Joe Noyes Photography

After a flurry of both trades and injuries saw the Washington Capitals without some of their longtime, key defensemen, the team recalled blueliners Vincent Iorio and Gabriel Carlsson from the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears.

While Carlsson, 26, has experienced a taste of NHL action during a 75-game stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets (over six seasons), Iorio, who was drafted by the Capitals with the 55th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, will be seeing the big stage for the first time at just 20-years old.

“It’s pretty cool”, said the Coquitlam, British Columbia native, who revealed he found out about his recall yesterday from Hershey Head Coach Todd Nelson, “You watch the guys on TV all the time. It’s jaw-dropping but I’m just very happy to be here.”

Iorio, who along with Carlsson, joined the Capitals on the West Coast in San Jose, has 17 Points (2G, 15A) in 51 Games Played with the Bears; his 17 points rank second among blueliners on the team.

“Just getting out there, getting a feel for the puck”, Iorio said of the most-anticipated moment of his NHL debut, “You know, I gotta to treat things day-by-day, game-by-game. Like I said, I’m just here to help the team win.”

“Pretty similar”, Iorio said of the team’s system compared to Hershey, “They use the lock here, they don’t down in Hershey, but […] is going to go over some clips with Carly and I when we get back to the hotel, to get familiar.”

“I’m a pretty happy guy”, said Iorio of the biggest challenge of the sudden call to the NHL, “So obviously it’s pretty cool, a childhood dream of mine, but I just have to stay in the present and that’s all that matters.”

“You never know when the call is going to happen…so you just gotta stay ready at all times”, the young blueliner said of arriving to the NHL just under two years since being drafted.

“I’m a pretty happy guy, so obviously it’s pretty cool – it’s a childhood dream of mine for sure. But I’m here now, I got to stay in the present and that’s all that matters.”

Vincent Iorio discusses his call-up to the parent club.#ALLCAPS | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/3rShba6HXY

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 3, 2023

By Michael Fleetwood

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