The Washington Capitals have two roster spots open on their blue line in what should be the biggest competition of training camp. Many of the young defenders vying for a promotion took their offseason training programs and diets to the next level, doing anything to gain an edge over other prospects.
One player who had a huge offseason transformation was Jonas Siegenthaler. According to the Caps weight chart released Saturday morning, the 20-year-old, 2015 second-round pick has lost 24 pounds since last year.
The Swiss defenseman revealed his weight loss secret and it’s not exactly what you would expect.
Siegenthaler on losing 24 pounds: "I wasn't starving," he cracked. Instead, he cut down on his mom's Thai food and snacking. #Caps
— Tarik El-Bashir (@TarikCSN) September 16, 2017
Yes, Siegenthaler cut down on “mom’s Thai food,” and oh yeah, one more thing.
Siegenthaler: "If I snack, I snack an apple or a banana … Maybe 3 years ago, I was snacking like chips & stuff like that.” https://t.co/qZkdpzTmOp
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 16, 2017
He’s no longer eating potato chips. Instead he’s eating quinoa, salads, and chicken and snacking on fruit.
Siegenthaler, an already effortless skater and a good puck mover, added that he did “a lot of running” during the offseason to cut body fat.
Two Caps defense prospects had the opposite problem of Siegenthaler. Christian Djoos and Lucas Johansen gained 11 and 7 pounds of muscle respectively. Madison Bowey got 11 pounds lighter.
Notable Caps weight changes from last season (rookies):
Pilon +13
Djoos +11
Johansen +7
Lewington +13
Bowey -11— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 16, 2017
There were also some big body composition changes among the veterans.
Notable Caps weight changes from last season (veterans).
Kuznetsov +12
Grubauer +9
DSP +8
Burakovsky +4
Holtby -6
Ovechkin -4— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) September 16, 2017
Weight and height chart
Headline photo: Kyle Mace
