The Capitals hopeful prides himself on playing bigger than his 5-foot-8 frame.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals forward Matthew Phillips is well aware that he's not the typical pro hockey player. He's always been the smallest player on his teams going up the rinks — though it doesn't look that way on the ice.
That alone may be what finally gets the 5-foot-7, 140-pound forward to the NHL, as he remains in the running for a spot on the Capitals opening night roster.
"I'm definitely not the biggest guy, but I think I play a lot bigger than I am," Phillips told The Hockey News matter-of-factly.
Phillips had been with the Calgary Flames organization since being taken in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, and though he had stellar showings in the AHL, he couldn't secure a full-time NHL roster spot and got just three games up with the Flames.
Given his 76-point campaign with the Wranglers last season, there were options for Phillips when he hit the market. And after getting some guidance from his former head coach — and new assistant coach — Mitch Love, he chose to sign with Washington, feeling it'd be his best shot at a roster spot.
"I had heard really good things, and they showed interest pretty early in free agency," Phillips said, noting later that he liked the direction the team was headed in, too. "I just felt it was a good fit... just felt like something I wanted to be a part of."
And so far, through camp, things seem to be trending in the right direction for the 25-year-old. He has a goal and an assist through two preseason games so far and has been among the standouts at camp thanks to his speed, quick hands and wicked shot.
"He's definitely put the coaching staff on notice," head coach Spencer Carbery said.
And as Phillips mentioned, that all stems from playing more than his size. And while it's always been that way, and while a smaller frame could pose issues at the pro level, he has made it work to his advantage.
"I've always been the smallest guy on my team since I've started playing hockey, so I kind of only know how to play one way," Phillips siad. "I don't feel small when I'm on the ice. I just love competing and love working for the puck and playing with the puck. It's something I've always done my whole life, and I don't think too much about it, honestly. It's just something that comes naturally.
"I'm a pretty smart player. I think my quickness is a big strength of mine... I get to the dirty areas, like to pass the puck a lot and shoot the puck," he added. "Just always being around the net and making stuff happen is kind of my game."
Phillips recognizes, though, that the NHL can be a different beast. He is no stranger to the critics who question whether or not he's able to hold his own at the pro level, so over the years, he's fine-tuned certain areas of the game so that size, ultimately, shouldn't matter.
"One thing I've improved a lot since I've turned pro is my strength and my skating. There's big guys with long reaches in pro hockey that you got to get away from when you're my stature," he noted. "You can never get too strong. That's something that I'm always working on."
With a week to go until opening night rosters are finalized, Phillips' hard work through camp has paid off as he earned a look skating on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on Monday.
"I was a huge Ovechkin fan growing up and it's just cool to see a different side of things," he revealed.
Still, Phillips isn't getting ahead of himself, and he's proudly following one of the biggest hockey clichés in the book: day by day.
"I'm here to try and make the team, and that's my main focus and that's what I'm working towards," Phillips said. "That's kind of what I've been thinking about all offseason, and that's what I'm here to do."