The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Liam O’Brien from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) and have re-assigned Anthony Peluso to Hershey, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Additionally, the Bears have announced the recall of forward Kelly Zajac from South Carolina.
O’Brien had two goals in nine games for the Bears. Peluso had no points and four PIMs in two games in very limited ice time for the Capitals.
Liam O’Brien is on the ice for the morning skate after getting recalled from Hershey pic.twitter.com/bLYo9E1MSB
— NoVa Caps (@NoVa_Caps) November 2, 2017
FROM CAPITALS MEDIA RELEASE
In nine games with Hershey this season, O’Brien, 23, has two goals and four penalty minutes. In the 2016-17 season, O’Brien recorded 30 points (10g, 20a) in 64 games with Hershey and ranked third on the team in penalty minutes (117), seventh in assists and ninth in points. O’Brien recorded a career-high three points (2g, 1a) on Dec. 30, 2016 against Bridgeport and registered seven multi-point games last season. The Halifax, Nova Scotia, native has earned 56 points (23g, 33a) in 177 career AHL games with Hershey.
O’Brien has registered two points (one goal, one assist) in 14 career games with the Capitals. The 6’1”, 215-pound forward made his NHL debut on Oct. 9, 2014 against Montreal and earned his first NHL point with an assist on Oct. 14, 2014 against San Jose. O’Brien scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 26, 2014 at Vancouver. He signed with Washington as a free agent on Oct. 6, 2014.
Peluso was recalled to the Capitals on Oct. 27. Peluso played in two games for the Capitals, registering four penalty minutes. Peluso has played in three games for Hershey this season. The 6’4”, 225-pound forward played in 22 games for the Manitoba Moose (AHL) last season and recorded two assists and six penalty minutes.
More on this from the Capitals here.
FROM HERSHEY BEARS MEDIA RELEASE
Zajac, 29, has three points (one goal, two assists) in four games with the Stingrays this season. He played nine games with Hershey in 2016-17, scoring seven points (four goals, three assists) and posting a +8 rating. Last year with South Carolina, Zajac finished second on the team in scoring, tallying a career-best 52 points, including a team-high 39 assists. He also finished third on the team in playoff scoring, registering 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 22 games as South Carolina advanced to the Kelly Cup Finals. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound forward has played 131 AHL games with Albany, Manitoba, and Hershey, posting 69 points (21 goals, 48 assists). His best season came with Albany in 2013-14 when he registered 44 points (12 goals, 32 assists) in 67 games.
More from the Hershey Bears here.