned to the Hershey Bears. The two former first-round selections basically swapped places.

Johansen got into just his second NHL game for the Caps against the Oilers on Monday since being drafted 28th overall by the organization in 2016. He played 11:46 of total ice time which was the lowest of any defenseman in the game. The Vancouver native has spent the vast majority of his professional career with the Bears and has one goal in six games in the AHL this season.

Johansen will not require waivers as he has not played in ten or more cumulative NHL Games since being initially waived by the Caps in early October out of Training Camp.

Alexeyev played in four games for the Bears this season on his conditioning loan and tallied one assist. The 22-year-old blueliner made his NHL debut last season but spent most of the year with the Bears, appearing in 68 AHL games and recording 19 points (1g, 18a).

Here’s the full release from the Caps:

Capitals Loan Lucas Johansen to Hershey

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned defenseman Lucas Johansen to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) and activated defenseman Alex Alexeyev from the injured non-roster list, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

Johansen, 24, made his Capitals season debut on Monday against Edmonton and has scored one goal in six games with Hershey this season. Johansen made his NHL debut and recorded his first career point on Dec. 31, 2021 against the Detroit Red Wings. The 6’2″, 180-pound defenseman recorded 28 points (8g, 20a) in 62 games with Hershey during the 2021-22 season, establishing AHL career highs in goals, points and plus/minus (20). Johansen finished the season ranked first among Hershey defensemen in plus/minus and second in goals, assists and points. In 201 career AHL career games with Hershey, Johansen has recorded 74 points (18g, 56a). The Capitals selected Johansen with their first-round pick, 28th overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Alexeyev, 22, has recorded one assist in four games with Hershey this season. The 6’4″, 215-pound defenseman was selected by the Capitals in the first round, 31st overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut on Dec. 29, 2021 against the Nashville Predators. Alexeyev recorded 19 points (1g, 18a) in 68 games with Hershey last season. The St. Petersburgh, Russia native ranked second among Hershey defensemen in penalty minutes (51), tied for second in games played (68) and third in plus/minus (6).

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

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