The Washington Capitals held their first day of on-ice activities for 2023 training camp on Thursday. Here are a few of the highlights from Day 1 of camp:
The Skate Test
The first group included Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Nic Dowd, John Carlson and Anthony Mantha. [No video].
The second group was Beck Malenstyn, Aliaksai Protas, Matthew Phillips, Ivan Miroshnichenko and Rasmus Sandin. Protas, Phillips and Malenstyn were the top 3.
Traffic sucks but just in time for the skate test! Training camp begins now. Be sure to follow along for coverage! #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/0eisGPV7dj
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
Then went Alex Limoges, Dylan McIlrath, Mike Sgarbossa, Aaron Ness and Hardy Haman Aktell. Limoges led the pack for the first go around.
Skate test No. 3. pic.twitter.com/6KJAbLCinJ
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
No video, but Tom Wilson demolished the skate test and was very very strong. Evgeny Kuznetsov on the other hand, not so much. Though he may have been (later confirmed) injured.
Work on Breakouts
Ovechkin, Backstrom and Mantha were on a line today, and Carlson and Sandin were on a pair. Might be a potential line to start the year.
Possible a line early in the year.
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Mantha
Sandin-Carlson pic.twitter.com/hdSQEolkRI— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
Ovi’s shot is still very much elite, and he was skating with Ivan Miroshnichenko, who is using the great-8’s stick. The future looks bright for Miro.
Alex Ovechkin and Ivan Miroshnichenko. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/of6dcQNiz2
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
They switched it up with some light pressure on the breakout.
Some more breakouts with light pressure pic.twitter.com/2dcNZDomRu
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 22, 2023
Then they flipped back to the other rink for high-speed forecheck and breakouts. This was when the pace really started to pick up.
Breakouts again but this time under pressure. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/JBZAniLCxc
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
Here was a nice give and go between Dowd and Protas, but Kuemper said no. I thought it was Malenstyn initially.
Nice give and go at the end with Dowd and Malenstyn. pic.twitter.com/X6vzMQ6I9E
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
Here is an isolation video of Backstrom. Looks very smooth with his turns and strides. That is huge.
Nicklas Backstrom looks good. More fluid with his turns and crossovers. Also getting a little gritty in front. pic.twitter.com/0E5eMCysUE
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
Finally the “A” squad ended with a 3v3. The red team ended up winning thanks to Sandin winning a board battle. He looked good today.
Some 3v3 action. Rasmus Sandin with the game winner. Great 50/50 win. pic.twitter.com/pNXdIE2TI7
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 21, 2023
Here are some extra 3v3 videos. Kuemper with a couple of big stops.
Meant to tweet this. Darcy Kuemper looked very sound today. Talked about working on the subtle things over the offseason. pic.twitter.com/gujrMk8HaC
— Jacob Cheris (@JCheris17) September 22, 2023
Content from today
Evgeny Kuznetsov Poised For Bounce-Back Season: “I’m Gonna Try To Help The Team To Be Successful”
Nicklas Backstrom Feels “Way Better” After First Day Of Capitals 2023 Training Camp
Alex Ovechkin Changed-up Training During 2023 Off-season
Capitalizing on Opportunity: Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan Emphasizes Clean Slate For Team In First Training Camp Under Spencer Carbery
By Jacob Cheris