Lucas Johansen found his new team after missing the first month of the 2024-25 season.
Thursday, the two-time Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears signed a one-year AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights, the farm team of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Silver Knights general manager Tim Speltz announced the news at 10 am.
please welcome Lucas Johansen to the Silver Knights! 🥳https://t.co/uRM60InzCd
— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) November 7, 2024
The 6-foot-2 defenseman was the final player from the Capitals who had not yet signed a deal for this season.
His last game with the organization came with the Hershey Bears came on June 1 — Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Monsters — where he suffered a lower-body injury after awkwardly tumbling near the sideboards. LuJo registered an assist on an Ethen Frank goal that night.
Johansen was unable to return during the Bears’ playoff run due to the injury but did celebrate on the ice with his teammates at Giant Center after they won their second straight Calder Cup.
The 2016 first-round pick spent seven seasons in the Washington Capitals organization, suiting up in 9 NHL games — all in the previous three seasons. Johansen was primarily a top-four defenseman with the Bears, posting 20 goals, 92 points, and a plus-11 rating in 257 AHL games.
Johansen joins a Silver Knights team that already includes forward Mason Morelli, a fourth-line forward on the Bears’ 2023 Calder Cup championship team. The rearguard is the brother of NHL player Ryan Johansen.
Johansen practiced with the Silver Knights on Thursday and will wear number 29 for the team.
👋👋👋 pic.twitter.com/izbDO9HiWg
— Henderson Silver Knights (@HSKnights) November 7, 2024
