Three years after being drafted in the second round, Swiss defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler is making his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Earlier in the day, Siegenthaler said that “I dreamed about [this moment] all my life” and that during the game he might look calm, but inside “it’s heating up.”
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin attempted to get the jitters out of the prospect early.
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The team tricked Siegenthaler into walking out onto the ice early for warmups, taking a solo lap on before the rest of the team joined him.
Here’s another look from the Capitals.
Lonely Lap for @josieg97! Welcome to the NHL bud. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/oVmqSsox32
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 9, 2018
Against Columbus, Siegenthaler is skating on the Capitals third pairing with Madison Bowey.
The rookie passed the first test to start the evening, finding the home team’s locker room with no problem.
