The Washington Capitals took the ice for Day One of 2025 training camp on Thursday. This is the 18th team training camp to take place at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA. Many familiar faces (and some new ones) made themselves presentable for Media Day. They were also separated into three groups: A, B, and C. Here is a little recap of the first day of Capitals Training Camp.
All eyes were on Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin as he enters his 21st NHL season. He also turned 40 years old on Wednesday. Unfortunately, he was only on the ice for a little bit as he was dealing with a lower-body injury. He was originally set to practice with Group B on Thursday. Luckily, according to Washington head coach Spencer Carbery, it's "nothing significant" and he's only listed as day-to-day.
Despite the injury, Ovechkin was all smiles as he spoke to the media. We should expect more of him throughout training camp as he looks to reach 900 career goals this season.
The first group of training camp players featured familiar faces and young up-and-comers. John Carlson had the biggest veteran presence early on. Fellow D-man Martin Fehervary was back on the ice after undergoing knee surgery late last season. Fehervary appeared to look healthy taking part in Group A practice.
Newest Capital Justin Sourdif also appeared in Group A action, though he was dealing with an illness. He and Fehervary both wore blue non-contact jerseys. Ryan Leonard took part in a top-6 role skating alongside Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Sonny Milano looked impressive after missing all but three games last season due to an injury.
Cam Allen was the clear MVP in terms of the skate test in Group A. Hendrix Lapierre was another clear standout in both the skate test and practice, showing signs of improvement. Brandon Duhaime also stepped up early on.
For Group A practice, forward trios included Protas-Dubois-Leonard, Ethen Frank-Lapierre-Milano, and Duhaime-Nic Dowd-Sourdif. Defenseman duos on the ice were Fehervary-Carlson and Dylan McIlrath-Declan Chisholm. Charlie Lindgren was the main goaltender in net.
Group B also featured a mix of familiar faces and young up-and-comers. While Ovechkin left the ice before the skate test, Tom Wilson was the veteran with the most time during this period. Other fan favorites like Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome also took part in the Group B skate test and practice.
Ivan Miroshnichenko has spent more time with the Hershey Bears than the Capitals. However, he made quite an impression as he was paired with Wilson and McMichael. The Russian forward was aggressive on the forecheck, moving well, and getting multiple chances.
Ilya Protas, younger brother of Aliaksei, also made a name for himself in Group B practice by playing with the puck well. Fun fact: Ilya literally grew an inch this summer at 6'6 and is now the same height as his older brother.
Group B forward trios included Terik Parascak (Ovechkin placeholder)-Strome-Anthony Beauvillier and Miroschnichenko-McMichael-Wilson. Defensemen pairs included Jakob Chyhcrun-Trevor van Riemsdyk and Rasmus Sandin-Matt Roy. Logan Thompson was the main goalie between the pipes.