The countdown to the NHL regular season is officially on. With less than a week until action begins, many players are geared up and ready to go, while others may be feeling a bit more on edge. Training camp rosters continue to be pared down each day as teams prepare their final roster for the start of the season. A team full of extremely talented skaters fighting for a small number of spots is the Washington Capitals. Nearly every preseason, players in their pipeline begin the fight for a slot in the lineup, and only a handful make it to the team’s regular-season roster. This season is no exception, with Sonny Milano, Andrew Cristall, and Hendrix Lapierre putting out their best work in training camp to prove that they belong.
Sonny Milano Comes Up Big in Preseason Games
There is, perhaps, no player fighting nearly as hard in the preseason as Milano. The veteran forward played just three games last season, mainly because of an upper-body injury that kept him sidelined for multiple months. This would be Milano’s fourth season with the Capitals, during which he has achieved a respectable level of success. In his first season with the team, Milano tallied 33 points in 64 games, and 23 points in 49 games the following season. If his preseason performance is any indication of his readiness to join the squad again, he is more than ready to go after recovering from his injury.
The winger came out of the gate hot, notching two goals on just four shots and two assists in his preseason debut against the Boston Bruins. He logged 16:15 in that game and was, unsurprisingly, in the lineup in the team’s next game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Milano was not stopping yet, putting up yet another two-goal performance. His back-to-back multi-goal games have proven that he has shaken off the rust from being injured and is more than willing to fight for his spot back in the Capitals’ lineup.
Andrew Cristall Shows NHL Readiness
Cristall was drafted by the Capitals in the second round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Since being drafted, he has impressed the team, but has not quite been ready for NHL action. He nearly made it out of training camp last season but was beaten out by Jakub Vrana. The forward has shown definite readiness and a desire to join the NHL team this preseason. Cristall scored the team’s first goal of the night in their 5-1 victory against the Flyers, a skillful power-play goal.
Cristall suited up for the team’s next two preseason games against the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets. They were successful against the Devils thanks to Cristall, who scored the game-winning goal in the shootout. He also helped the Capitals top the Blue Jackets with another beautiful power-play goal. He has been looking comfortable and confident and has been showcasing his skillset.
Head coach Spencer Carbery praised Cristall postgame, saying, “He showed again what we saw last year. He does things that positively impact the game. And however it looks, he’s just creative. He finds space. He’s right place, right time.”
He will be playing this season with either the Capitals or the Hershey Bears, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, after a jaw-dropping season in the Western Hockey League (WHL). He led the entire WHL in points, with an astounding 132 (48 goals, 84 assists) in 57 regular-season games.
Hendrix Lapierre Could Join Capitals Full-Time
Lapierre has been with Washington since 2020, when he was drafted in the first round. He is no stranger to NHL action, as he has bounced back and forth between the Capitals and the Bears for the past two seasons, spending 84 games with the former and notching 31 points. Lapierre is in the fight to join the NHL roster full-time, however, and his performance shows he could be ready. In his first preseason game against the Bruins, the forward had three points (one goal, two assists) and won 71.4% of his faceoffs. In the following game, he tallied three assists to help the Capitals in their win over the Flyers. He also took the ice against the Blue Jackets, and while was held pointless that night, he took 21 shifts and a handful of faceoffs.
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Lapierre was a point-per-game player in Hershey last season (32 points in 32 games) and helped the team in their playoff run with three points in eight games. He is a playmaker who is reliable, fast, and physical. H wants a roster spot and is willing to give all he has for it. “I want to make this team really bad,” Lapierre told reporters at training camp. “I know what I can do, I know what I can accomplish, I just have to put it on display.”
All of these players have a fighting chance to make the Capitals’ full-time roster. With just two preseason games left, they will need to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff in order to avoid the final rounds of cuts. Will Milano have a triumphant return? Will Cristall finally get his NHL debut? Will Lapierre end his time in the AHL completely? Time will tell.
The Capitals continue their preseason action on Thursday against the Bruins.
