ARLINGTON, VA — Spencer Carbery is hours away from his debut as an NHL head coach as Opening Night approaches. After three weeks of Training Camp, the Capitals will kick off their season Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Capitals fans will have their first real chance to evaluate the team following a season that saw Washington miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Carbery broke down what sort of team, exactly, he hopes those fans will see. With a process-driven coaching style and a focus on pace, Carbery expects his team to coalesce under a firm identity.
“What we focused on is a very, very detailed group when it comes to all areas of the game, whether that’s defensively, offensively, being able to be extremely detailed and connected with everything that we do,” he said. “We’re all on the same page with what our systems look like, where the next play is going, where we need to be positionally, all of that.”
Alongside that attention to detail, Carbery has brought his own high intensity to the Caps throughout Training Camp. The echos of Carbery’s voice and the sound of his stick hitting the boards have become a frequent refrain at the team’s practice facility, as has the sight of fast-paced drills.
Should all go to Carbery’s plan, the Caps should show that same intensity when they take to the ice.
“The competitiveness goes without saying. I think I’ll use it a lot, a hungry (team), a team that’s really, really determined. And you can tell from a spectator standpoint that, man, that team really wants to win. And they compete like it. And that shows up in hundreds of different situations throughout a night.”
He later added, “There’s a real clear identity to our group and a pathway of: when we’ll be successful, this is what it looks like; when we won’t, this is what we’re not doing well enough.”
Another tenant of Carbery’s strategy is his focus on development, often reinforced during his initial interviews this summer. With players like Connor McMichael, Matthew Phillips, Lucas Johansen, and Beck Malenstyn all making the cut, this years’ roster includes more players age 25 or younger than any Capitals squad since 2017-18.
Carbery, who considers coaching young players a particular strength, worked with several members of the roster while head coach of the Hershey Bears, while others proved themselves with strong performances in training camp.
“I think it’s just part of what we’re trying to do,” he said. “We’re trying to get a little bit younger and we’ve got guys that are right there and ready. I don’t necessarily say that that was the objective going in.
“Yeah, we knew and understood the age of our team and that, but I think those players have earned opportunity, with a lot of them winning a Calder Cup, a lot of them have proven a lot in the minor leagues, and now through training camp and through exhibition games have proven that they’re ready for the National Hockey League. And that’s what I’m excited for, to watch these guys seize that opportunity and take off and that’s what I’m expecting from all of them starting tomorrow night.”
At age 41, Carbery will be the youngest head coach in the NHL this season. The reality of the moment has finally started to sink in as the first puck drop grows near. When asked about his mindset going into the game, Carbery grinned.
“I haven’t taken a lot of time, but I can feel it starting to build over the last probably 24 hours,” he said. “And probably will take a few moments tomorrow when it comes.”
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
