On Sunday morning, the Washington Capitals brought up Dylan McIlrath from the American Hockey League.
Earlier this season, McIlrath played one game with the Capitals in mid-November when Martin Fehervary was placed on injured reserve. McIlrath, who serves as the captain for the Hershey Bears, has tallied nine points with three goals and six assists in 58 games in the AHL.
Additionally, the Capitals are facing challenges on the defensive front with Rasmus Sandin expected to be out for the remainder of the regular season due to an upper-body injury. Meanwhile, Ethan Bear remains in the NHL/NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program. According to CapFriendly, both McIlrath’s and Lucas Johansen’s recalls last week were done on an emergency loan basis.
With only two games left in their schedule, the Capitals will face the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in back-to-back matchups. Winning both games would secure their spot in the 2024 postseason. Meanwhile, the Hershey Bears have three games left before earning a first-round playoff bye.
Here’s the Capitals’ full press release:
Capitals Bring Up Dylan McIlrath
ARLINGTON, Va. – Washington Capitals president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today that defenseman Dylan McIlrath has been called up from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL).
As the captain of the Hershey Bears, McIlrath has tallied nine points with three goals and six assists in 58 games this season, leading the team with 100 penalty minutes. He also played one game with the Capitals earlier this season, accruing five penalty minutes on November 14 against Vegas.
Standing at 6’5” and weighing 240 pounds, McIlrath set a career-high last season with 13 assists and led Hershey with 102 penalty minutes in 60 regular-season games. During the Bears’ Calder Cup championship run, he contributed two points (1 goal, 1 assist) and 44 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games. Additionally, McIlrath tallied one assist and seven penalty minutes in six games with the Capitals during the 2022-23 season.
A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, McIlrath has played in 73 NHL games across stints with the Capitals, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers, and Detroit Red Wings, posting six points (3 goals, 3 assists) and 133 penalty minutes. In his AHL career spanning 618 games, he has registered 122 points with 30 goals and 92 assists.