ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals training camp kicked off in all-too-familiar fashion, as Alex Ovechkin and his teammates took the ice for infamous skate testing first thing in the morning. The Capitals have 63 skaters attending camp, 56 of them (goalies are exempt) having to take part in the on-ice testing. Players are monitored as they line up on the goal line and sprint the entire length of the rink, going back and forth numerous times and trying to lead the attack while maintaining their stamina. Washington split their skaters into three different groups, with Group A going first. Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Anthony Mantha, Nic Dowd and John Carlson went first in the testing, and it was Mantha who stood out. The 29-year-old led the charge and finished at the front of the pack as the team counted down each sprint. Mantha and his teammates were given short recovery intervals, but he kept his stamina throughout and paced himself while leading the charge. Backstrom, who is 15 months removed from hip resurfacing surgery, also looked strong. Washington Capitals skate test Backstrom Washington's second group consisted of Beck Malenstyn, Aliaksei Protas, Matthew Phillips, Rasmus Sandin and Ivan Miroshnichenko. Protas finished at the front, with Phillips also showing off his wheels. In the final two groups, Alex Limoges and Alexander Suzdalev led their fellow prospects. All groups then moved to the other rink for practice. While it's just skate tests, it marks the official start of camp and is used to evaluate where players are at following summer training.
