Pheonix Copley re-signs two-year deal with Washington
On Wednesday morning, the Washington Capitals announced that they have signed goaltender Pheonix Copley to a two-year extension.
During the 2016-2017 season, the Bears were facing adversity trying to make the Calder Cup Playoffs. Along with their defensive woes, Hershey also needed some help at the goaltender position.
Joe Cannata was added to the Bears roster as a free agent during the offseason. With Vitek Vanecek serving as his backup, the Chocolate and White seemed to have a strong hold on their last line of defense heading into the season. Unfortunately, Cannata struggled and with a young Vanecek was unable to find his footing when he took the reins as one goalie after the holiday break meaning Hershey needed another option to stay in the playoff race.
That’s when the Washington Capitals stepped in to make a deal with the St. Louis Blues, sending prospect Zach Sanford, forward Brad Malone, a draft picks to the Blues in exchange for defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and goaltender Pheonix Copley.
Copley, who once played for the Bears in the 2014-15 season, would report to Hershey and serve as the number one netminder for the Bears. His returned to Hershey was met with excitement from both fans and coaches alike.
The 25-year-old was a key addition to the roster that helped the Bears secure a spot in the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs. In the 16 games Copley played during the regular season, he posted an 11-5 record with a 2.15 goals against average.
Copley helped the Bears win the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and was off to a great start against the Providence Bruins in the Division Finals until he suffered a lower body injury in game four that would sideline him for the rest of the series. It was later revealed by head coach Troy Mann that if the Bears had made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, Copley would not be available as the injury was a groin pull.
The North Pole, Alaska native now has a two-year contract, including a one-way deal in 2018-19, the first year he will need waivers. Full details of the contract below.
Press release
The Washington Capitals have re-signed goaltender Pheonix Copley to a two-year, $1.3 million contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Copley’s contract is two-way ($650,000/$200,000) during the 2017-18 season and one-way ($650,000) during the 2018-19 season.
Copley, 25, posted a 26-11-3 record with one shutout, a 2.25 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 41 AHL games with the Chicago Wolves and Hershey Bears in 2016-17. The North Pole, Alaska, native ranked seventh in the AHL in goals-against average last season, tied for seventh in wins and tied for eighth in save percentage. Copley has posted a 58-31-6 record with seven shutouts, a 2.42 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in 104 career AHL games with Hershey and Chicago.
Copley has appeared in two career NHL games with the St. Louis Blues. The 6’4”, 196-pound goaltender made his NHL debut on Feb. 27, 2016 at Nashville and made 24 saves in his first career NHL start on Jan. 21, 2017 at Winnipeg. The Capitals acquired Copley from the Blues on Feb. 27.