Hendrix Lapierre is back in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. Lapierre will make the jump up to the big club for the first time since his surprise inclusion on the team’s roster to open the 2021-22 season.
The Capitals announced on Sunday that they have recalled the 21-year-old center from the AHL’s Hershey Bears after placing veteran forward Nic Dowd on injured reserve. Dowd has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.
NEWS | The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Hendrix Lapierre from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. In addition, the Capitals have placed forward Nic Dowd on IR. https://t.co/pfDoVgHx2k
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 29, 2023
Lapierre’s last NHL game came on November 6, 2021 before he was sent back to the QMJHL for his final Canadian major junior campaign. The 2020 first-round draft pick spent the entirety of last year in Hershey, winning the Calder Cup with the team in his rookie AHL season.
The Quebec native scored the tying goal in Game Seven of the Calder Cup Finals that set up Mike Vecchione for the Cup-winning goal in overtime. Through six games this year, Lapierre has tallied three assists for the Bears while also skating important minutes on the team’s power play and penalty kill.
Lapierre has been at the center of a very successful third line with former junior teammate Pierrick Dube and highly-touted Russian prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko. The Bears, with their 5-2 record, sit atop the AHL’s Atlantic Division. Lapierre did not play in their most recent victory on Saturday, likely in anticipation for this recall.
Dowd’s absence is not the only cause for concern for the Capitals ahead of their Sunday evening matchup with the San Jose Sharks. Sonny Milano missed a recent practice with an illness and could be unavailable for the game.
If Lapierre were to get into any action during this recall, he’d be looking for his second career NHL point after scoring his first NHL goal in his first game.
Here’s the Capitals’ full press release on the moves:
Capitals Recall Hendrix Lapierre, Forward Nic Dowd Placed on IR
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Hendrix Lapierre from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. In addition, the Capitals have placed forward Nic Dowd on IR.
Lapierre, 21, has recorded three assists in six games with Hershey this season.
Lapierre appeared in 60 games during his first professional season with Hershey in 2022-23, recording 30 points (15g, 15a). The 6’0”, 188-pound forward ranked second among Hershey rookies in goals, points, power-play points (10) and shots (114). In addition, Lapierre ranked third on the Bears in power-play goals (5). The Gatineau, Quebec native added six points (3g, 3a) in 20 playoff games, including the game-tying goal in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals.
Lapierre, the Capitals’ first-round choice (22nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, appeared in six games with the Capitals in 2021-22. Lapierre made his NHL debut and scored his first career goal vs. the New York Rangers on Oct. 13, 2021, becoming the first Capitals rookie since 2014-15 to make his NHL debut at the age of 19 and the fifth-youngest player in franchise history to score in his debut. In six career games with Washington, Lapierre has scored one goal and posted a +2 plus/minus rating.
Following his six-game stint with the Capitals, Lapierre was assigned to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he finished the 2021-22 season with a career-high 51 points (21g, 30a) in 40 games. Lapierre also recorded a career high 15-game point streak from Nov. 28, 2021 through March 1, 2022 (14g, 15a) and added another 11 points (4g, 7a) in eight playoff games.
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
