ARLINGTON, V.A. — There's a new fire burning in Washington Capitals prospect Brett Hyland, and this year's development camp was the perfect setting for him to make his statement.

Serving as captain and winning it all in the 3-on-3 tournament was the cherry on top of a standout week for the 23-year-old winger, who is hoping that he can finally earn his entry-level contract.

"It's great to be back here," Hyland said. "I missed last year's camp, so it was just great to reconnect with the people her,e show them that I still mean business and want to be part of this organization."

It's been quite the road for Hyland since being taken in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft; in fact, he hadn't even thought he would be taken after his junior season was cut short due to surgery.

But in the gym, finishing up a workout, his phone blew up as he was taken 200th overall by the Capitals.

"I had about 100 notifications... I thought to myself, 'Oh, what did I do this time?' I didn't know," Hyland said, adding, "For Washington to take a chance on me, I'm really grateful for them. It's really, really more motivating for me to sort of put my head down and give them what they deserve."

Since then, Hyland has finished up his junior career and went the USports path, like Washington netminder Logan Thompson, before transferring to the NCAA to continue his development at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

For him, it couldn't have been a better fit.

"It's a big family, which makes it really easy to go into, first of all. And then the development side of it, they're all over it," Hyland said. "They want to see guys succeed, they help you individually, they take time to get to know players and just take time with everybody. It's a special place."

In 32 games this season, Hyland experienced ups and downs, picking up eight goals and eight assists, along with 54 penalty minutes. He also worked harder to embrace his two-way play and improve his skating, which showed significant improvement at development camp.

"Taking care of the defensive side, that's always been a big part of my game. That's what people see in me as a 200-foot player that's hard on the puck all over," Hyland said. "Just working on my details all over the ice, giving myself more time and space by scanning and just having more awareness and knowing when to strike, when to conserve energy, stuff like that. Working hard, but working smart at the same time."

All the while, he stayed in touch with the Capitals, where he's had candid conversations about what he needs to do to take things to the next level.

"(Our talks have been) constructive, and I think it's more just about setting those expectations," Hyland explained. "They have expectations for my game, what they want to see. I have expectations of myself, and we seem pretty aligned on that, just the importance of my next year and what I got to do to make the climb to pro hockey and into this organization."

It can be a lot of pressure for one person, balancing hockey and loads of school work with aspirations of going pro, but Hyland does what he can to keep the stress off, exploring different kinds of music (he's been on a reggae kick) and trying to get out in nature when he can.

That said, the Edmonton native has a game plan. He's going to spend the rest of the summer in Nebraska, getting stronger and continuing to push his limits, as he didat camp. From there, he plans to play one more year at Omaha and earn his degree in either business management or finance, before seeing where the road takes him next.

For that next stop to be with the Washington organization, though, it'll be about meeting those standards he and the team set for him — And he's ready to do just that.

"My plan's to live up to the expectations of myself and have a good year," Hyland said. "Then, go pro."