The Washington Capitals are continuing to restock their organization with quality depth as they announced on Wednesday that they have signed defenseman Chase Priskie to a one-year, two-way contract. Priskie, once a Hobey Baker Award nominee, was originally a Caps draft pick in 2016 but chose not to sign with the team out of Quinnipiac University.
Priskie has spent the majority of his professional career playing in the AHL, most recently starring for the San Diego Gulls at the end of the 2022-23 season. In 16 games for San Diego, he recorded 13 points (7g, 6a) from the backend.
His new contract with the Caps will see him make a guaranteed $350,000. He’ll be paid $775k at the NHL level and $350k with the Bears.
NEWS | The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Chase Priskie to a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$350,000).https://t.co/0EHFM8FYtG
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 5, 2023
After his junior year at Quinnipiac, the Capitals reportedly wanted to sign him and Priskie raised some eyebrows when he elected not to put pen to paper. “My initial intentions were to leave and sign,” Priskie told the New Haven Register. “But I thought I could leave more of a legacy at this program. I want to be one of the best players to ever come out of here.”
Instead of joining the Caps’ organization, Priskie chose to become a free agent and inked a deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019. In his first season after signing, Priskie was part of a trade deadline package that sent him to his hometown Florida Panthers in exchange for Vincent Trocheck.
With the Panthers, Priskie made his NHL debut against the Caps in November of 2021. In doing so, he became the first South Florida product to ever play for the Panthers. He would go on to play in three more NHL games for them but has not yet returned to the NHL level since.
Chase Priskie will become the first South Florida product to play for his hometown #FlaPanthers when he makes his NHL debut tonight. Big moment for youth hockey in the region. https://t.co/uHJhrPJ9Bc
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) November 4, 2021
After that season in Florida, Priskie became a free agent yet again and signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres would end up dealing him to the Anaheim Ducks a few months later. Now, he’s back in DC for a full circle moment after quite the journey.
Priskie updated his LinkedIn right after the signing was made official which has become a staple of his when he changes teams.
Update: Chase Priskie has accepted a new job at Washington Capitals 🤣 https://t.co/T888CMYpmI pic.twitter.com/5yUv8P4l36
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) July 5, 2023
Priskie, barring an NHL roster surprise, will arrive on a Hershey Bears team that has been stacked this summer by the Caps front office. Over the past few days Dylan McIlrath, Hunter Shepard, Julian Napravnik, Michael Kim, Pierrick Dube, Riley Sutter, Matthew Phillips, and Alex Limoges have all either been re-signed or picked up in free agency.
The Bears are also expected to house a mix Caps prospects like Ivan Miroshnichenko, Bogdan Trineyev, Ryan Hofer, Alexander Suzdalev, Brett Hyland, and Ludwig Persson.
Here’s the team’s press release on the deal:
The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Chase Priskie to a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000/$350,000), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Priskie, 27, was originally drafted by Washington in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Priskie recorded 22 points (11g, 11a) in 58 games with the San Diego Gulls and Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, including 13 points (7g, 6a) in 16 games with San Diego after being acquired by the Anaheim Ducks organization on March 3. The 6’0″, 185-pound defenseman set AHL single-season career highs in goals and games played in 2022-23, which marked his fourth professional season. In 184 career AHL games with San Diego, Rochester, the Charlotte Checkers, the Syracuse Crunch and Springfield Thunderbirds, Priskie has recorded 95 points (30g, 65a).
The Pembroke Pines, Florida native appeared in four games with the Florida Panthers during the 2021-22 season, posting a +2 plus/minus rating.
Priskie played four years at Quinnipiac University (NCAA) from 2015-19, where he recorded 116 points (39g, 77a) in 154 games. Priskie served as the team’s captain his junior and senior seasons and was named to the ECAC First All-Star Team and a Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2018-19.
Headline photo: Micheline Veluvolu / Rochester Americans
