The Washington Capitals made the first round of cuts to their 2025 training camp roster on Tuesday.
Nine players were cut in total, trimming the team’s roster to 53 from the 62 players that began camp at the end of last week.
Two players will head back to their junior clubs, while the other seven will report to the AHL’s Hershey Bears once the Capitals’ AHL affiliate gets its camp underway later this month.
Players sent back to junior
- Miroslav Satan, F (Saginaw Spirit, OHL)
- Maxim Schafer, F (Chicoutimi Saguenéens, QMJHL)
Players sent to the Hershey Bears
- Grant Cruikshank, F
- Justin Nachbaur, F
- Dalton Smith, F
- Luke Toporowski, F
- Nick Leivermann, D
- Jon McDonald, D
- Seth Eisele, G
None of the veteran players cut are signed to NHL contracts, so they will not require waivers to head to Hershey.
With a smaller roster, the Capitals will reduce the number of training camp groups from three to two.
The Capitals had a scheduled off day on Monday. They will be back on the ice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex for two days before heading to Hershey’s Giant Center for a preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
The club will play five more total preseason games, culminating with an October 4 matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
NHL teams must set their 23-man opening day rosters by 5 pm ET on October 6. The Capitals open their regular season at home against the Boston Bruins on October 8.
