Hardy Haman Aktell finally gets NHL opportunity

There needs to be some changes the Washington Capitals need to make. That’s pretty much what a 1-2-0 entails. When the team release the opening night roster, there was one notable player not there and instead went to the Hershey Bears. That was defenseman Hardy Haman Aktell.

Haman Aktell had a good camp and preseason. Of course many fans thought he deserved a spot. The Caps just simply couldn’t do it at the time because they had to go under the salary cap.

Now with Charlie Lindgren out with an upper body injury and going to IR, they were able to call up that young defenseman from Hershey. The 25 year old has recorded one goal in two games with the Bears this season.

The six foot three, 216 pound blue liner made his AHL debut on Oct. 14 vs. Beleville and scored his first career AHL goal the next day against Cleveland.

Haman Aktell was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round with the 108th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. He signed with the Capitals in April after spending the last three seasons with the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

The defenseman appeared in five of the Caps six preseason games as he registered eight shots and two penalty minutes.

Haman Aktell recorded 36 points in 51 games with Vaxjo in 2022 23 with nine goals and 27 assists. The native of Vaxjo, Sweden led the team in plus minus with a plus 23 while ranking second on the team in assists and points while tied for third among SHL defenseman in points.

In the playoffs Haman Aktell added seven points with three goals and four assists and recorded a plus 6 plus/minus rating in 18 games which helped Vaxjo capture the SHL championship for the second time in three years.

Having Haman Aktell on the defense should help. I imagine Lucas Johansen or Alex Alexeyev might be scratched on Saturday night. Stay tuned.