Now that the Washington Capitals have sorted out a deal to stay at Capital One Arena, they’ve set their sights on improvements to their practice rink.
Per ARLnow, the Caps have begun discussions about updates to MedStar Capitals Iceplex with Arlington County. The facility, built for $42.8 million in 2006, includes both the team’s practice space — including two NHL-size rinks — and adjacent offices that host much of the Capitals’ administrative staff.
Located atop the parking garage of the Ballston Quarter shopping mall, the complex has served as the Capitals’ practice facility since its construction, replacing the team’s former training location at Piney Orchard Ice Arena in Maryland. The rink was originally named Kettler Capitals Iceplex before MedStar Health purchased the naming rights in 2018.
Unlike Capital One Arena — where Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the building but leases the ground from DC — MedStar Capitals Iceplex is owned by Arlington County. The rink hosts a variety of public programs, including public skate sessions, learn-to-skate courses, the Washington Little Capitals, and the Capitals Academy travel team. They also played host to the PWHPA’s Secret Dream Gap Tour in 2022 and 2023.
Capitals Senior Vice President of Communications Sergey Kocharov confirmed to ARLnow that the team is engaged in talks about giving the facility a facelift.
“We are in early discussions with Arlington County to explore ways to keep the facility up to date and modern and to improve the fan, player, employee, and community experience at our practice facility in the future,” he said, adding that there was no set timeline for finalized plans.
A proposed map for the now-rejected Alexandria arena plan showed new practice space for the Wizards and Capitals (though only the Wizards’ facility was mentioned elsewhere in the announcement), suggesting the team could have practiced in Alexandria if the deal went through.
Funding for the Alexandria complex failed to move past the Virginia Senate and the city announced in March that they had ceased negotiations, officially killing the plans. MSE then made a deal with DC to remain in Capital One Arena through 2050. The District will spend $515 million in public funds to modernize the arena and the area surrounding it.
As part of that new agreement involving Cap One, Leonsis laid out plans for a brand new Wizards practice facility potentially on the top floors of the adjacent Gallery Place property.
