The Washington Capitals announced on Saturday afternoon that they have sent rookie forward Hendrix Lapierre back to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. The team was in need of a roster spot in order to activate TJ Oshie from the injured reserve to play against the New York Rangers.
Lapierre has been up with the Capitals since late October when he was recalled after Nic Dowd had to go on the IR with his own injury. In 11 NHL games this season, Lapierre has collected three points (1g, 2a).
NEWS | The Capitals have loaned forward Hendrix Lapierre to the Hershey Bears. In addition, the Capitals have activated forward T.J. Oshie from Injured Reserve (IR). https://t.co/42paWl5oPH
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 9, 2023
Lapierre bounced around the Capitals’ lineup in his latest stint with the big club, playing on the second, third, and fourth line. He also lined up on the wing for the first time in his NHL career.
The 21-year-old first-round draft selection had his best night back on November 18 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In that game, Lapierre recorded his first career three-point night, scored the game-winning goal, and earned First Star of the Game honors. More than two years after scoring his first goal with the Capitals, the three points quadrupled his NHL point total in a single game.
“It was a fun night,” he said after that game. “It had been a while since I had done something offensively in terms of results, so it was fun. I thought our line had a good game, especially in that second period when we were looking for a spark. So pretty happy, I thought we made plays, and the team just finds ways to win again.”
Lapierre will head back down to a Hershey team that he has played six games for already this season, recording three assists. The Bears are the AHL’s top team with their 18-5 record and just had their nine-game winning streak halted on Friday night.
Before his recall to the NHL, Lapierre had been skating on a line for the Bears with junior teammate Pierrick Dube and fellow Capitals’ first round draft pick Ivan Miroshnichenko. Dube has exploded offensively since Lapierre departed and is one of only two skaters on the team with double digits in goals (10).
Here’s the Capitals’ press release on the move:
Capitals Loan Hendrix Lapierre to Hershey
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Hendrix Lapierre to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. In addition, the Capitals have activated forward T.J. Oshie from Injured Reserve (IR).
Lapierre, 21, has recorded three points (1g, 2a) in 11 games with the Capitals this season. The 6’0”, 188-pound forward registered all three points in Washington’s 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 18, which marked his first career multi-point game. Lapierre scored the game-winning goal against Columbus, his second career goal and his first since his NHL debut on Oct. 13, 2021 versus the New York Rangers. Lapierre has also recorded three assists in six games with Hershey this season.
Lapierre, the Capitals’ first-round choice (22nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, recorded 30 points (15g, 15a) in 60 games during his first professional season with Hershey in 2022-23. Lapierre ranked second among Hersheyrookies in goals, points, power-play points (10) and shots (114). In addition, Lapierre ranked third on the Bears in power-play goals (5). Lapierre added six points (3g, 3a) in 20 playoff games, including the game-tying goal in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals.
The Gatineau, Quebec native appeared in six games with the Capitals during the 2021-22 season. Lapierre made his NHL debut and scored his first career goal versus 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 17 career games with Washington, Lapierre has recorded four points (2g, 2a).
Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
