Home / News / Vincent Iorio tallies first career point on Alex Ovechkin goal as he realizes ‘childhood dream’ of playing in NHL

Vincent Iorio tallies first career point on Alex Ovechkin goal as he realizes ‘childhood dream’ of playing in NHL

By Ian Oland

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March 4, 2023 11:19 pm

Vincent Iorio’s first NHL game was almost perfect.

In front of his parents, grandparents, and sister, Iorio tallied his first NHL point at SAP Center.

Utilizing a cross-ice passing play with Alex Ovechkin, Iorio skated the puck around the net and then found the Capitals captain for the backdoor goal.

The tally was Ovechkin’s 815th of his career and his 1,470th point. The primary assist was Iorio’s very first point. Vinny was two years old when Ovi made his NHL debut in October 2005.

“He’s is one of the greatest to ever play the game,” Iorio said after the game to NBC Sports Washington’s Al Koken. “It’s pretty special to get my first point on one of his goals.”

He added later to Caps beat writers, “I look up to [Ovi], a lot of players look up to him and I’m happy.”

In the crowd, Iorio’s grandfather, Gabe, could be seen pumping his fist and clapping after the goal, clearly proud of his grandson.

Iorio and Ovechkin, along with new acquisition Rasmus Sandin, took a photo together with the milestone puck to commemorate the moment.

Capitals forward Tom Wilson also awarded Vinny with the prestigious Yellow Rope.

Overall on the evening, Iorio was on the ice for three 5v5 Capitals goals, but he did have his first rookie mistake, blowing a wheel as he pivoted to defend at the blue line.

Sharks forward Nico Sturm went on to score, narrowing the Capitals’ lead temporarily to 5-3.

While skating with Gabriel Carlsson, his defense partner in Hershey, Iorio posted decent underlying numbers, especially in an NHL debut at age 20. The Sharks out-attempted the Caps 18-15 at 5v5 when Iorio was on the ice, but the Capitals had the advantage in scoring chances, 9-8, and the two teams were even in high-danger chances, 4-4.

Iorio admitted postgame that he felt chaotic energy to start the night. “I was a little bit nervous. I told myself I wasn’t going to be nervous. Then first shift, the pace of play is pretty fast so I had to adjust to it.” He flashed a wry smile.

Playing with Carlsson helped Iorio stay calm and focused. “We had a little bit of chemistry in Hershey so it was great.”

Iorio admitted that “I like to keep myself in the present” to not get overwhelmed by big moments, but when he let himself think about what he accomplished — he’s the fourth defenseman from the 2021 NHL Draft class to make his big league debut — it finally began to sink in.

“Realizing that I have the Caps gear on and I’m a part of this team now,” Iorio said, “it’s pretty special and it’s a childhood dream of mine for sure. But like I said, I just want to be in the present and focused for tomorrow.”

Screenshot: @capitals/Twitter

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