The Washington Capitals announced Sunday morning that goaltenders Vitek Vanecek and Pheonix Copley have been re-assigned to the Hershey Bears.
The team made sure to note that Vanecek is only headed to the AHL for a conditioning loan and The Washington Post’s Samantha Pell believes it is likely he will start for the Bears in their game Sunday against the Utica Comets.
By Chris Cerullo 7 months ago
The Washington Capitals took their morning skate Tuesday before a Metropolitan Division matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets at Capital One Arena.
Pheonix Copley was the first goaltender off of the ice and will make his first NHL start for the Capitals since April 6, 2019. Copley will get the start over Ilya Samsonov.
By Chris Cerullo 8 months ago
The Washington Capitals have brought goaltender Pheonix Copley back to their roster from the Hershey Bears. Last Wednesday, Copley saw his first NHL action since the 2018-19 season when he relieved Ilya Samsonov against the Oilers and made 21 saves on 22 shots.
Vitek Vanecek remains on the roster for now but has not suited up since getting bowled over by Kasperi Kapanen in Pittsburgh and suffering an upper-body injury almost a week ago.
By Ian Oland and Chris Cerullo 8 months ago
The Washington Capitals sent goaltender Pheonix Copley and defenseman Lucas Johansen back down to the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Thursday.
The moves come as the NHL will disband its taxi squads league-wide after the NHL All-Star Break.
The Washington Capitals made two roster moves ahead of the Edmonton Oilers game after learning their captain, Alex Ovechkin, was entering COVID-19 protocol.
Forward Brett Leason will jump up from the taxi squad to the main roster to replace Ovechkin while goaltender Pheonix Copley will head to the main roster with Vitek Vanecek’s upper-body injury appearing likely to hold him out of appearing in tonight’s Edmonton Oilers game.
The Washington Capitals’ got incredible goaltending in their 4-3 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but not from their initial starter. Vitek Vanecek left the game early in the first period with an upper-body injury after being slammed into by Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen in the crease.
Ilya Samsonov replaced Vanecek in net and made 43 saves on 45 shots to pick up the victory. Taxi squad goaltender Hunter Shepard served as Sammy’s backup in an emergency.
Wednesday, the Capitals play their second game in consecutive nights as they take on the Edmonton Oilers at home and they have a big decision to make in net. If Vanecek remains injured and cannot play or serve as a backup, do they start Samsonov, who had a heavy workload against the Pens, or turn elsewhere?
The kings of roster tinkering this season are at it again. With a handful of days before their next game, the Washington Capitals shifted some pieces back and forth with their AHL affiliate, Hershey Bears.
The Capitals recalled forward Aliaksei Protas from Hershey and sent defensemen Alex Alexeyev and Lucas Johansen via the taxi squad and forward Michael Sgarbossa and goaltender Pheonix Copley via the main roster back to the AHL.
By Chris Cerullo 9 months ago
The Washington Capitals announced ahead of their return to the ice on Monday that six players are now quarantining after contracting or being exposed to COVID-19 during the NHL’s four-day pause to the season.
Daniel Sprong and Justin Schultz entered protocol on December 21 while Nick Jensen (December 23), Martin Fehervary (December 24), Vitek Vanecek (December 24), and Dennis Cholowski (December 24) were added to the list in the days following.
By Chris Cerullo and Ian Oland 9 months ago
A day after debuting his new Capitals’ mask design for the 2021-22 season, Pheonix Copley was cut by Washington and put on waivers with the intent of being sent down to AHL Hershey.
Copley, who served as Braden Holtby’s backup during the 2018-19 season, is in the final year of a three-year, $3.3 million contract he signed in 2019.
The Bears’ first day of Training Camp was held on Monday. Earlier in the day, the Capitals lost Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, who was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Sabres.
Capitals goaltender Pheonix Copley is entering the final season of a three-year, $3.3 million contract he signed with Washington in 2019. The mask he will wear might feature the best design he’s ever had since first arriving in the organization during the 2014-15 season.
Painted by Robert Howell of Sun God Graphics, Copley’s new bucket is minimalistic and based on the team’s Reverse Retro jersey.
By Ian Oland 12 months ago
