The Washington Capitals announced three roster moves on Monday as Justin Schultz, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Ilya Samsonov returned to practice.
The most notable move was the Capitals re-assigned Pheonix Copley from Hershey to the team’s taxi squad after a less-than-stellar relief outing by Craig Anderson.
The Washington Capitals made two roster moves ahead of what was supposed to be the Hershey Bears’ season opener on Friday.
The Bears sent top defense prospect Martin Fehervary and veteran goaltender Pheonix Copley to AHL Hershey. Both players have spent a majority of the season on the Capitals’ taxi squad.
Henrik Lundqvist’s shocking announcement that he would not play this season due to a heart condition rocked the Capitals organization and the NHL community as a whole. But inside the walls of MedStar Capitals Iceplex, Hank’s exit also represented, as sad as the circumstances, an opportunity for the team’s young goaltenders who have been in a fierce and friendly competition for NHL playing time over the last few years.
Wednesday, Brian MacLellan confirmed that Ilya Samsonov would be the Capitals’ starting netminder next season during the Capitals general manager’s first press conference since Lundqvist’s announcement was made.
Mac added that while the team was open to possibly adding a veteran goalie via free agency or trade, they were also content with their depth at the position.
By Ian Oland 4 months ago
Monday, the debut of new goalie masks continued as Pheonix Copley’s 2021 bucket was released by Swedish airbrusher David Gunnarsson.
The dominant features of Copley’s design combine white stars, oversized Weagle wings, and the Capitals’ wordmark for a bold red and blue look. The chin also features two crossed candy canes symbolizing Copley’s home of North Pole, Alaska.
“The new Caps mask creation for my friend Pheonix Copley was a joy to create,” Gunnarsson wrote. “It is crisp and clean on a distance, all built on the awesome team logos. It lives and breathes Washington Capitals with the red bottom and crisp white details, and when you come closer the 3️⃣-D FX delivers… Thanks Pheonix for the paint ride!”
The Hershey Bears’ season officially ended on Monday after the AHL canceled the rest of the 2019-20 campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic, but at least two Bears players could still have more hockey to play.
The Washington Capitals have notified forward Beck Malenstyn and goaltender Pheonix Copley that they will be black aces for the team if the NHL season ever restarts. A black ace is a term for players recalled from the AHL for their NHL team’s playoff run.
The Capitals have dodged another bullet. The team’s former backup goaltender, Pheonix Copley, has cleared waivers and loaned to the American Hockey League’s Hersey Bears.
Copley was put on waivers on Wednesday afternoon as the Capitals announced their 2019-20 roster. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov was awarded the backup position.
By Cara Bahniuk 2 years ago
In a shocking move, the Washington Capitals placed Pheonix Copley on waivers Wednesday. Copley signed a three-year contract last season to keep him in DC until 2022.
“It was a really difficult decision for us organizationally,” head coach Todd Reirden said. “To have to put Copley on waivers was something organizationally, that we had to do and with where we’re at in today’s cap world, it was a tough one, especially with his work ethic, who he is as a person, how good he is in our locker room. It was a real tough day to inform him yesterday that he wasn’t coming on this trip and ultimately putting him on waivers.”
The move indicates, either due to the salary cap or the longterm future of the team, that the Capitals will go with Ilya Samsonov as the team’s backup goaltender moving forward where he continue his rapid development. The aggressive move also suggests Braden Holtby’s future with the team beyond this season is in question. Holtby is a UFA at season’s end and is likely due a contract with an annual average salary of around $10 million.
Pheonix Copley and Colton Parayko won the Stanley Cup with Washington (2018) and St. Louis (2019) respectively. On Wednesday, the two hockey players held an autograph signing and met with fans at the Alaska Goldpanners’ “Hockey Night” at Growden Memorial Park. Copley is a native of North Pole, Alaska, while Parayko played three years on the University of Alaska’s hockey team.
“It is awesome, it is a tight-knit community, and the hockey community is great,” Copley said to KTVF11. “We get a lot of support it is awesome to be a part of something like this. I had so much help growing up from the community, so any way I can give back and help out, it’s great. It’s awesome to see kids who have dreams like that and any way I can help and inspire them is awesome.”
Hey, it’s Friday and that Matt Niskanen trade news was heavy.
So below, I would like you to enjoy this photo of Capitals goaltender Pheonix Copley posing with Barry the Goldendoodle.
The Washington Capitals evidently liked what they saw out of Pheonix Copley‘s rookie season, as they extended him through the 2021-22 season, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the future of Caps goaltending.
By Peter Hassett 2 years ago
