Where The Capitals' Roster Competition Stands After A Big Night In Hershey
Several hopefuls made quite the case to stick around as the Capitals put on a show in Hershey. Here's where the roster competition stands.
It was truly a storybook night in Hershey on Thursday, as the Washington Capitals dominated for a big win over the Philadelphia Flyers at GIANT Center.
Not only did brothers Aliaksei and Ilya Protas and Dylan and Matt Strome get the suit up and take the ice together, but coach Spencer Carbery also made his long-awaited return to Chocolatetown for the first time since 2021, and several roster hopefuls did what they could to stand out.
Sonny Milano struck twice and is up to six points to open the preseason, and Hendrix Lapierre added three assists and also scored, though his deflection try was waved off. Andrew Cristall and Ivan Miroshnichenko also got on the board, and Clay Stevenson shined between the pipes, too.
That being the case, where does the roster competition stand? Here are some observations as we enter an off day where some big cuts will likely be made.
Milano has clearly shown that he’s still an NHL talent, and isn’t likely to be taken out of the mix. The same goes for Lapierre, and it’s going to be very hard for coach Spencer Carbery to cut him from the mix with the way he’s performing.
Miroshnichenko got on the scoresheet and impressed against Hershey, but there are still areas of his game that he needs to fine-tune. The 21-year-old is strong and has that offensive instinct and wicked shot, but he needs to work on his play without the puck and protecting it up ice.
Ethen Frank’s in an interesting spot. He earned a full-time promotion to the Capitals last season, and this preseason, has a couple of assists and has impressed in camp with his speed, shot and hands. He’s a good extra forward option to have on the main roster, but with there being limited spots and Milano and Lapierre showing what they can do, there may not be room, especially after Justin Sourdif shined with a strong showing on Thursday and showed why he’s a lock to stay on the NHL roster.
In his first taste of game action this preseason, Andrew Cristall put himself on the radar right away, knowing it was important to stand out with the competition getting harder. He walked in and sniped a top-shelf tally on Dan Vladar early on a power play, and also had some great scoring chances as the game went on. It wasn’t just his offense that stood out, though, as he made the most of his puck touches, played a responsible two-way game and used his speed and strength to his advantage.
Hershey seems to be the most likely option for Cristall with him not requiring waivers, though he may have earned an extended stay for now with a heck of a game.
The defense was thought to be set, but Vincent Iorio is making a lot of noise to stay. Iorio is waivers-eligible and wants to do what he can to stick around in Washington and be an NHL regular, having put on 17 pounds of muscle in the offseason while maintaining his speed. He’s been a force so far in the preseason and camp, throwing his weight around, moving the puck effectively and playing a more well-rounded, mature game.
Iorio got to show off his scoring prowess a bit in Hershey, picking up a nice assist and later scoring a goal of his own, though the lack of video review meant that it didn’t count since the officials thought it hit the crossbar. Still, he’s making it hard on the team to put him on waivers and risk losing him.
Dylan McIlrath also acknowledged that though he signed an extension last year, his spot isn’t guaranteed. The 6-foot-5 blueliner remains a steady presence and has been on that extra pairing with Declan Chisholm, though Iorio is his biggest competition as another rising right-handed defenseman.
Speaking of Chisholm, he impressed in his second taste of Caps preseason action. He was taking good care of the puck and showed some of his offensive upside, making good plays out of the zone, showcasing his mobility and getting pucks on net from the point.
Clay Stevenson continued his impressive start to training camp with a solid showing between the pipes. Starting in front of several of his fans, Stevenson stopped 15 of 16 shots and looked confident and collected. He’s faster in his movements, he tracks the puck well and he has a great glove hand to boot. Still, Washington’s goaltending tandem is set, and though Stevenson appears set to take over the No. 1 spot in Hershey, he may not clear waivers given his impressive play.