Capitals Summer Development Camp

Development camp for the Washington Capitals rookies finished up last week and we're here to give you the run down on what happened. The drills took place over at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the teams practice facility in DC. One player is returning for his 4th and final development camp, Sonny Milano is the guy who hopes to find a full-time role with the big club after years of honing his craft with the Hershey Bears.

Here are the players who participated in the camp this year:

C/W J.T. Compher
C/W Justin Kloos
LW Sonny Milano
LW/RW Kevin Roy
RW Gabriel Gagne
C Adam Ruzicka
RW D'Artagnan Joly
C/W Jake Leschyshyn
LW Jordan Greenway
C Julius Nattinen
RW Kole Lind
C/RW Nathan Noel
C/RW Nicolas Roy
D Kale Clague
D Ian McCoshen
D Jordan Schmaltz
D Dennis Cholowski
D J.D. Greenway
D Victor Mete
G Spencer Martin
G Jack Lafontaine

J.T. Compher finished the camp with the most points in scrimmages, while Sonny Milano finished with the most goals. Both players will be making a big push to be with the big club after all the training camp cuts are made. Big left winger Jordan Greenway will also be debuting next season and is hopeful to be one of those rookies to make the team. Defenceman Ian McCoshen, Jordan Schmaltz, and Victor Mete will be eyeing up spots on the Capitals blueline too when training camp rolls around.

We caught up with a few of the players:

"I was seriously questiong why I'm still being invited to these development camps" quipped Sonny Milano. "I was surprised to get the invite since I was here for every camp since 2015. I do hope to get a spot on the pro roster this year though and this is just another chance to show management I'm committed to just that."

"I signed my pro contract with the team after this season and am hopeful to get a spot with the pro team." Said Jordan Greenway "I've been working with the teams skating coach and hope to show up to camp faster than ever."

"I've been trying to add some bulk to my frame, I think that'll go a long way when training camp rolls around." exclaimed defenceman Victor Mete. "Obviously using my skating to get out of situations works well for me but I'd also like to show a commitment to developing in the areas where the team sees a weakness."

With the end of the development camp, we see the last bit of hockey until training camps open in September. Some of these guys will be returned to their junior teams. One goalie, Jack Lafontaine will be headed to the BCHL after disappointing in Michigan last year. The rest will arrive at training camp hopefully better prepared for the task ahead.