ANNAPOLIS, MD — Andrew Cristall is hitting the ground running this fall.
Now in his fourth Rookie Camp for the Capitals, Cristall is plenty used to Annapolis’ McMullen Hockey Arena. Cristall, 21 has come within spitting distance of the NHL over that span: he’s played nine preseason games over the last three years and was one of the last two cuts in 2024.
While he’s still waiting on his NHL debut, Cristall comes to camp with a full season of pro hockey under his belt, putting up an impressive performance with the Hershey Bears in 2025-26. His 60 points (20g, 40a) ranked third among all AHL rookies, and he was the Bears’ second-highest scorer (behind only fellow rookie Ilya Protas).
Cristall’s scoring potential has been apparent for years, driving his success at the junior and AHL level. This summer, however, Cristall looked to shore up his speed and size.
“Definitely the biggest thing was skating and strength,” Cristall said of his offseason priorities. “The AHL or pro hockey, it’s a strong, fast game. I think I worked a lot on my speed, a lot on my skating, and I’m putting on some more muscle to keep the puck, and in the corners when you’re playing against bigger guys, being low to the ground and a good center of gravity.”
Skating was one of Cristall’s biggest weaknesses when the Capitals drafted him 40th overall in 2023, and it’s been a major focus of his training since. The fruits of that labor were clear to see when Cristall hit the ice for Rookie Camp on Sunday: he was visibly faster than in years past and was able to beat slick-skating Terik Parascak in a footrace during drills.
“Oh, I definitely feel a lot faster,” Cristall said. “I feel really good.”
Some of that speed comes from pure power, the result of summer workouts, but Cristall also worked to improve his skating mechanics with better technique.
“(I did) a lot of physical (work), doing stuff in the gym, quick movements, sprints, stuff like that, and then also getting on the ice with a power skating coach, tweaking little things here and there and taking it from there,” Cristall said.
And while Cristall can’t do much about his stature, listed at 5-foot-10, added muscle helps offset his smaller size.
Even after a strong summer, Cristall doesn’t have an easy path to making the Opening Night roster. The Capitals’ splashy offseason saw them bring in big-name wingers like Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, leaving little room for Cristall down the lineup. Instead, he’ll likely spend most — if not all — of the season back in Hershey.
That stiff competition would make many prospects frustrated, but Cristall takes a different view of the Capitals’ offseason.
“They’re obviously looking to win,” he said of the team. “It’s awesome. If I was ever able to get a chance to play, I think, as you can tell, there’s a lot of great players on the team. I feel like any line, there’s a lot of great players. So if I was lucky enough to get in the lineup, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing with at that point. You’re playing with some really good hockey players. So I look at it as an opportunity: if I get up there and I’m able to play, I think I’d be able to show well.”
Cristall and his fellow prospects will spend the rest of Rookie Camp in Annapolis before Training Camp starts on Thursday at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.
