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Washington Capitals sign Shane Gersich and Brian Pinho

By Andrew Gillis

PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 03: Shane Gersich #63 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 3, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 03: Shane Gersich #63 of the Washington Capitals skates against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena on May 3, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /
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The Washington Capitals made the 20th of May an interesting day, as the team announced a pair of two-way forward signings in Shane Gersich and Brian Pinho.

First, the Washington Capitals signed forward Shane Gersich to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700,000 with a guaranteed minimum of $125,000.

Gersich, a speed demon from the University of North Dakota, made his NHL debut on March 28, 2018 vs. the New York Rangers and played in three regular season games. He registered an assist as well. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he played in two playoff games against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Just 22, the 2018-19 season with the Hershey Bears was his first full season as a professional. He scored six goals, 16 assists and three playoff points in 66 regular season and nine playoff games.

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The former 134th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Gersich figures to be a key figure on the Bears next season. Should the opportunity call for it, he’ll be available as a fourth-line plug for the Capitals.

Before the professional ranks, he scored 29 points in 40 games at the University of South Dakota in his last season in 2017-18. He skipped his senior year to play in Hershey this season.

Just a few hours later, the Capitals signed forward Brian Pinho to a similar deal: A one-year, two-way contract.

Pinho is slightly older than Gersich at 24 years old and had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 73 regular season games in Hershey this season. It was his first as a professional.

The 174th pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Pinho added a goal and an assist in eight playoff games. His only goal was the series-clinching goal in Game 5 of the first round against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Pinho is a Providence College alum, where he scored 32 points in 40 games in his senior campaign. He was named

Both moves figure to give the Capitals some flexibility in their forward ranks, which lack an abundance of prospects at the moment. While the organization doesn’t have nationally-regarded talent in the system, it’s clear the team will continue to trust Hershey to develop Pinho and Gersich into full-time NHLers in a few years time.

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The two figure to spend time in Hershey, at least to start the year, but should the salary cap play the Capitals’ hand and force them to go cheap in the bottom six, there’s a decent chance one of them gets a shot at a roster spot in training camp.

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