While some players still sit on the bubble of making the Capitals, one player that seems to have officially graduated from the minors is Connor McMichael.
The 22-year-old has paid his dues after helping lead the Hershey Bears to their twelfth 2023 Calder Cup championship in June. McMichael fully committed himself to two-way hockey during his stint there, centering the team’s second line and leading the team in playoff goals.
A few months later, McMichael’s shown a newfound confidence under Capitals’ head coach Spencer Carbery at Training Camp — his first bench boss when he turned professional in 2020 (Hershey).
“I think it was the best camp I’ve ever had since I’ve been drafted here,” McMichael said. “I think I started to flash what I can do in this league and showed my confidence. I was making plays. I thought I was pretty good overall.”
One of the biggest differences, Connor explained, is that he’s making better decisions offensively and the game is starting to slow down for him.
“When I have the puck on my stick, the confidence [is helping] me make more plays and not throwing the puck away or make one touch plays,” McMichael said. “Kind of hold onto it and wait for a better play to be made.”
McMichael spent virtually the entire preseason playing on the left wing of the second line, skating with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. He posted two points (1g, 1a) in four games and had 10 shots in one of his outings. McMichael’s process stats were some of the best on the team.
In 51:31 minutes of 5v5 hockey with McMichael on the ice, the Capitals were dominant, seeing 59.9 percent of the shot attempts, 76.4 percent of the expected goals, 63.2 percent of the scoring chances, and 75.4 percent of the high-danger chances.
In the Capitals’ dress rehearsal against the Blue Jackets Saturday, the second line stuck together, suggesting it will continue to do so heading into the regular season.
Tonight's lines for #CapsJackets:
Ovechkin – Backstrom – Oshie
McMichael – Kuznetsov – Wilson
Milano – Strome – Phillips
Malenstyn – Dowd – ProtasSandin – Carlson
Johansen – Alexeyev
Häman Aktell – JensenKuemper
Lindgren— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 7, 2023
“It’s obviously exciting to finish off the preseason and look towards next Friday against Pittsburgh,” McMichael said. “We’re going to gear up this week and we’re all ready to go.”
The Caps’ roster deadline is Monday at 5 pm, but McMichael will sit at home knowing he dotted all his i’s and crossed all his t’s.
“There’s not much I can do anymore,” he said. “It’s kind of just wait and see. I think I had a pretty good camp. Just looking forward to seeing if I made it.”
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
