The 2023-24 regular season is ramping up for everyone, as cuts have begun and teams are shaping out their opening night rosters. For the Washington Capitals, they are hoping to get back into the playoff picture after a rough 2022-23 season. A 35-37-10 finish for the Capitals last season earned them the eighth overall selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft where they selected Ryan Leonard. As they strengthened their prospect pool heavily with the addition of Leonard and Andrew Cristall, their main focus is on the new season and some other prospects that might earn their first big opportunity in the NHL.
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Vincent Iorio played three games for the Capitals last season but spent the majority of the season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Hershey Bears before his call-up. While he only got an assist during his three-game NHL tenure, he played quite well offensively in the minors scoring two goals and adding 20 assists for 22 points through 63 games with the Bears. He established himself quickly as a two-way defenseman who can be trusted at both ends of the ice. With the tight cap situation the Capitals are in, chances seemed slim that Iorio would make the opening night roster, but with an unfortunate injury to new acquisition Joel Edmundson, the team could look at Iorio as a replacement to start the season.
The Capitals acquired Edmundson for two draft picks back in July, and seemingly boosted their Stanley Cup odds with a veteran addition to their depth on the point. With Iorio coming in late last season and making a statement with three strong games, all he needs is a good training camp to earn a spot come opening night.
Iorio’s Path To The NHL
Iorio was drafted 55th overall by the Capitals in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft out of the Western Hockey League (WHL) where he played for the Brandon Wheat Kings. In his draft year, which was unfortunately shortened due to the COVID-19 situation, he scored five goals and added seven assists for 12 points through 22 games. He returned to the Wheat Kings for the 2021-22 season and stepped up offensively, scoring 11 goals and adding 33 assists for 44 points through 60 games. Aside from his offensive game, he continued to establish dominance as a strong defensive-minded player as well.
As mentioned, the 2022-23 season was Iorio’s first season of professional hockey. He made the Bears and had 22 points before being called up to end the season. For someone who only got drafted in 2021, he is progressing extremely well. It’s not common for a defenseman to find success at the professional level this early in their career if they were drafted outside of the first round, but Iorio has seemingly defied the odds and squeaked his way into the conversation for an NHL roster spot this season.
For Iorio, he was likely entering the season hoping to lead the Bears as a top-pairing defenseman that would be the Capitals’ first call-up due to injury. With this unfortunate injury to Edmundson, Iorio has found himself in a much stronger situation. It will now be up to the Capitals whether or not he starts the season as a depth defenseman on the bottom pairing out of training camp or if they send him down and continue letting him develop and build confidence with the Bears. Either way, this is a huge opportunity for him.
Capitals Defensemen Situation
The Capitals have a strong defensive core, led by John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin. Filling out the depth are Martin Fehevary, Nick Jensen, and Trevor van Riemsdyk, as well as Edmundson when the lineup is completely healthy. Whether or not the team decides to take seven defensemen into the season is yet to be decided, but Iorio is an interesting case. With a healthy Edmundson, I see the Caps sending him down and giving him more ice time to develop. But with the injury situation now, I see them slotting him into the third pairing to start out the year.
Iorio is easily the seventh defenseman on the Capitals depth chart, behind the six named above. While I believe he will grow into a mainstay defender at the NHL level eventually, it’s up to the Capitals to decide the best course of action for his development this season. He has proven that they can trust him to take over for the time being while Edmundson is out, but they may opt to go with another defenseman to start the season. It all depends on how Iorio finishes out his training camp, and how the Capitals view his development. Hopefully, he can earn an opportunity at the NHL level and prove that he’s someone who will make the team’s decision tough when Edmundson returns from injury.
