The Washington Capitals selected Russian left wing Bogdan Trineyev in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft out of Dynamo Moscow’s development system. The 20-year-old signed his entry-level deal with the franchise this past May.

In a recent interview with Dmitry Erykalov of Sport24 in Russia, Trineyev revealed he’ll be spending the 2022-23 season on loan in the KHL with Dynamo.

“I was told at Dynamo last season that there was an agreement with Washington that after signing the contract that I would spend the next season in Russia,” Trineyev said to Sport24 and via a Google Translation. “It was clear that I would return on loan. The clubs communicate with each other and they know better when it is better for me to go to the Washington camp, and when to spend the preseason with Dynamo. The second option is now the priority.”

Trineyev is currently participating in KHL Training Camp with Dynamo as the team is four games deep in their preseason. Their regular-season opener is September 3 against Ak Bars.

Trineyev spent the bulk of the 2021-22 season playing in the MHL where he recorded 18 points in 21 games. Following the end of that campaign, he made a short two-game playoff cameo for the Hershey Bears, where he played on the first line.

The Voronezh native has played in 14 regular season and nine playoff games for Dynamo over the past two seasons. He has one assist in that action and will look to grab a much larger role this upcoming year. He could get just that as leading scorers Vadim Shipachyov and former Capital Stanislav Galiev have both left the team and gone to Ak Bars Kazan.

“I spent [the offseason] resting, recovering, and working on my physicality,” Trineyev said. “Because I understand that there is not enough strength, I worked more on the ground than on the ice. You need to get stronger because there are healthy men around. You must not be lazy, but become a man yourself. This is a chance for every young person to make themselves known, to get into the first team, to try themselves at the top level.”

Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin came up through the Dynamo ranks and he too is a right-handed left wing like Trineyev.

“Many joke, they say that he is also from Dynamo, he is also right-handed,” Trineyev said. “But I don’t pay attention to it. I need to work, not compare myself to Ovechkin. Alexander is still a great man.

“Before the draft, I saw him only once in Novogorsk. Ovechkin was preparing for the season and we were on the junior team. I asked him to take a picture. And the second time was after this season. I came to Washington, and together we flew to Russia. We talked a little.”

Prior to that flight back to Russia, the young forward met up with the entire Capitals Russian contingent for the first time and admitted it was nerve-racking.

“When I was just driving to Washington, I thought about seeing Ovechkin, Orlov, Kuznetsov and Samsonov only on TV,” Trineyev said. “This made it a little awkward. But Sasha Alexeyev reassured me. He said that it was only the first time, it happens to everyone, relax, and everything will be fine.

“I tried to relax, but it wasn’t normal,” he said laughing.

When asked about his handshake with The Great Eight, Trineyev said that he was “shaking, of course.”

Headline photo via @trineyev_88/Instagram