The Washington Capitals are starting to look like a full team again. With the start of Training Camp officially just 16 days away, the regular group on the ice for informal skates grew yet again.
Among the latest players to return to MedStar Capitals Iceplex are defenseman Martin Fehervary and prospect forwards Ryan Leonard and Andrew Cristall. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti reported Fehervary’s presence while Leonard and Cristall were in photos posted by the team to their social media accounts.
The latter two players are also scheduled to participate in Rookie Camp at the end of next week.
Fehervary’s participation in the skate is encouraging after the 25-year-old rearguard recently discussed his struggles with lingering pain and inflammation in his surgically repaired knee. The Slovak blueliner suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee at the end of last season, missing the entirety of the Capitals’ playoff run.
As of mid-August, Fehervary had not returned to the ice yet, a milestone in his rehab that should have happened in July.
“I would like to be better and to know when (I’ll be skating again), but I know I will get there,” Fehervary said at the Slovak Hockey Player of the Year 2025 gala at Bratislava Castle. “I don’t want to rush anything. I want to be sensible and patient about the knee. When everything is then in good standing with the knee, I will start back on the ice.”
The veteran defender is coming off a career year with the Capitals after posting 25 points (5g, 20a) in 81 games. He played significant roles on the East-best Caps at both five-on-five and on the penalty kill, skating primarily with Matt Roy in a shutdown role.
Leonard, 20, is headed into his first full season as a pro after playing 17 regular-season and playoff games combined for the Capitals during the 2024-25 campaign. He was recently was announced as the club’s representative at this year’s NHLPA Rookie Showcase, which is being held at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for the fourth straight year and fifth time overall.
The 2023 first-round draft pick recorded 49 points (30g, 19a) in 37 games for Boston College before signing his entry-level contract with the Capitals last spring. He scored his first NHL goal in the same game that Alex Ovechkin tied Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.
Unlike Leonard, the 20-year-old Cristall is preparing for his first pro experience after wrapping up his WHL career with the Spokane Chiefs last season. The 2023 second-round draft selection spent his summer training with a host of NHL talent, including Connor Bedard, Kent Johnson, and Beck Malenstyn.
Cristall dominated the WHL with the Chiefs and Kelowna Rockets during the 2024-25 campaign, taking home the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league’s leading scorer with 132 points (48g, 84a) in 57 games. He followed that up with an equally dominant playoff run for the Chiefs, finishing with 41 points (21g, 20a) in 19 postseason games.
The Vancouver native is expected to compete for an NHL roster spot with the Capitals but could also spend some time with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he has served as a playoff blace ace the past two years.
