The Washington Capitals have a new general manager.
Chris Patrick, who has overseen the back-to-back Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears as the Capitals’ associate general manager, has been promoted and will be the NHL team’s new GM and senior vice president. Patrick is the son of Dick Patrick, the Capitals’ chairman.
Brian MacLellan will remain in his role as president of hockey operations, which he has held since August of 2023.
The news was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
“We are thrilled to announce Chris’ promotion to general manager,” Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “Chris is a dedicated and hard-working executive, who is fully prepared for this next step in his career. His vision, extensive experience, hockey acumen, and player evaluation make him the perfect leader to drive our team forward. We are confident that he will thrive in this new role.
“With Dick Patrick as chairman, Brian as president and Chris as general manager, we believe we have a dynamic leadership team in place to continue to guide our hockey operations department forward. Over the past decade, Brian has excelled as the head of our hockey operations department, helping bring the Stanley Cup to Washington and maintaining our team’s consistent competitiveness. Brian’s leadership, experience, and vision for our hockey team, combined with Chris’ impressive track record and successful tenure as an executive, talent evaluator, and guardian of our minor league partnerships, position our hockey operations team for a successful future.”
Born in Leesburg, VA, Patrick played for both the Capital Beltway Hockey League and for the Little Caps as a child; Washington drafted him in the eighth round (197th overall) of the 1994 NHL Draft.
The 48-year-old Patrick has been with the Capitals as a staff member for 16 years, first joining the team in 2008-09 in a player development and scouting role. Since then, he’s served as a pro scout, director of player personnel, and assistant general manager as he’s moved up the chain. During his time with the Bears, Patrick hired two head coaches, Spencer Carbery and Todd Nelson, who won AHL Coach of the Year awards.
Patrick was first named to the associate general manager position last year and oversaw the team’s analytics department, player contract negotiations, hockey operations staff, player personnel, and budget and team scheduling matters.
In his new role as general manager, Patrick will now represent the Capitals at the NHL’s General Managers’ meetings and will serve as the primary point of contact for other NHL GMs. He will continue to report to MacLellan in his role as president of hockey operations. Ross Mahoney remains an assistant general manager.
The repositioning at the top comes after the busiest offseason of MacLellan’s career, which saw him and his team his team make a series of major moves to transform the Capitals heading into the 2024-25 season. Washington has added seven new players since June 19, acquiring four via trade and signing three in free agency.
Here’s the full press release from the Capitals:
Capitals Promote Chris Patrick to Senior Vice President and General Manager
Brian MacLellan to oversee hockey operations as President
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have promoted Chris Patrick to senior vice president and general manager, Monumental Sports & Entertainment Chairman and CEO Ted Leonsis announced today. Brian MacLellan, who served as general manager for the past 10 seasons, will remain as president of hockey operations, a position he has held since 2023. In his new role, Patrick will represent the Capitals at the NHL’s General Managers’ meetings and be the primary point of contact for other NHL GMs. He will report to MacLellan, who will remain responsible for all aspects of hockey operations.
“We are thrilled to announce Chris’ promotion to general manager,” said Leonsis. “Chris is a dedicated and hard-working executive, who is fully prepared for this next step in his career. His vision, extensive experience, hockey acumen, and player evaluation make him the perfect leader to drive our team forward. We are confident that he will thrive in this new role.
“With Dick Patrick as chairman, Brian as president and Chris as general manager, we believe we have a dynamic leadership team in place to continue to guide our hockey operations department forward. Over the past decade, Brian has excelled as the head of our hockey operations department, helping bring the Stanley Cup to Washington and maintaining our team’s consistent competitiveness. Brian’s leadership, experience, and vision for our hockey team, combined with Chris’ impressive track record and successful tenure as an executive, talent evaluator, and guardian of our minor league partnerships, position our hockey operations team for a successful future.”
Patrick, 48, becomes the seventh general manager in franchise history. Patrick recently completed his 16th season with the club and first as associate general manager. Patrick, who joined the Capitals in 2008-09 in a player development and scouting role, has served as a pro scout, director of player personnel, assistant general manager and associate general manager. As associate general manager, Patrick oversaw the team’s analytics department, player contract negotiations, hockey operations staff, player personnel, and budget and team scheduling matters. In addition, Patrick managed the club’s professional scouting staff and worked closely with the Hershey Bears, Washington’s AHL affiliate, who have won consecutive Calder Cup championships. During his tenure, the Bears have won two Calder Cups, two Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophies as the AHL’s top regular-season team and have reached three Calder Cup Finals. Patrick has also played a crucial role in the development of numerous Capitals prospects to the NHL level. Patrick hired two head coaches, Spencer Carbery and Todd Nelson, who have won AHL Coach of the Year awards with Hershey. In his previous positions, Patrick was responsible for scouting drafted players at the collegiate and junior levels.
Patrick graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science in politics and economics in 1998 and earned a Master of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in 2006. Patrick grew up playing hockey in the Washington, D.C. area in the Capital Beltway Hockey League and for the Little Caps. He attended and played hockey at the Kent School in Connecticut before playing four seasons at Princeton University, winning the ECAC Championship in 1998. Patrick was selected by the Capitals in the eighth round (197th overall) of the 1994 NHL Draft. He and his father, Dick Patrick, became the sixth and seventh members of the Patrick family to win the Stanley Cup in 2018.
The 2024-25 season will mark MacLellan’s 24th with the organization. Since appointing MacLellan, 65, as general manager on May 26, 2014, the Capitals have compiled a record of 449-244-88 (.631 point percentage) and have recorded the third-most wins in the NHL in that span. MacLellan finishes his run as general manager with the third-highest point percentage in NHL history among GMs with at least 500 games of experience, trailing only Sam Pollock (Montreal Canadiens, 1964-1978: .685) and Don Sweeney (Boston Bruins, 2015-present: .665).
During MacLellan’s tenure, Washington has won a Stanley Cup, two Presidents’ Trophies and a franchise-record five consecutive Metropolitan Division titles from 2015-16 to 2019-20. With MacLellan at the helm, the Capitals won their first Stanley Cup in 2018.
MacLellan, who won a Stanley Cup as a player with the Calgary Flames in 1989, recorded 413 points in 606 games during his 10-year NHL career with Calgary, the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and Detroit Red Wings. MacLellan also won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 1985 World Championship in Prague. MacLellan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Bowling Green State University and earned his Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of St. Thomas in 1995.
