McMicahel excited to reunite with Carbery in Washington after Carbery helped coach him to a breakout rookie year with Hershey.

When Connor McMichael heard the news that Spencer Carbery landed the job as the new head coach of the Washington Capitals, he was immediately excited.

McMichael and Carbery worked closely together back in 2020-21 when Carbery was the head coach of the Hershey Bears while McMichael was making the jump to the pros in the COVID-19-shortened season. Carbery helped power McMichael to a breakout rookie AHL campaign with 27 points in 31 games.

"It couldn't have happened to a better guy," McMichael said of Carbery becoming the Capitals' newest bench boss. "He's a really hard-working guy."

Carbery left the Capitals organization in 2021 to be an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. There, he helped transform the club's power play into the best in the NHL and the best it's been in franchise history.

Now, the 41-year-old is a first-time NHL head coach, and for McMichael, it's not only a good fit but a great opportunity for him and his fellow prospects as Carbery is aiming to mix in the youth more with the older core.

"My job coming in here, we have a highly motivated group of veteran players, leadership group, and we also have a group of players that it’s my job to bring along into that group, young players like you referred to, so that to me is exciting," Carbery explained.

"You have young players that are hungry to prove that they’re capable National Hockey League players and then you’ve got a group of veteran players that feel like they got a bit of a chip on their shoulder and they’re ready to prove something, that we’re still a very strong team in the National Hockey League," he added. "So that experience in that, in lower leagues and dealing with that but that’s the mix, that’s what I’m trying to bring together and make sure that we compete at a real high level.”

For McMichael and the team's rising prospects, Carbery's message is reassuring and is a reason for optimism.

"I’m excited to hopefully get the chance to work with him again and have the understanding with each other and that familiarity," McMichael said. "I’m excited.”

McMichael had started the 2022-23 campaign up in D.C. but saw limited ice time through six games and spent the majority of his time watching from the press box as a healthy scratch under head coach Peter Laviolette's tenure. In turn, his confidence took a hit.

Eventually, he was sent back to the AHL's Hershey Bears to continue his development and get more ice time and the opportunity to thrive in a top-6 center role and get time working on special teams. That worked wonders for the 22-year-old, who finished with 39 points in 57 games. He has seven points in 14 games right now as he has helped lead Hershey to the Calder Cup Finals.

“It’s been kind of a whirlwind of a year, a lot of ups and downs, but this is where the end journey has taken me and I’m really excited [for] the chance to win a Calder Cup in my third year. It's really fun," McMichael said.

As for Carbery, getting the opportunity to reunite with McMichael and the team's younger players will make the transition easier and help him with building the best possible group in D.C. And, at the end of the day, Carbery also said that the team's young players will understand their path and development, and in turn, maintain confidence.

"It's exciting to work with [McMichael and the younger guys] again. Great relationships with all those young players... I'm really happy with where their journey, their development and where they've come out," Carbery said, adding, "Those relationships will help us speed up the process of getting to know them and then understanding what I expect.

"It's very important that we're able to develop through the organization and hopefully create those tiers where guys are able to come up and play for the Washington Capitals and contribute to a winning culture... our players will know exactly what the expectations are," Carbery said.