The Washington Capitals made their first significant Training Camp cuts on Sunday. Hardy Haman Aktell, the Swedish defenseman that the Caps signed out of the SHL last spring was not among them.
After a great showing against the Detroit Red Wings in preseason play on Saturday, Haman Aktell is now a top candidate in the battle for an NHL roster spot. The big blueliner has a legitimate chance to play minutes for the Caps this season, according to head coach Spencer Carbery.
Haman Aktell, 25, played the second-most minutes on the team against Detroit (20:33) and got time on ice both on the power play (3:06) and penalty kill (2:52). The Caps dressed a mixed squad that was made up of mostly players headed to Hershey this season or on the outskirts of the NHL roster.
The Red Wings did the opposite and Carbery was impressed how Haman Aktell looked against some of their top talent.
“Seeing [him] against the Dylan Larkins, Alex DeBrincats, and Andrew Copps of the world, those are really, really beneficial looks for us to be able to evaluate and, say, he’s hanging pretty good.”
With Joel Edmundson on the shelf for four-to-six weeks with a fractured hand, the Caps will have one more open spot on their roster for a defenseman than what was once thought. Edmundson was expected to play on the left side of the team’s third pairing and given Carbery’s traditional preference of having left-handed defensemen play on the left, Haman Aktell is in good position to take advantage of the situation.
With the Vaxjo Lakers in the SHL, Haman Aktell played 151 games over the past three seasons. In 2022-23 he had a career year offensively, recording 36 points (9g, 27a) in 51 games. He also won the SHL championship twice in those three years, including last season. That experience is evident when he’s on the ice.
“You can tell that in his game,” Carbery said. “I just was saying that he’s been one of the pleasant surprises of camp because it’s hard to evaluate when we watch the film from the SHL. It’s really, really difficult because of the ice and the play. You can see him move around, his size, and his stick but you really don’t know. He’s been a real pleasant surprise. I’ve liked his game a lot.”
Extra defenders in the NHL go through long stretches without game action and Haman Aktell doesn’t have a ton of experience on smaller, NHL-sized rinks. Carbery was asked on Monday if the slick rearguard would need consistent playing time in North America for smooth transition purposes or if he would be fine to step into that seventh defenseman role.
“Absolutely, he’s old enough and mature enough,” Carbery said. “I don’t feel like he’s in a situation where maybe Vinny Iorio is a little bit different.”
Carbery’s comparison to Iorio stood out after Haman Aktell skated in the team’s top four on defense during Monday’s practice and Iorio was one of just nine players to take the ice in the second group.
The Caps will take the ice for their next preseason game on Tuesday at 7 pm. Carbery was non-committal about his main practice group, featuring Haman Aktell, all traveling to play the Bruins.
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
