ARLINGTON, V.A. — It was a different kind of atmosphere at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Thursday, as the Washington Capitals finally returned to the ice for the start of training camp with a much different look.
The biggest difference, of course, being the size. It's a bigger and revamped Capitals squad taking the ice this year, with newcomers in Alex Tuch, Vincent Desharnais and more joining the likes of Tom Wilson, Pierre-Luc Dubois and the Protas brothers to form the largest team in the league, on paper and on the ice.
"It's honestly almost like laughable when you go on the ice and see how big how big we are. My first day back, I'm like, 'This is incredible,'" Wilson said. "There's not a lot of time and space out there, and they're big guys that can move. Like, I mean, those Protas brothers, they can fly. Tuchy can fly. He's big. Dubie's flying. You know, Big Vinny's got decent boots for a big guy. You're big, but you're not sacrificing any skill or speed, which is which is probably always a good thing."
Coach Spencer Carbery took advantage of the bigger roster right away, factoring it into his first try at line combinations on the opening day of training camp. Tuch, Dubois and Wilson were put on a unit together, while both Protas brothers were partnered with Jordan Kyrou, who's 6-foot-1.
The Protas line stood out in particular, with the brothers and Kyrou forming immediate chemistry and dominating not just with size, but speed as well. Meanwhile, on defense, Hutson and Desharnais complemented each other well as they are expected to be paired together quite a bit this season.
Meanwhile, the first group, due to the condensed training camp schedule, was reserved for the NHL roster and players on the fringe. Ethen Frank, Jonny Brodzinski and Ivan Miroshnichenko were the extra forwards, while Dylan McIlrath and Justin Holl served as the extra defensemen. Clay Stevenson was also up with the main group, interchanging with the team's tandem in Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren.
Here are what the combinations looked like:
Alex Ovechkin-Dylan Strome-Ryan Leonard
Alex Tuch-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Tom Wilson
Aliaksei Protas-Ilya Protas-Jordan Kyrou
Boone Jenner-Justin Sourdif-Anthony Beauvillier
Ivan Miroshnichenko-Jonny Brodzinski-Ethen Frank
Jakob Chychrun-Matt Roy
Cole Hutson-Vinny Desharnais
Martin Fehervary-Timothy Liljegren
Justin Holl-Dylan McIlrath
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren
Clay Stevenson
Following the first group's skate, the Capitals got some positive news on the injury front, as Rasmus Sandin took the ice and skated on his own and did light work in a non-contact jersey under the watchful eye of trainers.
It's a promising sign for Sandin, who will start the season on long-term injured reserve after having surgery to repair a torn ACL back in April.
"Still a little early to make a call on his schedule. The 6-9 month window is still there, and I think we're all hopeful based on how he looks that maybe we're closer to the earlier part of that," general manager Chris Patrick said. "But again, nothing that I would want you guys to hold me to. I think it's very positive, how he looks right now. We hope it continues to go that way."
After that, Group B took the ice, and Carbery noted that even though they're not with the NHL group, there is still "plenty of opportunity" for them to impress.
Camp continues on Friday.
