Capitals Re-Sign Right Wing Francois Bouchard

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-signed right wing Francois Bouchard to a one-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bouchard, 23, recorded 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) and 30 penalty minutes in 74 regular-season games last season with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). He ranked seventh on the team in goals and added one goal in six playoff games. In 2009-10, Bouchard set career highs in goals (21), assists (31), points (52), plus/minus (+21) and penalty minutes (55). He added 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 21 playoff games to help Hershey capture the 2010 Calder Cup. The Sherbrook, Quebec, native has collected 111 points (48 goals, 63 assists) and is a plus-32 in 218 career AHL games with Hershey and has been a member of two Calder Cup-winning Bears teams (2009, 2010).

Bouchard led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) in scoring in 2006-07, posting 125 points and a league-high 80 assists. A 6’1’’, 197-pound forward, Bouchard recorded 92 points (36 goals, 56 assists) in 68 games for Baie-Comeau in 2007-08, leading his team in scoring while finishing eighth in the league in points. A two-time QMJHL Player of the Week in 2006-07, Bouchard posted a 22-game point streak on way to winning the Jean Beliveau Trophy, given to the league’s leading scorer.

Bouchard was Washington’s second-round choice (35th overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.