ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals are filtering back into town in the weeks ahead of training camp, and it was a full house on Tuesday as Dylan Strome led a group of new arrivals.
Strome, joined by the likes of Anthony Beauvillier, Ethen Frank, Dylan McIlrath and Timothy Liljegren, among others, was back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, as the team held another informal skate.
In addition to them, Logan Thompson, Vincent Desharnais, Boone Jenner, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Tuch, Jonny Brodzinski, Matt Roy and Martin Fehervary, along with prospects Lynden Lakovic, Terik Parascak, Petr Sikora and Eriks Mateiko, were in attendance.
The skate started with skills coach Kenny McCudden, who's been leading sessions along with goaltending coach Scott Murray, running through drills. After that, the players had a full-ice scrimmage, followed by a small-area game in the neutral zone before wrapping up the session with skating reps.
Here are some more observations and notes from the session:
- Dylan Strome was showcasing his hockey IQ and quick hands out on the ice, and looks strong going into this season. The 29-year-old is looking to have a bounce back year while meshing with the new forward additions, and he wasn't holding back on Tuesday, either.
- Jonny Brodzinski stood out to me. He's a solid depth signing that D.C. made on the opening day of free agency that flew under the radar amid all the other big-name transactions, but he's a solid veteran who has speed and smarts and can get to the high-danger areas and finish plays.
- Boone Jenner was all smiles as he showed his grit and two-way play, and he and Pierre-Luc Dubois, who played with him in Columbus, were happy to be reunited on Tuesday as well.
- Vincent Desharnais is tall, but it's not just his size that makes him stand out; as a stay-at-home defenseman, he truly commands a lot of attention and works hard to make the right play and control the tempo when he's out there. Being 6-foot-7 helps, but it also comes down to the way he reads the ice. Also, he's going to be a great locker room presence; alls smiles the entire skate.
- Alex Tuch is already taking on a leadership role at these skates after his sign-and-trade brought him to the District earlier this summer. He's a strong skater and moves the puck well, too, and can make a lot of plays happen, as he showed in the scrimmage.
- It's good to see Eriks Mateiko back on the ice skating. The prospect suffered a skate cut to the Achilles back in January that ended his AHL season with the Hershey Bears early, but he's been back on the ice and gearing up to be ready for training camp. There's a lot of upside for him, so all positive signs as he puts in the work in D.C.
- Already mentioned in an earlier notebook, but Lynden Lakovic is going to be something special to watch this season when he makes the pro jump.
