Hershey's Calder Cup run worked wonders for McMichael's confidence, and now he's ready to translate that to the Capitals.
ARLINGTON, V.A. — Connor McMichael sits comfortably in his stall at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. His confidence — confidence that wasn't exactly there one season ago — is evident as he knows the nameplate above his locker will stay there after he secured a spot on the opening night roster and, even better, in the team's top-6 corps.
It's been nearly a year in the making for the 22-year-old, who started last season in the same spot but was soon demoted to the AHL's Hershey Bears after spending the majority of his time as a healthy scratch rather than playing to open the season. Down there, he rediscovered the spark in his game, and then capped it all off with a Calder Cup championship.
That experience alone was a huge boost for McMichael, who returned to training camp as a different player, one who's making plays, moving the puck well and trusting more in his ability.
"My pace of play out there, I've been making the little wall plays that I wasn't making before and I'm just playing with a little bit more confidence," McMichael, who believes this was the best training camp he's had yet, told The Hockey News. "I think that goes a long way in this league."
His teammates and the coaching staff have taken notice of that, too.
"He's playing really well. He's playing with confidence. He's a great kid to have around. I think now when you give him the puck, he has a confidence to his game where he's challenging guys, he's making plays himself," Tom Wilson said. "A lot of the time, and myself included, when you're 19 or 20, you come in and you just give it to someone else, you don't maybe have that confidence. You have to make plays, and I find this year, his ability to make play 1-on-1, find guys, challenge the defender, making things happen with little space, it seems like he's playing really well. Fun to play with when a guy is playing like that."
"You can just tell when you see him, talk to him, that now it's just a more mature human being," head coach Spencer Carbery added.
Over the course of the preseason, McMichael showcased the speed, hockey IQ and offensive prowess that led him to being the team's first-round pick in 2019. He led the way with 19 shots on goal and made several key plays to land a spot on the second-line left wing alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Wilson.
For McMichael, it's all part of the process.
"It's kind of just like, over time, wherever you play the pro game more and more, you develop the skills and timing," McMichael explained.
And, while being sent down to the minors was difficult at first, it helped McMichael transform his game. He had 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in 57 games, and then played a crucial role in the Calder Cup Playoffs. And, of course, winning the AHL title — and scoring that crucial goal in Game 7 of the Finals — made things even sweeter.
"That's where most of [the confidence] has come from, for sure. Anytime you make a deep playoff run like that, it gives you a lot of confidence, and you're playing in big games and obviously, we're winning those big games," McMichael said. "It just proves to yourself that you can play in those big moments and you can win at the pro level."
Going into the new season, McMichael focused on his nutrition and squeezing in as much training as possible into the shortened summer. Not only that, but having Spencer Carbery, who coached McMichael during his rookie AHL season, now at the helm for the Capitals has also made a difference, as the 6-foot, 180-pound forward makes the most of his opportunity.
"It's been great. A lot of the guys are responding well to him. We like the way he wants us to play... he's able to adjust to every guy's strength, and he's able to motivate us," McMichael said. "I just feel a lot more comfortable bouncing questions off him because I've known him from the past," McMichael said. "It's been good."
Ahead of the opener, he's feeling confident in his overall ability and is not only happy to be on the roster but in the lineup as well.
"He's put in a lot of work, and he cares a lot. He may not always show it, but he cares deep down. He wants to win games; he wants to be the best player he can," Wilson said.
"I just feel really good," McMichael said simply with a smile.