ARLINGTON, Va. — Hockey is back!
The back-to-back defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears are on the ice for the first time today since winning the franchise's 13th title.
Bears players, who are on NHL contracts and AHL contracts, are participating in training camp with the Washington Capitals at the team's practice facility, MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia.
2023 Calder Cup hero, Mike Vecchione is the only exception. Zack Fisch, the Bears manager of media relations and broadcasting, said Vecchione and the Capitals agreed to have him skip NHL camp and come directly to Hershey training camp.
The Capitals will split 41 forwards, 24 defenseman, and seven goalies into three groups, A, B, and C.
Action begins at 9 a.m. this morning with a Group A skate test and practice. Group B follows at 11:45 a.m. and Group C hits the ice at 2:30 p.m.
Today is also Capitals Media Day and the team will be speaking with reporters from 11 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
While Central PA is focused on the Hershey stars, like Ethen Frank and Ivan Miroschnichenko, much of the hockey world is keying in on Alex Ovechkin and his chase of Wayne Gretzky's NHL goals record. Gretzky has 894. Ovechkin has 853.
Ovechkin will speak with the media this afternoon, after 1:45 p.m.
We're also expected to hear from AHL Calder Cup playoffs MVP Hendrix Lapierre today.
Watch this space throughout the day for updates and monitor @ealbert410 & @ToddFOX43 on X for additional information.
UPDATE (1:50 p.m)
Hear from Pierrick Dube after his practice session today.
UPDATE (1:19 p.m.)
The line of Vrana-Lapierre-Frank is looking good. Frank with a couple of nice moves to score on Thompson.
UPDATE (11:47 a.m.)
A loaded Group B here in Arlington, Virginia. Alex Ovechkin on the ice in this group.
Here's the full group B roster:
Forwards
28 Andrew Cristall
53 Ethen Frank
29 Hendrix Lapierre
55 Alex Limoges
88 Andrew Mangiapane
8 Alex Ovechkin
18 Terik Parascak
21 Aliaksei Protas
62 Ilya Protas
17 Dylan Strome
61 Riley Sutter
49 Patrick Thomas
13 Jakub Vrana
Defensemen
27 Alex Alexeyev
42 Martin Fehervary
2 Vincent Iorio
76 Nick Leivermann
94 Jake Massie
56 Chase Priskie
3 Matt Roy
57 Trevor van Reimsdyk
Goaltenders
33 Clay Stevenson
48 Logan Thompson
UPDATE (11:15 a.m.)
Six players are listed on the Captials roster as Injured/not participating today.
Forwards
19 Nicklas Backstrom
71 Zac Funk
77 T.J. Oshie
64 Luke Philp
Defensemen
86 Logan Day
40 Jon McDonald
UPDATE (10:46 a.m.)
An number of Hershey Bears coaches are taking in the Group A practice session this morning. Here's the players skating in the group that could be back in Hershey this season.
72 Pierrick Dube
63 Ivan Miroshnichenko
58 Henrik Rybinski
23 Mike Sgarbossa
87 Bogdan Trineyev
4 Hardy Haman Aktell
20 Brad Hunt
52 Dylan McIlrath
31 Hunter Shepard