ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have loaned forwards Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko, defensemen Vincent Iorio, Lucas Johansen, Dylan McIlrath and Hardy Haman Aktell, and goaltender Mitchell Gibson to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Hershey, the defending Calder Cup champions and this year’s No. 1 seed, will open the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday, May 1 at GIANT Center for Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals.
Lapierre, 22, established NHL career highs in games played (51), goals (8), assists (14) and points (22) during the regular season and added two points (1g, 1a) in four playoff games. Lapierre made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 at the New York Rangers on April 21 and scored his first career postseason goal in Game 4 on April 28. In 21 regular-season games with Hershey, Lapierre registered 17 points (5g, 12a).
Miroshnichenko, 20, appeared in 21 games with the Capitals this season, recording six points (2g, 4a). Miroshnichenko, Washington’s first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on April 26. In addition, Miroshnichenko registered 25 points (9g, 16a) in 47 games with Hershey and led Bears rookies in assists and points and ranked tied for first in goals during the regular season.
Iorio, 21, appeared in six regular-season games with Washington this season and made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 1 at New York on April 21. The 6’4”, 205-pound defenseman recorded 14 points (4g, 10a) in 60 games with Hershey and led the AHL’s top team in plus/minus (+26).
Johansen, 26, tallied one assist in six games with the Capitals during the regular season and appeared in two postseason games, making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 2 at New York on April 23. In 22 games with Hershey, Johansen recorded 12 points (2g, 10a) and a +18 plus/minus rating.
McIlrath, 32, recorded one assist in three regular-season games with Washington and appeared in all four playoff games. McIlrath, Hershey’s captain, registered nine points (3g, 6a) and a team-leading 100 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Bears in 2023-24.
Haman Aktell, 25, recorded one assist in six games with the Capitals this season. The 6’3”, 216-pound defenseman made his NHL debut on Oct. 21 at Montreal and tallied his first career assist and point on Oct. 29 vs. San Jose. In 55 games with Hershey, Haman Aktell registered 11 points (2g, 9a).
Gibson, 24, had a record of 22-14-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average, a .899 save percentage and three shutouts in 42 games with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) this season. The 6’2”, 204-pound goaltender ranked second in the ECHL in minutes played (2,532), tied for second in games played and tied for fifth in wins. The Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native also appeared in two games with Hershey, posting a 2-0-0 record with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
Lapierre, Iorio, Johansen and McIlrath were members of Hershey’s 2023 Calder Cup championship team.
