Belief & Confidence Helped Connor McMichael Finally Take His Game To The Next Level For The Capitals. What's Next?

The Capitals forward is coming off a career year and is hungry to get even better.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — All Connor McMichael wanted was a chance.

Coming into 2024-25, the Capitals’ 2019 first-round pick wanted to build on the previous season, where he’d had 18 goals and started to show what he could do with more responsibility following a difficult tenure under ex-coach Peter Laviolette.

Finally, he got that opportunity to play top minutes, as coach Spencer Carbery chose to start him on the second-line wing with Pierre-Luc Dubois and Tom Wilson. He didn’t disappoint.

The 24-year-old was a force to be reckoned with offensively, getting to the high-danger areas and using his speed and vision to put up consistent points. His play away from the puck got better, and overall, he saw improvement at both ends of the ice.

“A huge factor of that (success) was confidence for me,” McMichael said. “I think I got off to a good start at the start of the season and had a good camp, and I kind of just let that snowball into the year and kept building my confidence.”

As the year went on, McMichael became more accustomed to the ebbs and flows of the league and, in turn, earned more trust from the coaching staff, playing special teams in addition to 5-on-5 as his line became tasked with matching up against other teams’ top units.

“Once you start making plays and you kind of figure out the league a little bit, you get a little bit more comfortable and you figure out the pace of play,” McMichale said. Just being comfortable and confident in my game, that helped me produce and helped the team win.”

McMichael ended the year with a career-high 26 goals and 31 assists for 57 points, while his plus/minus went from a minus-20 to a plus-19. His success carried over into the postseason, where he had four goals and two assists in 10 games.

When it comes to what helped him really take that extra step, though, was Carbery, as he averaged the highest ice time of his career and lived up to the realistic expectations set for him.

“Carbs has been huge for my career. Going back to my first year pro down in Hershey, he really taught me what it was like to be a pro and how to conduct myself on and off the ice, and then when he came here, it was the same thing… he really made me feel comfortable,” McMichael said. “He really believed in me, I think that was a huge thing as well. I could feel that confidence he had in me and that trust, so I think I was able to grow off of that and kind of expand into different areas of my game that I really excelled in.”

As he enters what will be his fourth full NHL season, McMichael is aiming even higher. He hopes that he can sign long-term with Washington and ultimately be a go-to center, while continuing to be a core member of the offense.

Ultimately, though, he’s happy to do whatever’s tasked of him.

“I thought I took a pretty big jump… really solidified myself as a good player in this league. Just fine-tuning all the things I did work on to bring to my spot, but also looking to find areas to improve and always wanting to get better to elevate my game,” McMichael said, adding, "I love it here. I want to be here for a very long time – as long as possible — and help this team win.”