Plenty of kids dream about joining their favorite NHL team, but far fewer actually make it happen.

Ashburn, Virginia native Ryan Leibold was one of the lucky ones on Saturday, donning the crest of his hometown team at the start of Capitals’ Rookie Camp

Leibold, 24, grew up a huge Washington Capitals fan during the Alex Ovechkin era and played on the team’s Little Caps program as a teenager.

Even as he pursues a pro career of his own, Leibold admitted he was still in awe upon meeting one of his childhood idols. The forward prospect spent much of the summer in the area, participating in Development Camp in July and training at MedStar Capitals Iceplex during the summer. After so much time around the team, most of the jitters had gone away.

“Over the summer I was training in Arlington, which helped me relax a little bit with all the Caps stuff, not be starstruck or anything like that,” Leibold said at McMullen Hockey Arena, Sunday.

When franchise center Nicklas Backstrom stopped by, however, Leibold had what he considered an “oh my god” moment and couldn’t quite set aside his childhood adoration.

“First time I met him, he walked up to me and said, ‘What’s up, man? My name’s Nick.’” Leibold recounted. “And I just thought in my head like, ‘I know. I’ve got your jersey in my closet.’”

Leibold was only eight years old when Backstrom entered the league, and only six when Ovechkin made his NHL debut. His family were enthusiastic fans, attending multiple playoff games and both of the team’s appearances in the Winter Classic. Leibold still remembers watching the team’s 2006 Training Camp at his local rink.

“Probably one of the coolest things that happened to me at a young age — the Caps held their training camp at the [Ashburn] Ice House many years ago. So I got to see all those guys up close, and that was a super cool experience.”

As Ovechkin shot to stardom, Leibold would witness an explosion of interest in the local hockey community.

“I mean, everywhere you look, you see an Ovechkin jersey,” he said. “As he’s played all of his years here, I think hockey’s only grown and grown and grown. I do a lot of coaching in this area these days and there’s just so many teams now. It’s pretty cool to see how much the game has grown, especially since I was a little kid.”

Now, Leibold has swapped out his Little Caps sweater for a practice uniform, skating alongside many of the Capitals’ brightest young prospects.

“It’s pretty cool. No ‘little’ up here anymore,” he said, pointing to a spot on his chest where the program’s logo once sat. “Just being around the guys, having the big logo on the chest has been super awesome.”

Leibold is one of several high-level players to emerge from the DC area in the last decade, many of whom train together over the summers. That group includes Calder Cup champions Joe Snively and Sam Anas, 2018 Olympian Garrett Roe, and Capitals offseason acquisition Alex Limoges, another former Little Cap.

“We kind of bounce ideas off each other, talk about experiences, but it’s pretty awesome to have all those guys in the area,” Leibold said.

After playing NCAA hockey for the College of Holy Cross and Merrimack College, Leibold signed with the South Carolina Stingrays this March, joining the Capitals’ ECHL affiliate for nine games in the tail end of the season. He credits those games for helping direct his offseason training.

“That was a super valuable experience, coming into this knowing what to expect from the pro game,” he said. “Just super helpful this summer, knowing how to train and what I need to get out of myself.”

Leibold now faces the uncertain future of a career in minor league hockey. He might never reach the NHL, but he thinks he’s still got plenty of fight left in the tank.

“I still love the game,” Leibold said. “Still feel like I have more to give to the game and if I have the opportunity to keep playing, then I’m going to do it. Still love it, still want to keep going.”

Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB