Vincent Iorio is headed to California.
The 22-year-old defenseman was claimed off NHL waivers by the San Jose Sharks on Thursday and will immediately head out west to join his new team. Iorio was waived by the Washington Capitals on Wednesday so that the team could have an open roster spot to activate veteran defenseman Dylan McIlrath from injured reserve.
The Coquitlam, British Columbia native made the Capitals’ Opening Night roster for the first time in his career but was a healthy scratch in all four of the club’s games to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
Iorio, the Capitals’ top pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, won back-to-back Calder Cup championships with the AHL’s Hershey Bears in 2023 and 2024 and has played in 190 career AHL games. He has gotten into nine career NHL games for the Caps.
Iorio made his NHL debut against the Sharks in March of 2023, assisting on an Alex Ovechkin goal in an 8-3 Capitals win. He joins a San Jose defense corps already occupied by former Capitals teammate Dmitry Orlov. The Sharks had an open roster spot after placing defender Timothy Liljegren on injured reserve.
If the Sharks were to place Iorio back on waivers and the Capitals are the only team to make a claim, they could send Iorio straight to the AHL’s Bears.
