Capitals strengthen team bonds in Annapolis ahead of season opener

Rain didn’t dampen the Washington Capitals’ enthusiasm during the team’s two-day bonding trip to Annapolis. With the roster set at 23 after training-camp cuts, the squad used the break before the season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, wrapping up the visit with a practice at the U.S. Naval Academy campus.

As the NHL reports, coach Spencer Carbery described the outing as a chance to bring the final group together after a demanding camp, to step out of the usual routine and enjoy about 48 hours away from the stress of preparations, with a day off before returning to the ice.

During the stay, the players took part in off-ice activities to get to know each other better: they played golf at Woodmere Country Club despite the rain, watched NFL games and shared a team dinner. On the course, the foursome of Tom Wilson, Ilya Protas, Ryan Leonard and Dylan McIlrath posted the best score in the scramble format. Defenseman Matt Roy noted that many of the players are open and make it easy for newcomers to integrate into the squad.

The upcoming season will also feature the summer market additions, including Alex Tuch (in a trade with Buffalo and on a long-term deal), Jordan Kyrou (trade with St. Louis) and Boone Jenner (four-year contract), as well as defenseman Vincent Desharnais, who signed a four-year deal. The roster also includes youngsters who will be full-time parts of the season for the first time (Ilya Protas and Cole Hutson) and players heading into opening night for the first time, like Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ethen Frank. Pierre-Luc Dubois emphasized that for the young generation it was a special moment to be on the roster for the opener, reflecting the work and sacrifice it took to get to this point.

The Capitals have held their rookie camp in Annapolis since 2023, but this was the first time the full team trained there since a similar trip before the 2014-15 season; the club later also played an outdoor game at the Navy stadium in 2018. Tom Wilson recalled some of those experiences and noted that captain Alex Ovechkin joked that they are “the only ones left” from the 2018 championship squad. After a season out of the playoffs (43-30-9), the players and staff are aware of the expectations and hope the new additions and the cohesion built on this trip will make them more competitive this season.

According to the NHL, this kind of off-ice gathering was an important step in strengthening the team’s culture and chemistry before the start of the championship.