The Washington Capitals selected defenseman Cam Allen from the Guelph Storm of the OHL with their fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Just two months later, Allen underwent major shoulder surgery that has kept him out of action until Friday night.
The 19-year-old blueliner finally got to make his season debut with the Storm in their matchup with the Sarnia Sting. The last time that the young rearguard took the ice in a competitive format was almost a full year ago as captain of Team Canada at the U-18 World Championship.
Guelph, who also have another Capitals prospect on their roster in Jake Karabela, immediately placed Allen on the right side of their top defense pair.
GUESS WHO'S BACK IN THE LINE-UP? 👇#StormCity | #TheStormIsComing pic.twitter.com/I7JVObZeFH
— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) January 26, 2024
Allen is a right-shot defenseman who posted 25 points (5g, 20a) in 62 games for the Storm last year. At the draft combine, he was one of the top athletes, finishing in the top 10 of 11 different events.
The Toronto native fell to the Capitals in the fifth round after once being thought of as a surefire first-round talent. On draft day, most outlets had him ranked around 60 spots ahead of where he fell to the Caps, with NHL Central Scouting having him as the 46th-ranked North American skater in their final rankings.
Allen has admitted past struggles with mental health and contributed some of that to his fall. He started working with Guelph’s mental performance consultant, Ashwin Patel, to try and turn the page.
“I put the most pressure on myself,” Allen said at the draft. “No one puts more pressure on me than me. I don’t know if that held me back. Ultimately, I think that’s why I’m sitting here today. That’s why I’ve gotten to this point — just the expectations I hold myself to. But I think there’s a healthy way to do it, and maybe I went over the top a little bit this year.
“Just working with people to be able to take some pressure off myself, really, and just be able to play my game,” Allen continued. “When I’m doing that, I’m at my best and having fun out there. I’m pretty hard on myself, but there’s a healthy way to do it and a way you can do it where you fulfill your best potential.”
Allen, who has captained Canada at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and U-18 World Junior Championship, was an attendee of the Capitals’ last summer development camp.
