The morning after their 5-0 win against Carolina, the Washington Capitals announced that they have called back up forward Zach Sanford from the Hershey Bears. The 22-year-old first-year pro made the Capitals out of training camp, making his NHL debut on October 13 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Later that month, Sanford registered his first NHL point against the Calgary Flames. But after only tallying one point in his first 19 games, the Caps sent Sanford down for Jakub Vrana on November 30.
After registering 11 points in his first 12 AHL games, Sanford has grown cold, tallying only three points in his last 12 games for Hershey.
According to The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan, several players seemed banged up after blocking some shots last night. The call for Sanford would help some Capitals players heal up if they were injured. The Capitals have two home games left before their bye week.
The Washington Capitals have recalled forward Zach Sanford from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Sanford, 22, has earned one assist in 20 games with the Capitals this season. The Salem, Mass., native made his NHL debut on Oct. 13 at Pittsburgh and earned his first NHL point with an assist on Oct. 30 at Calgary. Sanford was drafted by the Capitals in the second round, 61st overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft.
Sanford registered 14 points (9g, 5a) in 24 games with Hershey this season. The 6’4”, 203-pound forward made his AHL debut on Dec. 2 at Lehigh Valley and earned his first AHL point with a goal on Dec. 4 against Syracuse. Sanford recorded a career-high four points (2g, 2a) on Dec. 11 against Rochester.
Sanford registered 39 points (13g, 26a) in 41 games with Boston College (NCAA) in 2015-16. He led the team in assists, ranked third in points and fifth in goals as a sophomore. In addition, he ranked second on the team in plus/minus (27) and tallied 44 penalty minutes during the 2015-16 season. Sanford registered 63 points (22g, 43a) in 79 career games with Boston College.
Headline photo: Amanda Bowen
