Arlington, Va. – The Washington Capitals will celebrate Youth Hockey Weekend Jan. 2-5, highlighted by Youth Hockey Day on Saturday, Jan. 4 vs. the New York Rangers. The festivities celebrate and spotlight the Capitals array of on- and off-ice programming designed to engage youth from across the Washington, D.C., region with hockey. To date, 25,424 individual youth hockey players have participated in a Caps youth hockey event since 2019.
Highlights of the Capitals’ celebration of youth hockey include:
Thursday, Jan. 2 – High School Hockey Captain’s Recognition | Capital One Arena
On Thursday, Jan. 2 when the Capitals host the Minnesota Wild, the Capitals will recognize nearly 100 high school hockey captains from across the region during the second intermission in honor of their leadership.
The Capitals are also proud to support high school hockey throughout the Washington, D.C., region. There are currently 4,718 players and 807 coaches among 227 teams in the DMV area. In addition to highlighting local high school teams throughout the season, the Capitals also support high school hockey through the Capitals Cup High School Hockey Championship. Each league receives support from Capitals Youth Hockey and the winners receive custom medals. The Capitals host league information, team pages, stats, standings, and more for all eight local High School Hockey leagues at CapitalsCup.com.
Friday Jan. 3 – Youth Hockey Practice | MedStar Capitals Iceplex
Youth hockey players are encouraged to attend the Capitals Friday, Jan. 3 practice while wearing their youth hockey jerseys. Any attendee who arrives wearing their youth hockey/program jersey will receive a giveaway item.
Friday Jan. 3 – ALL CAPS ALL HER Clinic | MedStar Capitals Iceplex
The Capitals will host an ALL CAPS ALL HER clinic at MedStar Capitals Iceplex on Friday, Jan. 3 from 3:50-5 p.m. for pre-registered participants ages seven through 12. Led by ALL CAPS ALL HER program instructors and ambassadors, the clinic will focus on skill development and competitive games.
The Capitals offer an array of programming through ALL CAPS ALL HER, an initiative that provides access to hockey and elevates the game for women and girls in the Washington, D.C., area. ALL CAPS ALL HER recognizes and supports female players, coaches, referees, parents, advocates, students and leaders in the community. Events, programs and content provide various levels of entry into hockey for women and girls of all ages, offer leadership, business development, and networking opportunities and highlight influential women and families in the community. To date, more than 2,300 individuals have participated in an ALL CAPS ALL HER initiative since the spring of 2022, with nearly 1,000 participants during the 2023-24 season alone.
Saturday, Jan. 4 – Youth Hockey Day | Capital One Arena
The Washington Capitals will celebrate Youth Hockey Day on Saturday, Jan. 4, when the Capitals host the New York Rangers at Capital One Arena at noon. All fans who purchase tickets through a special ticket offer will receive a Capitals branded water bottle.
Pre-game Arrivals: Select youth hockey players from the region will walk with Capitals players during pregame arrivals. Each Capitals player will be paired with a local youth player while walking to the locker room, with both wearing the youth player’s team jersey. Programs represented include: ALL CAPS ALL HER; Active Play; Ashburn Xtreme; Bishop O'Connell; Capitals Inline Hockey League clubs including the Ashburn Fury, Fauquier Dragons, Fredericksburg Phantoms, Madison Wildfire, Richmond Renegades and Winchester Revolution; Future Caps Learn to Play, Howard Huskies, Loudoun Knights, MSHL Girls, Capitals Rising Stars Academy, Capitals Rooftop Hockey, St. Mary’s Ryken, Stone Bridge High School, Team Maryland, Washington Little Caps and Wells Warriors.
Select participating programs on Jan. 4 donated a team jersey to the Capitals. Each jersey was signed by the entire 2024-25 Capitals roster and will be included in a future Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation to benefit the Capitals and MSE Foundation’s Capital Impact Fund in support of providing access to hockey. Additional details about the auction will be announced at a later date.
In-Game Elements: The jumbotron will feature images of Capitals players in their youth, and in-game and social content will highlight Capitals youth hockey programming throughout the evening. Six players from the Future Caps Learn to Play program will take to the ice with the Capitals starting lineup in honor of Youth Hockey Day.
Game presentation activities throughout the evening will also feature youth hockey players. Navy Youth Hockey director Zach Arden will participate in the day’s Caps Countdown interview, while a Washington Pride player will assist with announcing the starting lineup. Two youth referees will join the NHL referees on the ice for the national anthem. The first intermission mites on ice will be comprised of players from the Hampton Roads Whalers. A second intermission relay race will also feature youth hockey participants. In addition, players with the Capitals Rising Stars program and with the Capitals Inline Hockey League will participate in other in-game entertainment activations.
Sunday, Jan. 5 – Rising Stars Academy Skate | Washington, D.C.
On Sunday, Jan. 5, the Capitals will host a skate with Rising Stars Academy Players and their families in celebration of Youth Hockey Weekend at Capitals Winter at The Wharf in Washington, D.C.
Youth Hockey Development in the Washington, D.C., Region
The total USA Hockey registration of adult and youth players across Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland is 21,975 individuals, including a total of 12,801 youth players.
According to USA Hockey, there's been significant growth in participation in the D.C. area since Alex Ovechkin was drafted. Total participation in ice hockey has increased by 71% as of the 2023-24 season. The total number of USA Hockey-registered youth hockey players (ages 18 and under) in the Washington D.C. area climbed more than 185 percent from 2005-06 through 2023-24. According to USA Hockey registration data, girl’s hockey registration (aged 19 and under) more than doubled from the 2003-04 season (821) through the 2023-24 season (2,242).
The Capitals offer a robust lineup of on- and off-ice youth hockey programming, including:
Future Caps Learn to Play: In partnership with the NHL and NHLPA, the Capitals offer a Future Caps Learn to Play program presented by World Wide Technology. Future Caps offers first-time participants, ages 5-9, free, Capitals-branded head-to-toe equipment and eight weeks of instruction from certificated coaches and Capitals alumni. Since its launch in 2016, more than 9,000 players have been introduced to hockey through the Future Caps Learn to Play Program, including more than 700 since Sept. 2024.
Hockey School Program: Through the Capitals Hockey School program presented by Capital One, elementary and middle schools receive street hockey equipment, a custom written curriculum and staff training. Capitals youth hockey development staff visit first- through eighth-grade classrooms and provide instruction. Last season, the Capitals surpassed more than 1 million students participating in the Hockey School initiative on an annual basis. There are currently 1,169,585 students in the program across 1,694 schools. 66,826 sticks, 2,992 nets, 44,240 balls and 12,568 pucks have been donated to participating schools as part of the program. For a complete list of participating school systems, click here.
Inline Hockey: Inline hockey participation in the Capitals market continues to grow and a large population of players reside in the I-95 corridor of Virginia. To date, the Capitals have refurbished or built 14 outdoor ball/inline hockey rinks across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia to further encourage participation in hockey. Last fall, the Capitals announced the launch of the Capitals Inline Hockey League (CIHL), a youth inline travel league administered by the Capitals. Current inline hockey players ages 8-18 are able to participate in the CIHL, which consists of six clubs and three divisions.
For additional information on Capitals Youth Hockey programming, visit CapsYouthHockey.com.
