Washington Capitals sign 2021 second round pick Vincent Iorio

The Washington Capitals have signed their 2021 second round draft pick defenseman Vincent Iorio to a three year entry level contract. It will carry an average annual value (AAV) of $875,833.

The Caps selected the 18 year old with the 55th overall pick. The six foot four, 200 pound defenseman appeared in one preseason game which was on September 29 against the New Jersey Devils before he was assigned to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL) on Oct. 1.

The Coquitlam, British Columbia, native was ranked 27th among North American defensemen by NHL Central Scouting prior to the draft. During the 2020-21 season, Iorio recorded 12 points with five goals and seven assists in 22 games with Brandon. He ranked third among their defensemen in points last season and his 0.55 points per game was the highest of his three year WHL career.

During the 2017-18 season, Iorio won the WHL Cup gold medal. He also played two seasons with Shattuck St. Marys hockey program, which has included former players such as Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Zach Parise.

Iorio was a -1 in his lone preseason game with the Capitals but did have two hits and a blocked shot in 14:51 minutes of ice time. He also got 1:11 while on the penalty kill. He skated on the second pair with Michal Kempny.

Iorio had a 57.58 percent Corsi For percentage in Wednesday’s preseason game against the Devils. While that was good his Expected Goals For percentage was down to 43.31 percent as well as a 44.44 High Danger Chances For percentage.

Iorio has played in 133 games for the Wheat Kings over the past four seasons including two this season after the Caps sent him back to the team. He became good friends with 2020 first rounder Hendrix Lapierre as the two Canadiens had some fun when Iorio was mic’d up for Rookie Camp.