Capitals Notebook: Strome, Van Riemsdyk Back In Town As Carlson Leads Charge, Sights & Sounds From Informal Skates

The Capitals continue to prepare for the upcoming season with informal skates and Dylan Strome and Trevor van Riemsdyk are the latest players to return to the DMV.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Washington Capitals hockey is well on its way back, and on Monday, the return of the season felt even more real with a handful of familiar faces making their way back to the ice.

Dylan Strome and Trevor van Riemsdyk were the latest Capitals to return to MedStar Capitals Iceplex, joining an already full group as informal skates continue before training camp.

Strome and van Riemsdyk were in high spirits as they joined John Carlson, Logan Thompson, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Sonny Milano and Logan Thompson. Nic Dowd also joined the group later on in the morning, and a handful of other local NCAA and AHLers, including D.C. native Bryce Montgomery, were also on the ice.

Carlson has been leading the skates and itinerary, as Washington got started with some resistance skating with partners before getting into puck work.

The Capitals then participated in some shooting and small-area drills before getting into an offensive zone scrimmage, followed by a full-ice scrimmage. Things ended with players being timed as they sprinted from goal line to goal line in preparation of the skate test that notoriously opens training camp.

Strome looked strong in his first time back in the District, showing off his speed and quick hands. The 28-year-old is coming off his first-ever point-per-game season and is looking to continue to build on that performance. He’s been able to set new career highs over each of the last three years in D.C.

Van Riemsdyk was also solid while putting his skating, footwork and two-way play on display.

Meanwhile, Milano continues to take positive strides as he’s looking stronger on his skates and healthier each day. His shot and speed are still there, as is his wicked vision and stickhandling.

The 29-year-old missed all but three games last season due to a lingering upper-body injury and setback, and faces a tall task in beating out heavy competition and returning to the lineup for the final year of his contract.