Dylan McIlrath clears waivers, heads to Hershey

With the logjam in Washington with injuries on the Capitals' roster, former Hershey Bears captain Dylan McIlrath will return to Chocolatetown after clearing waivers Monday to make room for the trade for former New Jersey Devils goaltender Remi Poirier.

McIlrath last played for Hershey in 2023-24, serving as the team's captain before he was selected to the Washington roster in what figured to be a rebuilding season in 2024-25, but ended up as a depth defenseman on the Eastern Conference's top seed.

He had been on the Capitals roster the entirety of the last two-plus seasons, but played sparingly, appearing in just 34 contests those 3 seasons and recording 2 assists. Overall since coming over as a free-agent signing in 2021, he played in 43 games as a Washington Capital with 4 total assists and 54 penalty minutes.

McIlrath skated in 4 Capitals games this season, but his season highlight so far was in Washington's preseason game in Hershey on September 21 where he electrified the home crowd with a heavyweight fight against Philadelphia's Garrett Wilson. 

He was largely valued by the Capitals for his locker room presence, as being named the AHL team's captain in October 2022, and signed a two-year, one-way contract worth $800,000 per season last summer. 

Now, he will appear for the Bears for the first time in over two years, with his last appearance in a Hershey sweater being lifting the Calder Cup after a Game 6 overtime win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds on June 24, 2024.

Hershey's next game comes Wednesday night when they host one of McIlrath's former teams, the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Bears are 6-4-0 on the season so far, good for third in the Atlantic Division.