HERSHEY, PA — Washington Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup champion, Jakub Vrana, made a return to his old stomping grounds on Sunday.
Playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds, Vrana, wearing number 92, made his first appearance at Giant Center for the first time since May 17, 2017. On that day, six years and seven months ago, the Capitals’ 2013 first-round pick suited up for Hershey in a 4-2 playoff loss against the Providence Bruins.
During the first television timeout of the first period, the Bears honored Vrana with a tribute video.
.@TheHersheyBears played a tribute video for Jakub Vrana. 🤎
V watched the whole thing and waved to the Giant Center crowd multiple times. pic.twitter.com/O1hhdoad1r
— Ian Oland (@ianoland) December 17, 2023
Vrana, who scored 35 goals and tallied 75 points during parts of three seasons with the Bears, received a loud applause from the 9,053 fans in attendance.
Thanks for the memories, V! 🥹 pic.twitter.com/qWgw5DyEoz
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 17, 2023
The Czech forward looked up at the jumbotron as the video played. He waved to the crowd multiple times and tapped his stick on the ice, clearly touched by the gesture.
The acknowledgment was a positive moment for the eight-year NHL veteran, who likely has not had many over the last week. Last Tuesday, Vrana was placed on NHL waivers by the St. Louis Blues. It marked the second time an NHL team put V on the waiver wire and outright sent to the American Hockey League after being passed over by every NHL team. Last season as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, Vrana spent part of the year in NHL/NHLPA player assistance program before returning to the team in December.
“There is bigger things than hockey in life,” Vrana said upon returning to the Red Wings. “You’re going to get it in order – you’re going to deal with some things. It’s important to make the decision… you have to make some decisions that are important in your life and hockey goes besides.”
Vrana played 17 games with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, tallying six goals and five assists. He’d earn a callup to Detroit and play three games for them before being dealt to the Blues.
Vrana scored 10 goals in 20 games for St. Louis at the tail end of last season, but only managed six points (2g, 4a) in 19 games this year. Vrana did not have a point in his last seven games and was a minus-8 in plus/minus during his last four, seeing a season-low 8:59 of ice time in his last game for the Blues — a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Vrana that night was on the ice for two goals against in the first period. His 12:17 average ice time is the lowest he’s had since his rookie year in Washington.
Blues head coach Craig Berube, who was fired a day before Vrana was put on waivers, healthy-scratched the left wing several times based on the forward’s perceived lack of effort defensively.
“It’s two different years,” Berube said. “Coming in when he came in last year, there’s nothing to lose. You just go play. He scored some goals and did some good things. This year it’s been a struggle.”
Vrana posted two points in his AHL season debut for the Thunderbirds on Saturday, collecting two primary assists in Springfield’s 4-2 win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
With the Thunderbirds, Vrana isn’t the only member of the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup championship team. Australian forward Nathan Walker, who was a black ace then, has spent all season with Springfield, posting 25 points (11g, 14a) in 25 games this season.
“We talked about how we’ve played together on three different teams together,” Walker remarked of Vrana postgame, after catching up with friends including Capitals professional development coach Olie Kolzig. Those teams they’ve played together on would be the Hershey Bears, Washington Capitals, and now the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Vrana posted two shots but did not register any points in the game as the Thunderbirds were shut out by Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard 1-0. But V did show off his speed and passing ability multiple times during the game. He also could be seen having an animated conversation with an official in the first period and getting physical with Shepard at the tail end of the night, causing a mini fracas/disagreement with Bears players.
When asked to speak to Vrana postgame, the Thunderbirds denied the request, citing he had only been with the team three days. Blues general manager Doug Armstrong was in Hershey for the game, sitting up beside press row.
While Vrana hasn’t played in Chocolatetown for years, his influence is still felt. Several Vrana jerseys were spotted in the stands. As I walked out, a picture of him hung up on the wall beside Chris Bourque.
While it’s unclear what his future holds or if he’s in the AHL to stay, Vrana’s connection to the area and the Capitals organization still holds true after so many big moments and goals.
Headline photo: Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears
