Vincent Iorio was claimed off waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, ending, at least for now, the second-round pick’s tenure with the Capitals after four seasons in the organization.
If there’s one person who took the news harder than anyone else on the Capitals, Hendrix Lapierre would be the guy. A longtime teammate of Iorio’s in the minors, Lapierre posted a sad face emoji on his Instagram Story along with a goodbye post from the Hershey Bears shortly after the news broke at 2 pm.
Lapierre’s sadness is well-founded. Lapierre began his professional career with the Hershey Bears at the same time as Iorio. The two were roommates there, dedicating much of their off-ice time to improving and reaching the NHL together.
“I think we talked for the first time at Canada’s World Junior Camp,” Lapierre told RMNB in 2023. “I knew Vinny was a draft pick of the Capitals, so I introduced myself and he introduced himself too, and we kind of clicked from there.”
“We share the same mindset in a way,” Iorio added.
The skaters both played crucial parts in the Hershey Bears winning back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024. And like an old married couple, they could seemingly complete each other’s sentences.
While Iorio didn’t have much of an NHL future in Washington, he will now be able to live out his dream with the Sharks. And while that’s great, it doesn’t completely take the sting, or I guess bite, out of it.
