The Ottawa Senators have acquired forward Graeme Clarke from the Washington Capitals in a trade for forward Wyatt Bongiovanni. Clarke, an AHL All-Star in 2024, brings scoring experience from the Hershey Bears. Bongiovanni, who has performed steadily with the Belleville Senators, will join the Capitals' organization.
The trade, announced by Washington Capitals senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick, sees the Ottawa Senators receive 24-year-old forward Graeme Clarke in exchange for 26-year-old forward Wyatt Bongiovanni. Bongiovanni will report to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League.
Clarke, from Waconia, Minnesota, is in his sixth professional season. This year, he has recorded 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points in 50 games with Hershey. Over 332 career AHL games with Hershey, Iowa, Utica, and Binghamton, Clarke has tallied 99 goals and 111 assists for 210 points. Selected in the third round by New Jersey in the 2019 NHL Draft, he has appeared in three NHL games with the Devils during the 2023-24 season. Clarke was named an AHL All-Star in 2024.
Bongiovanni, from Birmingham, Michigan, has notched 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points in 54 games with the Belleville Senators this season. He ranked tied for second on the team in power-play goals with two, fifth in goals, and tied for seventh in points. In the 2024-25 season, Bongiovanni set AHL career highs with 22 goals and 33 points in 54 games, leading Belleville in game-winning goals with five and ranking tied for first in goals and second in power-play goals with eight.
A fourth-year professional, Bongiovanni signed with the Winnipeg Jets on April 17, 2022, after captaining Quinnipiac University in his senior year of 2021-22, where he recorded 90 points (50 goals, 40 assists) in 123 games. In 215 career AHL games with Belleville and Manitoba, he has 63 goals and 38 assists for 101 points, plus seven points (three goals, four assists) in 12 Calder Cup playoff games.