ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals prospect Hendrix Lapierre noted that he already has quite a few gray hairs — and it makes sense to him.

"I put a lot of my pressure on myself," he quipped.

Lapierre's entering a pivotal camp, arguably his last chance with the Capitals. He isn't making any excuses for himself, and is facing the situation bluntly. After all, last season didn't go as planned, as he saw himself lose his roster spot and returned to the AHL's Hershey Bears.

Lapierre bounced back in Hershey with a point-per-game showing through the rest of the regular season, though he and the Bears saw their playoff run end early after back-to-back Calder Cups. That long summer, though — his first in two years — was a blessing, as it allowed him the necessary time to hit reset as he inked a one-year "prove it" extension.

"Just learning from your mistakes, learning what happened last year, what didn't go right and maturing throughout that process. I've had a ton of experience in pro hockey, but I've learned. I've made mistakes. I've done some good things," Lapierre said, adding, "I just wasn't good enough (last year). I know that, 'Okay, last year I didn't do this or this,' right? This year, I can come in and i can just focus on working extremely hard and showing everyone how bad I want it."

He spent a good amount of time in the gym, adding size and strength, while also working longer on the ice. The 23-year-old pushed himself to his limits each day, "making sure i wasn't cheating it" and "having the right habits."

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Going into camp now, Lapierre is feeling confident about where his game is at, but also acknowledged the higher stakes. Not only are there limited vacancies on the roster, Lapierre's now waivers-eligible, meaning if he doesn't make the opening night roster, there's a chance he could be picked up by another team rather than just heading back down to Hershey.

"I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, and I want to show what I'm made of," Lapierre said. "It starts in practice. I feel really good on the ice... you realize what you have to do."

As he looks to make the roster, he said he's open to playing anywhere, whether it be wing or center — he joked he'd even play in goal. And then, there's adding some more bite.

"What they really want to see is me competing in battles and winning 1-on-1s and being tough to play against and all that stuff, so I can do a better job of that," Lapierre said. "I think it's really just being gritty and that 'F You' attitude. That's my only goal."

That said, he'll do just about anything to stay in D.C. — and he's ready for the challenge.

"I want to make this team really (badly)," Lapierre said.