With an illness continuing to work its way through the Washington Capitals‘ locker room, the team is turning to the Hershey Bears for reinforcements.
The Capitals recalled veteran forward Jonny Brodzinski from their AHL affiliate after Justin Sourdif missed practice on Friday. During his pregame chat with reporters this morning, Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery confirmed Sourdif would not play against the New Jersey Devils, joining Pierre-Luc Dubois out of the lineup.
Dubois was subsequently placed on injured reserve after missing the past three games with a bug of his own. He was spotted skating with Matt Roy at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Saturday morning.
The call-up for Brodzinski comes as the 33-year-old is off to a strong start in the 2026–27 season, recording five points (2g, 3a) in Hershey’s first four games and ranking second on the Bears in scoring behind Andrew Cristall (0g, 8a). The veteran forward recorded at least one point in every game, including his first two goals with the organization in a 6–1 victory over the Texas Stars on October 11. He also leads Hershey with 15 shots on goal.
Brodzinski’s production with the Bears follows a strong preseason, in which he scored three goals in two exhibition games with the Capitals.
“I would look to see, hopefully, exactly what he put on display in training camp,” Carbery said. “I thought he had a phenomenal camp. I thought he was noticeable every day through the practices, scrimmages. And then in the exhibition games, I thought he was outstanding. So, hopefully keeping him playing and getting some game reps in Hershey [means he is] able to come right back up and seamlessly go into NHL games and just play the way that he did in training camp.”
The Minnesota native brings 264 games of NHL experience to Washington, having registered 71 career points (33g, 38a) with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. He previously served as captain of the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack for three seasons before becoming a full-time NHL player with New York.
Brodzinski signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with Washington on July 1 after spending the previous six seasons in the Rangers organization. He appeared in 55 NHL games for New York last season, recording 16 points (6g, 10a).
Here’s the Capitals’ full press release:
Capitals Recall Jonny Brodzinski
Forward Pierre-Luc Dubois placed on IR
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Jonny Brodzinski from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. In addition, the Capitals have placed forward Pierre-Luc Dubois on Injured Reserve (IR).
Brodzinski, 33, has recorded five points (2g, 3a) in four games with Hershey this season. Brodzinski leads the Bears in shots (15), ranks second in points and tied for second in goals and assists.
In two games with the Capitals this preseason, the 6’0”, 210-pound forward scored three goals.
Brodzinski signed with Washington as a free agent on July 1 after spending six seasons in the New York Rangers organization, where he appeared in 207 NHL games. In 55 games with New York last season, Brodzinski registered 16 points (6g, 10a) and posted a 53.0 face-off win percentage. Brodzinski’s 16 points tied for the 10th most in the NHL among skaters who averaged less than 11:30 of ice time per game.
During the 2024-25 season, Brodzinski established career highs in goals (12), plus-minus rating (+6), ice time per game (11:41), and matched his career high in points (19) in 51 games with the Rangers. In 2023-24, Brodzinski played a career-high 57 games and set career highs in assists (13) and points (19).
