The Washington Capitals recalled Dylan McIlrath from the American Hockey League on Sunday morning.
McIlrath had one previous stint with the Capitals this season, getting into one game in mid-November after Martin Fehervary ended up on injured reserve. The rugged rearguard is the captain of the Hershey Bears and has recorded nine points (3g, 6a) in 58 games at the AHL level.
NEWS | The Capitals have recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears. https://t.co/26VXSvwpFK
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) April 14, 2024
McIlrath arrives after veteran defenseman Nick Jensen was taken out of Saturday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning by a scary injury resulting from a hit into the boards from the Lightning’s Michael Eyssimont. Jensen was taken off of the ice on a stretcher but did avoid a hospital stay and was able to walk out of Capital One Arena with his family.
The Capitals are also expecting defenseman Rasmus Sandin to miss the rest of the regular season with an upper-body injury and defenseman Ethan Bear is still in the NHL/NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program. Per CapFriendly, both McIlrath’s recall and Lucas Johansen’s recall last week were made on an emergency loan basis.
Washington has just two games remaining on their schedule, back-to-back against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. If they win both games, they will qualify for the 2024 postseason. Down in Hershey, the Bears have three games remaining before they’re set for a first-round playoff bye.
Here’s the Capitals’ full press release:
Capitals Recall Dylan McIlrath
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
McIlrath, Hershey’s captain, has recorded nine points (3g, 6a) in 58 games with the Bears this season and leads the team in penalty minutes (100). The 31-year-old has also appeared in one game with Washington this season, registering five penalty minutes on Nov. 14 vs. Vegas.
The 6’5”, 240-pound defenseman recorded a career-high 13 assists and a team-leading 102 penalty minutes in 60 regular-season games with Hershey last season. McIlrath added two points (1g, 1a) and 44 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games during the Bears’ run to the Calder Cup championship. In addition, McIlrath registered one assist and seven penalty minutes in six games with the Capitals in 2022-23.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba native has appeared in 73 career NHL games with the Capitals, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, recording six points (3g, 3a) and 133 penalty minutes. In 618 career AHL games, McIlrath has registered 122 points (30g, 92a).
