The Washington Capitals opened their 2024 Training Camp on Thursday. The team’s captain, Alex Ovechkin, is preparing for his 20th season in the league and was out on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex as part of the 23-man Group B section of the club’s roster.
Head coach Spencer Carbery ran his team through their first line rushes of the season, giving an early look at what the second-year bench boss may be planning for games this fall. Ovechkin started on a line with Dylan Strome and new top-six winger Andrew Mangiapane.
Note: Alex Limoges filtered in as the fourth skater on the first line.
Ovechkin is very familiar with Strome as the two have played just over 1,072 minutes together at five-on-five over the past two seasons. With the two on the ice last season, the Capitals were above water in shot attempts (50.9%), expected goals (51.7%), scoring chances (51.6%), and high-danger chances (53.5%).
Strome is coming off of a career-best year in 2023-24, his second season as a member of the Capitals. The 27-year-old forward led Washington in points, amassing 67 (27g, 40a) in 82 games. He was one of just two Capitals players to play in all 82 games of the team’s schedule.
This upcoming season will be Strome’s second on the five-year extension he signed with Washington in February 2023.
The final piece of Thursday’s trio, Mangiapane, is brand new to the Capitals. Washington’s former general manager, Brian MacLellan, acquired the quick winger from the Calgary Flames for a draft pick in late June.
Mangiapane recorded 40 points (14g, 26a) in 75 games for the Flames last season. The 28-year-old winger spent parts of the previous seven seasons with Calgary, posting his best individual stats during the 2021-22 campaign when he amassed 55 points (35g, 20a) in 82 games.
Ovechkin’s linemates this season will be closely scrutinized, as The Great Eight is just 42 goals away from eclipsing Wayne Gretzky as the NHL’s top all-time goal scorer.
