Capitals Blueliners Fehervary, Kempny To Play In IIHF World Championship

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Following another first-round exit, the Washington Capitals will see Martin Fehervary and Michal Kempny take their talents overseas for the IIHF World Championship.

General manager Brian MacLellan announced Sunday that both Fehervary and Kempny would go to Helsinki to represent their respective countries at Worlds. Fehervary will lace ’em up for Slovakia, while Kempny will play for Czechia.

Fehervary is coming off an excellent rookie campaign that saw him take on a top-pairing role in his freshman year alongside John Carlson. Through 79 games, he picked up eight goals and nine assists and was a plus-15. Fehervary also led Washington with 251 hits, which ranked seventh league-wide. In addition, his 19:43 minutes per game in the playoffs ranked third among all rookies.

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This isn’t Fehervary’s first time at Worlds. He also represented Slovakia in the 2018 and 2019 tournaments, recording three assists. He also captained Slovakia at the 2019 U20 World Junior Championships.

Kempny, meanwhile, will get some ice time after spending a majority of the season as an extra blueliner. After suffering three major injuries to his left leg over the last couple of years, the 31-year-old returned for a full season. Following a tough training camp, he started the campaign with the AHL’s Hershey Bears to continue working back toward full strength. He dished seven assists through 24 games before coming up to Washington. In 30 games with the Capitals, he put up two goals and four assists and was a minus-3.

Kempny appeared in the 2016 and 2017 Worlds and have five points in 16 tournament games. He also represented his nation in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Washington will also see prospect Tobias Geisser head overseas for Worlds, representing Switzerland.