The Washington Capitals returned goaltender Garin Bjorklund to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Thursday afternoon.
Bjorklund was recalled by the Capitals on January 31 after Charlie Lindgren suffered an injury against the Detroit Red Wings. By moving him back to Hershey, the Caps freed up the roster spot they needed to activate Logan Thompson from injured reserve ahead of his probable return start against the Nashville Predators.
The Capitals also announced that Pierre-Luc Dubois will join Thompson in coming off of IR. He will fill the roster spot left by Bogan Trineyev when the Caps sent the Russian winger back to the Bears on Wednesday.
Bjorklund heads back to the AHL after not seeing any action for the Capitals in his second stint with the club this season. In 11 games for the Bears this year, Bjorklund is 4-5-2 with a 3.43 goals-against average, a .879 save percentage, and one shutout.
Thompson was placed on injured reserve this past Monday, retroactive to January 28, so that defenseman Matt Roy could come off of IR and play against the New York Islanders. The 28-year-old netminder was injured in Washington’s 5-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on January 27, missing the Capitals’ last four games.
Dubois is set to play in his first game since he was injured on October 31 against the New York Islanders. The 28-year-old centerman has missed 52 games this season with two stints out injured.
In a corresponding move, the Bears loaned goaltender Seth Eisele back to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. Bjorklund and Mitch Gibson will be Hershey’s tandem until Clay Stevenson makes his way back to the AHL.
Thursday night’s game against the Predators is the Capitals’ last before the NHL’s break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Loan Garin Bjorklund to Hershey
Goaltender Logan Thompson and forward Pierre-Luc Dubois activated from IR
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned goaltender Garin Bjorklund to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. In addition, the Capitals have activated goaltender Logan Thompson and forward Pierre-Luc Duboisfrom Injured Reserve (IR).
Bjorklund, 23, has a 4-5-2 record with a 3.43 goals-against average, a .879 save percentage and one shutout in 11 games played with Hershey this season. The 6’2”, 195-pound goaltender has also appeared in seven games with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL), posting a record of 4-2-0 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
In 2024-25, Bjorklund posted a 21-4-3 record with a 2.02 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and one shutout in 29 games with South Carolina. The Grande Prairie, Alberta native ranked second in the ECHL in goals-against average and third in save percentage, helping the Stingrays capture the Brabham Cup championship as the ECHL team with the best record in the regular season. Bjorklund also made two starts for Hershey, going 2-0-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. Bjorklund made his AHL debut on March 26, 2025, making 26 saves in a 4-1 win at Bridgeport.
Bjorklund appeared in 27 games with South Carolina in 2023-24, posting a record of 14-11-1 with a 3.33 goals-against average, a .882 save percentage and one shutout.
In 13 career AHL games with Hershey, Bjorklund has a 6-5-2 record with a 3.11 goals-against average, a .889 save percentage and one shutout. Bjorklund has a 40-17-4 record with a 2.63 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage and two shutouts in 64 career ECHL games with South Carolina.
The Capitals selected Bjorklund in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
