The Washington Capitals recalled defenseman Dylan McIlrath from the AHL’s Hershey Bears on Wednesday, the team said in a statement.
McIlrath’s recall comes as Washington has two players out of the lineup on personal leave: captain Alex Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas. The Capitals don’t expect Ovechkin back in the lineup this week, as he remains in Russia after the passing of his father, while Protas returned to the team today after the birth of his and his wife’s first child, said NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti.
With Alexander Alexeyev already on Washington’s roster as an extra defenseman, the chances of McIlrath’s season debut appear slim, barring injuries. Now in his second season in the Capitals organization, all 118 professional games since 2021-22 have come in a Bears uniform.
The 10th overall selection in the 2010 draft by the New York Rangers, McIlrath hasn’t played an NHL game in over three years. Now 30, McIlrath has kept up the physical pedigree that earned him his lofty draft position, but his play with the puck never translated into a meaningful NHL role.
In 44 games with Hershey this season, McIlrath has logged 10 assists and leads all Hershey skaters with 83 penalty minutes.