The Washington Capitals announced Sunday morning that goaltender Zach Fucale has been re-assigned to the Hershey Bears. Fucale was recalled to the Capitals for backup purposes during the Capitals’ back-to-back games with Pittsburgh and Buffalo this weekend. The Bears play the second game of their weekend back-to-back set this evening in Hershey.

Fucale, 26, became the first goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in his NHL debut when he stopped all 21 shots against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 11 at Little Caesars Arena. In seven games with the Bears this season, Fucale has posted a record of 4-1-2 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.

During the 2020-21 season, the Laval, Quebec, native led the AHL in goals-against average (1.80) and ranked second in save percentage (.932), establishing career highs in both categories. The 6’2”, 189-pound goaltender played the most games (11) he has played at the AHL level since the 2017-18 season, posting a 9-2-0 record.

Fucale’s nine wins were tied for eighth in the AHL, while his two losses were the fewest among goaltenders with at least 660 minutes played. Fucale and Pheonix Copley received the AHL’s Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, presented to the goaltenders on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season.