The Washington Capitals made a significant round of cuts to their training camp roster on Friday morning.
After losing their first game of the preseason on Thursday night to the Boston Bruins, the Capitals cut six players, trimming their roster to just 27 names. Among the cuts are five skaters who took part in the loss to the Bruins, highlighted by Andrew Cristall and Ilya Protas.
Five of the six cuts have been immediately placed on the AHL’s Hershey Bears roster, while the sixth, forward Sheldon Rempal, will need to clear NHL waivers over the next 24 hours before reporting to the Bears.
Players waived for purpose of loan to Hershey Bears
- Sheldon Rempal, F
Players loaned directly to Hershey Bears
- Andrew Cristall, F
- Ilya Protas, F
- Eriks Mateiko, F
- Ryan Chesley, D
- Leon Muggli, D
Cristall, 20, heads to Hershey to begin his first pro season after playing in four exhibition games this fall, tied for the most on the team. The 2023 second-round pick, now affectionally known as “Loaf” by his teammates, scored two goals in the four outings to give him four career NHL preseason goals in eight games.
The Vancouver native was the final cut from last year’s training camp, but unlike in the 2024-25 season, Cristall can immediately play AHL games this year without first returning to the WHL. In his last junior season split between the Kelowna Rockets and Spokane Chiefs, Cristall led the entire WHL in scoring. He recorded 132 points (48g, 84a) in 57 regular-season games, later posting 41 points (21g, 20a) in 19 playoff games for the Chiefs.
Protas, 19, played his final preseason game this year as the center on a line with Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and 2022 first-round pick Ivan Miroshnichenko. Lil Pro, five years junior to his older brother Aliaksei Protas, is also set to experience his first pro season after playing one year in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires.
The Belarusian prospect, who has grown to the same height as his brother, got to play with Aliaksei for a game in Hershey last week against the Philadelphia Flyers. He’ll now return to Giant Center as a member of the Bears after posting 124 points (50g, 74a) in 61 OHL games for the Spitfires last year.
Mateiko, 19, is the last of the six players yet to make their pro debut, having spent the past three seasons in the QMJHL with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Rimouski Oceanic. The Latvian standout recorded 41 points (26g, 15a) in 47 games during his final junior season last year.
Chesley, 21, and Muggli, 19, have already turned pro, with Chesley playing four games for the Bears at the end of last season and Muggli playing against men in Switzerland for the majority of the past two years. Muggli also made his AHL debut for Hershey last spring, getting into two games.
Rempal, 30, was signed by the Capitals to an NHL deal this summer after being one of the KHL’s top scorers during the 2024-25 campaign. The Calgary native has played in 21 prior NHL games for the Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Vancouver Canucks.
If the veteran winger goes unclaimed by the other 31 NHL teams over the next 24 hours, he’ll be assigned to the Bears.
Hershey began their training camp under new head coach Derek King last weekend and play their second game of the preseason on Friday morning.
After the cuts, the remaining players on the fringe of the Capitals’ roster include Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Sonny Milano, Ethen Frank, Vincent Iorio, Dylan McIlrath, and Clay Stevenson. NHL teams must set their 23-man opening-day rosters by 5 pm ET on October 6, so four further cuts are still required
The Capitals, who play their preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, open their regular season at home against the Boston Bruins on October 8.
