Joe Snively grew up in Herndon, Virginia, and was a childhood fan of the Washington Capitals.
Back in 2018, before he was ever associated with the organization, Snively celebrated the team’s first championship in the streets outside Capital One Arena. “It was great to see them after all those years in the playoffs, to win the Cup,” he said. “It was amazing.”
Growing up, the young hockey star played for the Little Capitals and found mentors like Capitals’ current ice skating coach, Wendy Marco of Cold Rush Hockey, and the team’s former strength and conditioning coach, Mark Nemish. His favorite player was Nicklas Backstrom.
Snively even had the same dentist as Alex Ovechkin as a kid, meeting the then-Capitals megastar during a chance meeting at the dentist’s office when he was in middle school.
As an adult, Snively realized his hockey dream, signing a contract with his hometown team out of Yale and going on to play with the legends he grew up rooting for (he suited up in 17 NHL games with Backstrom). His story is special and what he accomplished in this area is legendary. Which is why it’s jarring, maybe even a little painful for some to see him now wearing red of a different hue.
Tuesday, after Labor Day weekend ended, Snively skated at his home practice rink, MedStar Capitals Iceplex, wearing Detroit Red Wings colors as his day with the Calder Cup nears. Over the offseason, Snively signed a one-year, two-way contract with Detroit, leaving the Capitals organization after six seasons.
During his time with Washington, Snively tallied a point in his first NHL game — an assist on a Connor McMichael goal against the LA Kings. He became the third Virginia-born player to score an NHL goal a few weeks later when he tallied on February 10, 2022, against the Montreal Canadiens. (The other NHLers were Eric Weinrich of Roanoke and Scott Lachance of Charlottesville).
Snively made his biggest mark with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where he helped the team win back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024.
Snively led the Bears in playoff points during the 2023 run, tallying 15 points (2g, 13a) in 20 games.
The 2023-24 campaign was perhaps Snively’s most impressive. On the best Hershey team of all-time, Snively was the club’s leading scorer during the regular season with 59 points (14g, 45a). He then chipped in an additional 18 points (4g, 14a) in 20 playoff games, finishing just behind his line-mate, Hendrix Lapierre (22 points), in the AHL’s postseason scoring race.
The 28-year-old forward likely left the organization in search of more opportunity. Despite having the speed and skill to be an NHL player, he couldn’t carve out a full-time role in the big leagues with the Capitals, suiting up in 27 total NHL games and amassing 11 points (6g, 5a).
I’m sure I won’t be the only one hoping Joe, like Jeff Halpern and Garrett Roe, continues to shatter the glass ceiling on what’s possible for a DMV youth hockey player. Well, at least, once I get past the new logo on his chest.
