ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals bid farewell to Vincent Iorio this week, losing the 22-year-old to a waivers claim by the San Jose Sharks. Iorio made the team out of camp this fall for the first time in his career, but Washington opted to expose him ahead of Dylan McIlrath’s expected return from injured reserve.
Iorio, who the Capitals drafted with a second-round pick in 2021, has spent the vast majority of his pro career with the Hershey Bears, where he won back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024.
Spencer Carbery never coached Iorio on the Bears — the Capitals drafted him shortly before Carbery left the head-coaching position in Hershey for a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs — but he has watched Iorio work towards a jump to the NHL. He told reporters on Friday that he was glad to see Iorio get a chance to play in San Jose, but the claim still stung.
“I would say it’s bittersweet,” Carbery said. “I’m happy for Vinny. He’s going to get an opportunity to play in San Jose for a great coach who I know very well, good organization, and a chance to play in the National Hockey League right now. Bitter in the sense of he’s been a good player in our organization and has done a lot of things in Hershey, and is right there. He’s still a young player and still has time to develop.”
Carbery’s friendship with Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky dates back to 2013, when he worked as an assistant coach under Carbery for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. The two have remained close in the years since: Warsofsky described Carbery as “one of my best friends” last year and highlighted how much he’s learned from him over the years.
Still, knowing Iorio was headed to a good destination didn’t make losing him for nothing more palatable. While Iorio has played just nine total NHL games, he’s a 6-foot-4 right-shot defenseman who is still continuing to develop at age 22. This year marked the first time he was eligible for waivers, something Iorio acknowledged was on his mind during training camp.
A lower-body injury to Dylan McIlrath allowed the team to push off the decision for a week, but with McIlrath nearly back to full health, someone had to go for Washington to stay under the 23-man roster limit. The Capitals ultimately made the controversial decision to risk losing Iorio, but Carbery emphasized the choice wasn’t easy.
“It’s just unfortunate with our circumstances and the way that our roster works out right now, we had to make a really, really difficult decision, and wish Vinny nothing but the best,” Carbery said. “He’s such a great person, first and foremost. Has worked his butt off over the last few years, won multiple Calder Cups, been a big part of Hershey’s team.
“He’s put a lot of work in to earn this opportunity to play in the NHL, so wish him nothing but the best and we’ll see him along the way. But yeah, really difficult decision.”
Iorio hit the ice for the first time in teal a day after the claim, practicing with his new team at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. With both Iorio’s no. 2 and his former no. 6 already taken by Will Smith and Sam Dickinson, respectively, San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that Iorio will wear no. 22 for the Sharks.
San Jose has already lost defensemen John Klingberg (lower-body) and Timothy Liljegren (upper-body) to injury: per Bay Area News Group’s Curtis Pashelka, both were out day-to-day as of Thursday. If the pair remain unavailable, Iorio could make his Sharks debut as soon as Friday night against the Utah Mammoth.
The Capitals will next travel to San Jose on December 3 before hosting the Sharks at Capital One Arena on January 15.
