Washington Capitals: Breaking down 2021 Rookie Camp roster

You know Washington Capitals hockey is about to be here when news drops of pre preseason stuff. On Wednesday afternoon the team announced both the Rookie Camp roster and schedule as well as the policy regarding fan attendance at practice. Good news for you folks reading this, they are free and open to the public once again after being closed off last year. Masks will be required regardless of vaccination status and player interaction will be prohibited. Now let’s get to the roster.

Rookie Camp runs from September 18-20 at their team facility MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, VA. The roster is a mix of both prospects who are under contract and recent draft picks who have not been signed yet. Additionally, there will be a few undrafted and free agent amateur players as well.

The roster is a mix of 20 players with 10 forwards, eight defenseman and two goaltenders. Unlike years past, there will not be a rookie tournament against other teams. 13 Caps draft picks are expected to take part in this year’s rookie camp with new Hershey Bears head coach Scott Allen overseeing it all along with his coaching staff.

Here is the official roster per the Caps:

Forwards
Kody Clark
Haakon Hanelt
Bear Hughes
Hendrix Lapierre
Brett Leason
Matt Maggio
Oskar Magnusson
Connor McMichal
Aliaksei Protas
Riley Sutter

Defensemen
Tobias Geisser
Martin Has
Patrick Holway
Vincent Iorio
Dru Krebs
Jake Massie
Bobby Nardella
Chaz Reddekopp

Goalies
Ryan Bednard
Hunter Shepard

Here is the schedule with sessions taking place on ice at the Capitals rink:

Saturday, September 18
1 p.m. Goalies on ice
1:20 p.m. All players on ice

Sunday, September 19
10:10 a.m. Goalies on ice
10:10 a.m. All players on ice

Monday, September 20
1 p.m. Goalies on ice
1:15 p.m. All players on ice

The roster features three picks the Caps selected in the 2021 NHL Draft which include 55th overall pick Vincent Iorio (defenseman), center Haakon Hanelt (151st), and defenseman Dru Krebs (176th).

Connor McMichael will also be attending Rookie Camp as he looks to make a case to make the NHL roster. He made his NHL debut last season on Jan. 24 against the Buffalo Sabres while spending much of the season in Hershey. He led the Bears in goals with 14 along with 27 points in his first AHL season.

Also in attendance will be 2020 first rounder Hendrix Lapierre. He made news on June 23 when he was traded to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan from Chicoutimi. Last season with Chicutimi he recorded 31 points in 21 games with eight goals and 23 assists.