ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Patrick Wey to a two-year, entry-level contract beginning in 2013-14, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

 The 6’3, 210-pound defenseman recently completed his senior season at Boston College, recording career highs in points (13), assists (12), games played (37, tied) and penalty minutes (54) and registered a plus-14 rating this season. Wey helped Boston College to a 22-12-4 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament. He was named a 2013 Hockey East Second-Team All-Star and named Hockey East’s 2013 Best Defensive Defenseman.

 In 133 career games with Boston College, Wey collected 33 points (four goals, 29 assists) and 147 penalty minutes. He helped Boston College win the NCAA National Championship in 2011-12 and tallied one goal and three assists in four tournament games. Boston College also won the Hockey East Championship and the NCAA regular-season championship last season as Wey was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team at the Northeast Regional.

 The Pittsburgh native helped the United States win the bronze medal at the 2011 Under-20 World Junior Championship, appearing in six tournament games. Wey was drafted by Washington in the fourth round (115th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Defenseman Garrett Stafford Dealt to Edmonton

HERSHEY, Pa. – The HERSHEY BEARS announced today that the Washington Capitals organization has acquired left wing Dane Byers from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Garrett Stafford. The announcement was made by BEARS President/GM Doug Yingst.

Byers, 27, comes to HERSHEY from the AHL’s Oklahoma City Barons, where he posted six goals, four assists and 144 penalty minutes in 58 games played.

The 6-3, 204-pound native of Nipawin, SK is in his eighth professional season. In 2011-12, he spent most of the campaign with the AHL’s Springfield Falcons, notching 16 goals, 23 assists and 108 penalty minutes while serving as team captain. Byers has appeared in a total of 443 AHL games with Hartford, Springfield, San Antonio and Oklahoma City, piling up 248 points (106 goals, 142 assists) and 934 penalty minutes.

Byers has also played in 14 NHL games with the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, recording one goal and 60 penalty minutes. He was originally selected by the New York Rangers in the second round (48th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Stafford recorded 21 points (one goal, 20 assists) and 36 penalty minutes in 48 games with HERSHEY.

Capitals to Host Second Washington AHL ShowcaseThe 11-time Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears will face the Syracuse Crunch at Verizon Center on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014

 ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals and Verizon Center will host the second Washington AHL Showcase Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014, at 5 p.m., between the Hershey Bears and the Syracuse Crunch. The game date is subject to the AHL and NHL scheduling process.

 Next year’s event will mark the second-consecutive season in which Verizon Center has hosted the Washington AHL Showcase. The AHL Showcase will feature the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears, as they face-off versus the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, in regular-season AHL action. The Hershey Bears defeated the Norfolk Admirals, 2-1, in the 2012 AHL Showcase on Dec. 6, 2012, in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,506. Current Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby and defensemen Steven Oleksy, Dmitry Orlov and Tomas Kundratek helped the Bears earn the victory.

 Hershey has qualified for the playoffs each of the last seven years and won the Calder Cup in back-to-back seasons as the champions of the AHL in 2009 and 2010 as well as in 2006. Hershey has reached the Calder Cup final in four of seven seasons it has been affiliated with Washington. Syracuse, in the midst of its first season of affiliation with Tampa Bay, currently leads the AHL’s Eastern Conference. In addition, the Crunch has the fifth-longest tenure of any active AHL team and will be marking their 20th anniversary next season.

 For more information on 2014 Washington AHL Showcase contact 202-266-CAPS or visit WashingtonCaps.com.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have recalled defenseman Dmitry Orlov from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

 Orlov, 21, has recorded 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) and 16 penalty minutes in 22 games with Hershey and has tallied three assists in his last two AHL contests. He collected 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) and 18 penalty minutes in 60 games with the Capitals during his rookie season in 2011-12. Orlov finished the season ranked fourth in scoring among rookie defensemen despite finishing ranked 23rd in average ice time per game (16:52).

 Orlov, a 6’0”, 210-pound defenseman from Novokuznetsk, Russia, was Washington’s second-round selection, 55th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He has registered 30 points (seven goals, 23 assists) in 56 career AHL games with Hershey and helped lead Team Russia to a gold medal at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, recording nine points (one goal, eight assists) in seven games while being named to the tournament All-Star team.

 In addition, Orlov represented Team Russia at the 2010 World Junior Championships and was one of Russia’s top three performers at the 2009 Under-18 World Championships.

 Orlov will participate in Washington’s morning skate on Tuesday. He will wear No. 81.