The Washington Capitals announced Wednesday that they have recalled Matthew Phillips and Vincent Iorio from the Hershey Bears.
Phillips has bounced back and forth between the Capitals and Bears over the past week since Tom Wilson was levied a six-game suspension by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. After earning a recall and playing against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, Phillips was healthy scratched and sent down mid-game against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
Iorio has so far spent the entirety of the 2023-24 season in the AHL. His recall was necessitated by Ethan Bear entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program.
NEWS | The Capitals have recalled forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Vincent Iorio from the Hershey Bears. https://t.co/cAl2kJOTsq
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 27, 2024
Phillips has played 28 games for the Capitals this season, recording a total of five points (1g, 4a). Though a waiver claim briefly sent Phillips to the Pittsburgh Penguins last month, the Capitals reclaimed him after three games with the Pens before ultimately sending to Hershey. In five games in the Chocolate and White, Phillips has amassed three points (1g, 2a).
The Capitals currently carry 15 forwards on their roster, but that includes both Wilson and Sonny Milano, who missed the team’s last game with an upper-body injury. If Milano cannot go against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, the team would not have had an extra forward to fill his spot unless Phillips was recalled.
Iorio makes his way back to the big leagues after a three-game stint with the Capitals last season. In 60 games for Hershey this year, the 21-year-old blueliner has recorded 14 points (4g, 10a).
Here’s the press release from the team:
Capitals Recall Matthew Phillips and Vincent Iorio
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Vincent Iorio from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Phillips, 25, has recorded five points (1g, 4a) in 31 games with the Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins this season. Phillips, who played 27 games for Washington before being claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh on Feb. 16, was reclaimed by the Capitals on March 5. Phillips scored his first career NHL goal and tallied his first assist in the Capitals’ 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 16. Phillips has appeared in five games with Hershey this season, registering three points (1g, 2a). In 34 career NHL games with the Capitals, Penguins and Flames, Phillips has recorded five points (1g, 4a).
Phillips recorded 76 points (36g, 40a) in 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL in 2022-23. Phillips led the AHL’s top-regular season team in scoring and ranked second in the AHL in goals and fifth in points. Phillips was named to the AHL’s First All-Star Team last season and played in the AHL’s All-Star Game in 2020. In 270 career AHL games, Phillips has registered 240 points (104g, 136a).
Iorio, 21, has recorded 14 points (4g, 10a) in 60 games with Hershey this season. Iorio, Washington’s second-round pick (55th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft, leads the Bears and ranks tied for fifth in the AHL in plus/minus (+26). In addition, the 6’4”, 205-pound defenseman ranks tied for first among Hershey skaters in games played.
Iorio made his NHL debut and recorded his first career point on March 4, 2023 against the San Jose Sharks, becoming the 10th defenseman in franchise history to record a point in his NHL debut. Iorio appeared in three games with the Capitals in 2022-23 and 63 regular-season games with Hershey, where he registered 22 points (2g, 20a). The Coquitlam, British Columbia native ranked second among Hershey defensemen in assists, points, games played, shots (86) and plus/minus rating (+17) during the 2022-23 season. In 15 Calder Cup Playoff games, Iorio registered five points (1g, 4a), including an assist in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals.
