Alexander Suzdalev is one of the Washington Capitals’ most exciting forward prospects. After dominating Canadian major junior last year with Regina Pats’ teammate Connor Bedard, Suzdalev was expected to spend this season with the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears.
But that’s not how things shook out. After playing one game for the Capitals in the preseason, the 19-year-old winger was assigned to Hershey’s Training Camp. Suzdalev appeared in three exhibition games with the team but that was the last time he’d sniff the lineup. Suzdalev was a healthy scratch and sat for the first 11 games of the Bears’ regular-season schedule as Hershey, one of the deepest teams in the AHL, had no where to play him.
Fully aware that the 19-year-old winger needed regular ice time to grow, the Capitals loaned Suzdalev to Mora IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier Swedish hockey league, for the year. The decision to do so came after consultation with several parties, including Bears head coach Todd Nelson.
Nelson revealed the specifics in an exclusive interview I conducted with him in his coach’s office at Giant Center.
“We had a discussion with the organization, along with him and his agent and his father,” Nelson, the two-time Calder Cup-winning coach, said. “We wanted to make sure all the parties were involved. It was a general consensus that it’s better that he goes and plays hockey. He’s over in Europe. We didn’t think he’d benefit by going back to junior and scoring 50 goals. He’s been there, done that, so we wanted to get him playing against men. It was an organizational decision and all the parties agreed on it and I think we’re going to see this be a really good investment for the Caps in the future.”
The move was a surprise after Suzdalev tore up the WHL in his first season playing in North America. His 86 points (38g, 48a) saw him ranked first among all WHL rookies in scoring, besting the next-highest scorer by 28 points. Over the full course of the season, he had seven games with at least three points. He then added 10 more points (3g, 7a) in 10 playoff games.
Suzdalev’s efforts saw him named to the league’s All-Rookie Team, win WHL Rookie of the Month honors on three separate occasions, and receive direct praise from Capitals assistant general manager Ross Mahoney which indicated the Capitals wanted to see Suzdalev with the Bears this year.
“He had a really good year last year in Regina,” Mahoney said. “ He actually trained really hard over the summer, too. He’s probably made one of the biggest improvements strength wise. He’s put on some really good weight. Muscle, which he needs to.
“We’d like to see him [in the AHL]. That’s the plan, but we’ll see how everything works out. It’s up to him. I always say [that] these kids come in and where they end up is up to them. Make it difficult on the coaches.”
After his junior season ended, Suzdalev was immediately sent to Hershey by the Capitals and got a front-row seat to the Bears’ Calder Cup championship run as one of the team’s black aces. He then attended Training Camp with the Capitals, but was ultimately a part of the second round of big, camp cuts that saw him sent back to the Bears.
Hershey is one of the biggest markets in the AHL and has a veteran-laden roster as they seek to repeat as Calder Cup champions. They are carrying 26 total players as of December 13 and that number was even higher (31) when Suzdalev was announced to be a part of the club’s Opening Night roster. Only two players on the current team are 20 years of age or younger.
“Suzdalev, he’s only 19,” Nelson said. “He came here and we had a lot of bodies and he’s a guy that’s still a kid. He has to get stronger. In the exhibition games, we played him. He’s just gotta mature. He played a bit tentative. There wasn’t really room for him to play and he has to play. These guys have to play to get better and he wasn’t going to get a lot of ice time here so it’s not a good thing for him to come here and ride the bench or sit out.”
The only AHL rookies still with the Bears are Ivan Miroshnichenko, Bogdan Trineyev, Ryan Hofer, and Clay Stevenson. When comparing their prior experience to Suzdalev’s, it’s clear why they survived this season and he did not. Miroshnichenko is a first-round draft selection who has played aga; Hofer is also 21 and aged out of the WHL; and Stevenson is a 24-year-old former college netminder.
This season was supposed to see Suzdalev play one more year for the Regina Pats in the WHL. An eventual return to junior hockey is not abnormal for a player in Suzdalev’s age group. Under normal circumstances, he would be required to return to the CHL due to the CHL-NHL Transfer Agreement. But, Suzdalev falls in an exception zone due to being drafted out of Europe before heading to Regina. Hence, his ability to turn pro earlier than most of his junior teammates.
So far, Suzdalev’s had a slow start in Sweden. In eight games for Mora IK, he has just three points (2g, 1a) and both of his goals came in the same game. Those eight games are Suzdalev’s first against men since he got into five SHL games for HV71 during the 2021-22 season.
In an interview with Swedish outlet Hockeysverige, Suzdalev saw his move to Europe as a positive step in his career.
“I think it is a good place to develop and I know many people who have been here,” Suzdalev said and as translated via Google Translate. “It’s a great team. We had spoken to Mora and they were interested and it was fun that it finally worked out.
“Right now it’s about developing and playing a lot of minutes and getting a feel for the game,” he continued. “Also working hard in the gym, my goal is to get a little stronger to play in the NHL.”
Suzdalev signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals back in July of 2022. The plan moving forward appears to see him finish out this season in Europe and then return stateside to fight for a spot somewhere in the Capitals’ organization once again.
Additional reporting by Chris Cerullo.
Headline photo: Tori Hartman/ Hershey Bears
