Ivan Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre and more will be on the ice for the Capitals as they fight for a roster spot, while Nicklas Backstrom faces a huge training camp.
ANNAPOLIS, M.D. — The Washington Capitals have released their roster for their 2023 training camp, which kicks off on Thursday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
Washington invited 68 skaters to camp, including Ivan Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Chase Priskie and more.
Here is the full roster:
Forwards: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, T.J. Oshie, Tom Wilson, Dylan Strome, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Anthony Mantha, Sonny Milano, Connor McMichael, Aliaksei Protas, Max Pacioretty*, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Nic Dowd, Andrew Cristall, Pierrick Dube, Ryan Hofer, Ethen Frank, Hendrix Lapierre, Alex Limoges, Beck Malenstyn, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Matthew Phillips, Henrik Rybinski, Michael Sgarbossa, Joe Snively, Riley Sutter, Alexander Suzdalev, Bogdan Trineyev, Jimmy Huntington, Brett Hyland, Jake Karabela, Julian Napravnik, Garrett Roe, Matthew Strome, Riley Sutter, Patrick Thomas, Mike Vecchione
*Injured reserve
Defensemen: John Carlson, Joel Edmundson, Martin Fehervary, Nick Jensen, Rasmus Sandin, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Alexander Alexeyev, Hardy Haman Aktell, Vincent Iorio, Lucas Johansen, Dylan McIlrath, Chase Priskie, Colin Swoyer, Aaron Ness, Jon McDonald, Jake Massie, Benton Maass, Nick Leivermann, Michael Kim
Goaltenders: Darcy Kuemper, Charlie Lindgren, Hunter Shepard, Clay Stevenson, Garin Bjorklund, Mitchell Gibson, Antoine Keller
Three big roster players to watch at camp will be Nicklas Backstrom, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Anthony Mantha. Washington's front office will be watching each closely as questions remain regarding their futures.
Backstrom will get training camp to show the progress he's made now that he's 15 months removed from hip resurfacing surgery. The 34-year-old said that a full summer of training would work wonders and help him get back to where he needs to be to continue to be a top contributor at the NHL level, but general manager Brian MacLellan wasn't fully sold on that to close out last season.
Meanwhile, Kuznetsov and Mantha remain with the team following an offseason full of trade rumors surrounding the two. Management had reportedly pushed hard to make a trade, but nothing came to fruition, and now, the hope is that both will bounce back under new head coach Spencer Carbery.
As for prospects trying to make the cut, Connor McMichael is on a mission to prove he belongs in the NHL full-time, and MacLellan said that he, Beck Malenstyn and Aliaksei Protas are pencilled in to make the full-time jump this season.
However, there are more rookies trying to win a spot, including Ivan Miroshnichenko and Hendrix Lapierre.
Miroshnichenko is coming off a stellar rookie season in the KHL following his recovery from Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and he signed his entry-level deal this summer and will be making the pro jump this season. Whether he starts in Hershey or D.C. remains to be seen, but he has his sights set on Washington and has impressed at development camp and rookie camp so far with his lethal shot, impressive skating and more.
Lapierre, meanwhile, is coming off a short summer due to the Hershey Bears' Calder Cup run, but he said that he's feeling "fantastic" and confident in his development. He had 30 points in 60 games in his rookie AHL season, and he wants to get a taste of the NHL again following a six-game stint in 2021.
The Hockey News' full training camp guide comes out on Wednesday. Camp officially kicks off with the first on-ice session on Thursday.