Annapolis, MD — The Washington Capitals held their final day of Rookie Camp at McMullen Hockey Arena on Tuesday.

Top prospects like Ivan Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Vincent Iorio, Alexander Suzdalev, and Andrew Cristall participated in the four-day event, which saw the young stars not only work on their on-ice skills, but team-build off of it at the US Naval Academy.

The prospects took the ice shortly after 9 am on Tuesday morning with the the team’s coaching staff which included former Capitals Olie Kolzig and Brooks Orpik.

Kolzig and company ran drills with the goalies before practice. The players did breakaways, board battles, close quarters 3-on-3, and 1-on-1 break-in drills during the full session.

Once the skate was over, the tired group of players signed some autographs for fans who made the trek to see them.

Caps play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati made an appearance in Annapolis and used the opportunity to double check the pronunciations of the new players’ names ahead of the preseason — though he ran into a bit of a figurative wall with Alexander Suzdalev.

The talented forward said his name to Beninati, but then told the decorated announcer that “you can say it any way you want.” This was not good enough for Beninati, a noted perfectionist who is very respectful of the players. The cycle repeated a few times until the two of them jokingly put their dukes up.

The team did multiple team-building events over its three days in Annapolis, receiving a long tour of the Naval Academy on Monday night.

The boys took the scenic route in Annapolis after practice today, enjoying an educational tour on campus.

Big thanks to the @NavalAcademy for the hospitality!#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/u2htLjJ4wI

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 19, 2023

The Capitals’ trip to Navy was its first since playing in the 2018 Stadium Series Game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

While many teams across the league participated in tournaments for their Rookie Camps, the Capitals decided to limit the chance of injury as many of the players will see a majority of their development happen while playing on junior teams across North America.

McMullen Hockey Arena first opened in 2007 and became the new home for Navy Hockey after previously playing at the historic Dahlgren Hall, a former Navy armory. The arena also hosts the annual Crabpot Tournament, which includes Navy and other local universities like Towson, Maryland, and UMBC.

The facility is part of the Brigade Sports Complex which also includes a tennis arena and the Naval Academy golf course on its campus. The venue is located right on the water just a couple minutes from historic downtown, the Maryland State House, and the beautiful marina.

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