With His Sights Set On A Big Season With The Capitals, Dylan Strome Spent His Summer Learning Even More

ARLINGTON, V.A. — There aren't many students of the game quite like Washington Capitals center Dylan Strome.

The 29-year-old is an admitted stathead and will read media guides and stats packets before games, soaking in as much information as he can whether it be upcoming milestones or league leaderboards.

So, it's no surprise that, while back home in Ontario, Strome spent his time on and off the ice working on his hockey IQ, and of course, learning. Always learning.

"I just tried to get a little quicker, tried to polish off some things, work on my shot a little bit, but I think the hockey IQ is a big part of my game," Strome said. "Just tried to learn from some of the guys I skated with and just kind of pick their brains on what they see on the ice."

Following his point-per-game campaign in 2024-25, Strome finished last season with 19 goals and 58 points in 80 games, and this year, is looking to not only get his numbers back up to where they were, but he also wants to help the revamped Capitals return to the playoffs.

With those goals in mind, Strome spent time this summer practicing with different name sand soaking in as much as he could, as he worked with former teammate Connor McMichael and Luke Evangelista, among others.

Ultimately, though, one player that stood out to him was Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan.

"I love the way his IQ (works) and the way he controls the play on the ice sometimes," Strome said.

Then, of course, there's his ultimate role model in his older brother, Ryan, who also played a major role in Strome's offseason training.

"I really respect my older brother's opinion on what he sees on the ice," Strome said. "He's been around for a long time and approaching 1,000 games, so it's fun to kind of skate with him a ton and learn from him and just pick up on some little things that he says and some drills and some new ways of getting prepared."

Now, going into this year, Strome is ready to do what he can individually, and he also hopes to be a pivotal part of the puzzle for a D.C. team looking to make noise as a legitimate contender.

"We feel like we have a good enough team to to make some noise and to do something really special," Strome said. "That's kind of the plan."