Goaltender Jesper Vikman Re-assigned to Hershey

March 5, 2026

The Washington Capitals, the National Hockey League affiliate of the Hershey Bears, acquired a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft (originally from San Jose), and goaltender Jesper Vikman from the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Nic Dowd, Washington senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced.

Vikman, who was playing with the American Hockey League's Henderson Silver Knights, has been re-assigned from Henderson to Hershey. He is currently recovering from an injury and remains week-to-week. 

The 23-year-old Vikman was selected by Vegas in the fifth round (125th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. The 6'4", 205-pound goaltender has an 8-7-3 record, a 3.41 goals-against average, and a .866 save percentage in 18 games with  Henderson this season. In 41 career AHL games with Henderson, the Danderyd, Sweden native has posted a 16-18-5 record, a 3.48 goals-against average, a .880 save percentage with one shutout.

He appeared in 42 games last season for the ECHL's Tahoe Knight Monsters, recording a 24-15-3 record, a 3.19 goals-against average, and a .897 save percentage with one shutout. He went 4-4 in the 2025 Kelly Cup Playoffs for the Knight Monsters with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage. 

Vikman played two seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Vancouver Giants from 2021-23, where he had a 36-36-3 record, a 3.19 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He was named the BC Division's First Team All-Star Goaltender for the 2022-23 season.