The Washington Capitals finally made their first pick of the 2021 NHL Draft and added a defenseman to their pipeline with their 55th overall pick which came in the second round. The Caps selected right handed defenseman Vincent Iorio from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL.
Iorio has a two way game. He also has good size listed at six foot three and 191 pounds. He has spent three seasons in the Western Hockey League. He could be a pro as soon as the 2022-23 season and the 18 year old has a November birthday so welcome to the squad fellow Scorpio!
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Elite Prospects compared Iorio to Han Solo. Nope, I’m not joking:
"Iorio on the breakout is basically Han Solo with a blaster: Well-placed laser-beam after well-placed laser-beam. He misdirects opponents by looking relaxed, even vulnerable, before firing. He looks off his target, skates into the lane, then holds the deception until the puck’s released, even for long-range, three-line passes."
Last season he recorded 12 points in 22 games with five goals and seven assists, had a +8 and 16 penalty minutes. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native ranked third among Wheat King defensemen in points this past season and his 0.55 points per game was the highest of his three year WHL career. During the 2017-18 season with Brandon, Iorio won the WHL Cup gold medal.
Check out this Vincent Iorio reel, @Capitals fans! pic.twitter.com/W3dgNcNwQW
— The WHL (@TheWHL) July 24, 2021
Iorio joins other fellow defensive prospects Alex Alexeyev and Martin Fehervary in the pipeline. The Caps are good stocked on defensemen for the future but every add from this point out is vital considering many of the varsity players aren’t getting any younger.
Iorio is the ninth player the Caps have selected from the WHL in the last four drafts. Corey Pronman had him projected as the 81st best player available. He is older than other players in the draft and is eligible to jump into the AHL a year earlier than most prospects.