ARLINGTON, VA — With just over a month to go before opening night, the Washington Capitals are welcoming more and more players to DC.
Several new arrivals have joined the team’s informal skates this week, with Dylan Strome, Anthony Beauvillier, Ethen Frank, and Timothy Liljegren, and Dylan McIlrath all hitting the ice on Tuesday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex. Prospects Terik Parascak and Petr Sikora were also recent arrivals.
Capitals skills coach Kenny McCudden led the session, running players through skills drills. Scrimmages at four-on-four and three-on-three followed, with skating work closing out the practice.
Other participants in the skate included Alex Tuch, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Logan Thompson, Boone Jenner, Vincent Desharnais, Martin Fehervary, Matt Roy, Jonny Brodzinski, Lynden Lakovic, and Eriks Mateiko.
Strome, 29, is set to play his fifth season in Washington, where he has served as Alex Ovechkin’s primary center. After a point-per-game showing in 2024-25 (29g, 53a), Strome scored just 58 points (19g, 39a) in 2025-26 and will look to increase offense this fall.
Beauvillier, 29, played his first full season in Washington last year after arriving at the 2025 trade deadline. He scored 28 points (15g, 13a) in 82 games in 2025-26 and is now entering the final season of his two-year deal.
After starting last fall in the AHL, Frank, 28, made the jump to NHL regular in 2025-26 amid the Capitals’ injury woes. Playing a bottom-six role, he recorded 24 points (12g, 12a) in 62 games, signing a two-year extension in March.
Liljegren, 27, joined the Capitals at the 2026 trade deadline but was a regular healthy scratch — especially following the arrival of rookie defenseman Cole Hutson — before signing a two-year deal in DC as an unrestricted free agent in July. While he played just four games with the Caps last season, Rasmus Sandin’s ACL injury means Liljegren will likely play a larger role this fall.
Though he spent the entire season in the NHL with the Capitals, McIlrath, 34, played just 13 games last season. He has been a well-respected fixture of the Caps’ locker room, notably fighting Anaheim Ducks winger Ross Johnston in revenge for Jacob Trouba’s hit that injured Ryan Leonard in a prior game.
Parascak, 20, played his final season with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars last season, recording 79 points (33g, 46a) in 61 games. He finished the season spending a stint with the Hershey Bears, where he’ll likely play this fall.
Sikora, 20, spent last season in the Czech Extraliga, tallying 9 points (3g, 6a) in 24 games for HC Ocelari Trinec. He captained Czechia to silver at the 2026 World Junior Championship, his second-straight year medaling at the tournament, and signed his entry-level contract with Washington in May.
The Capitals will play their first preseason game on September 20 against the Boston Bruins, with the regular season set to kick off on October 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
