The Washington Capitals added to their defense depth by signing veteran rearguard Jacob MacDonald to a one-year, two-way contract on Sunday.
MacDonald, who has played the last two seasons in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles, will earn $850k at the NHL level and $525k with the Hershey Bears. In 17 games for the Eagles last season, MacDonald recorded 12 points (4g, 8a) after missing the first five months of the campaign due to hip surgery.
The 33-year-old defender has spent the majority of his pro career in the AHL with the Eagles, San Jose Barracuda, Springfield Thunderbirds, Binghamton Devils, Albany Devils, and Springfield Falcons. He has 135 NHL games of experience, debuting with the Florida Panthers during the 2018-19 campaign and later playing for the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks. In those games, he tallied 27 points (10g, 17a).
During the 2024-25 season with the Eagles, MacDonald won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s best defenseman after leading all defenders in scoring with 55 points (31g, 24a) in 63 games. His 31 goals were the most by a defenseman in a single season in AHL history. He was also named to the AHL First All-Star Team and represented the Pacific Division at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic.
MacDonald has led AHL defensemen in goals three separate times — 2017-18, 2019-20, and 2024-25 — and ranks seventh on the AHL’s all-time goals list among defensemen (103). The Bears are in need of scoring help from their backend after losing both Aaron Ness (retirement) and Corey Schueneman (free agency) this summer.
While with the Avalanche for parts of three seasons (2020-2023), MacDonald was coached by new Capitals assistant Ray Bennett.
MacDonald joining the organization means the Bears will likely have a Jon McDonald and a Jacob MacDonald in their defense corps at the same time. Good luck with that, play-by-play man, Zack Fisch.
