Jonny Brodzinski is back on an NHL roster, and the Washington Capitals wasted no time bringing him up after an early-season shakeup up front.
The former Rangers forward was recalled from Hershey on Saturday and was in the lineup for Washington’s game against the New Jersey Devils at Capital One Arena. He slid into the spot left open by Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has been dealing with an illness and was placed on injured reserve. Justin Sourdif was also scratched against New Jersey because of illness, and Brodzinski was set to center the fourth line between Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Leonard.
Brodzinski, 33, has started strong in the AHL with Hershey, posting two goals and five points in four games. That total has him tied for second on the Bears in both goals and points, even though Washington sent him down to open the season after he scored three goals in two preseason games with the Capitals.
Capitals coach Spencer Carbery sounded confident Brodzinski could step right in and do what he showed in camp.
“I would look to see exactly what he put on display in training camp,” Carbery said before the game against New Jersey. “I thought he had a phenomenal camp. I thought he was noticeable every day through the practices, scrimmages - and then in the exhibition games, I thought he was outstanding.
“Hopefully, keeping him playing and getting some game reps in Hershey, (means he’ll be) able to come right back up and seamlessly go into NHL games and play the way he did in training camp.”
Brodzinski signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with Washington on July 1 after six seasons in the Rangers organization. He played 207 NHL games with New York and split time over the years with the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings before that. Last season with the Rangers, he had six goals and 16 points in 55 games while winning 53.0 percent of his face-offs, and those 16 points tied for 10th in the NHL among skaters averaging less than 11:30 of ice time per game.
His last two seasons in New York were the most productive of his NHL career. In 2024-25, he set career highs with 12 goals, a plus-6 rating and 11:41 of ice time per game, and matched his career best with 19 points in 51 games. The year before, he played a career-high 57 games and set new highs with 13 assists and 19 points.
A fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Kings at No. 148 in the 2013 NHL Draft, Brodzinski has 71 points - 33 goals and 38 assists - and a plus-12 rating in 264 NHL games. In the AHL, he’s built up 272 points, including 128 goals and 144 assists, in 317 games.
During training camp, Brodzinski said he was approaching this next stretch with a different mentality.
“New coaching staff, new kind of everything for me. I’m just going into it with absolutely nothing to lose,” Brodzinski said.
“I know what I can do. Over my career, I’ve never truly hit my potential.
Just every single year, it seems like I’ll play five or six games, start to kind of get in the rhythm of games and get pulled out of the lineup. So I never really felt like I hit my full stride, and I feel like I have so much more to give.”
He said his versatility remains his calling card, noting that he can handle left wing, right wing, center, penalty kill and power play duties.
“As a guy that can now play left, right, center, penalty kill, power play, kind of bounce around wherever you want, top line, bottom line,” Brodzinski said. “I just think being able to do everything… Being able to find those spots and shoot the puck (and) being able to bang bodies and just get pucks behind the defense and kind of wear them down (is) a skill.
“I just want to be a guy that can get in every single night and make a difference.”
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