Volpatti is in his third season with the Washington Capitals has spent the past five years in the NHL with the Capitals & Vancouver Canucks.
Volpatti never drafted spent four years with Brown University before signing as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks on March 22, 2010. Volpatti played parts of two and a half seasons with the Canucks before being claimed off waivers by the Washington Capitals on February 28th 2013. Volpatti played three seasons in Vernon (2003-2006) In 137 regular season games with the Vipers Volpatti collected (13-goals-24-assists-37-points).
Aaron Volpatti's Player Profile:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=39059
This was in the Washington Post Newspaper:
Capitals Insider
Nearing return from neck surgery, Aaron Volpatti has patience ‘tested’
By Alex Prewitt October 31 2014
Almost six months ago, forward Aaron Volpatti underwent a neck-fusion procedure, which at once fixed a lingering issue and foretold a recovery timetable now nearing its end. The 29-year-old left winger has spent weeks sporting non-contact jerseys, practicing and traveling with Washington and, recently, absorbing some contact. The Capitals can remove Volpatti from long-term injured reserve Sunday. He feels close.“It’s that last 10 percent I’m waiting for, taking a little bit longer than I hoped,” Volpatti said Friday, before he and the Capitals flew to Tampa. “I don’t have a timetable, but it feels good. Like I said, the last month it’s been hard to get over that plateau, that last 10 percent. That patience is being tested. It’s one of those things where I have to make sure it’s fully healed. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time right now. Can’t keep going the way I have. Just really got to make sure, especially with contact, that’s the biggest thing.”
If hockey featured no contact, or maybe even if he played a less physical game, Volpatti would have been comfortable returning sooner. But because his five-year NHL career has featured nearly 20 times more penalty minutes (137) than points (seven), a weak neck means unproductive ice time.
“I just got to wait here until I’m cleared,” he said. “It’s just a little bit of stiffness, a little bit of pinch in there that’s taking a little longer to go away than I thought. I’m still going to meet with the doctors, ask him to what extent I can play with all that stuff. It’s more ‘Am I at risk to hurt it?’ No timetable, but hoping it’ll be soon.”
Unlike defenseman Dmitry Orlov, another long-term injured-reserve member relegated to individual workouts early each morning, Volpatti joined team practices several weeks ago. Though Coach Barry Trotz predicted the Capitals would send Volpatti to Hershey on a conditioning loan, allowed without waivers according to the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement, taking fourth-line repetitions offered a gradual adjustment back into the rigors of game speed.
“It’s obviously been good. The first couple skates a few weeks ago when I came back to practice — you recognize how much the pace has picked up compared to what you’re doing on your own,” Volpatti said. “My patience is tested at times when I can’t do the contact stuff, so sometimes I sit around a little bit. But it’s worth it to get the reps in on the other drills where I can get my tempo up.”
The conditioning loan also buys Washington time to sort its current logjam at forward. Whenever Brooks Laich (shoulder) returns, likely sometime next week, the Capitals will have 14 healthy forwards, and Volpatti would make it 15. Liam O’Brien has impressed through nine games in his rookie season, but he and Volpatti bring similar fourth-line, grinding styles.
“You got to bring the things that he’s brought, and that’s the physical element, be reliable and contribute a little bit and know your role,” Trotz said. “He does. I don’t see any problem — roster problem maybe, but not in terms of the player.”
If the Capitals want Volpatti in Hershey beyond the conditioning loan, which cannot exceed “the longer of six days and three games,” he would need to pass through waivers, which is how Volpatti wound up in Washington two Februaries ago, claimed from Vancouver. So the future remains uncertain. Volpatti simply wants to get back.
“Just want to put it behind me,” he said. “Make sure it’s fully healed so I don’t have to deal with it anymore.”
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