Capitals rookie camp hits ‘confidence course’ at U.S. Naval Academy

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Washington Capitals’ future hung in the balance. Literally.

As part of Capitals rookie camp this season, they decided to take their prospects to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, for three days of practices and team-bonding exercises off the ice. After skating at McMullen Hockey Arena on Sunday morning, they headed to nearby Naval Support Activity Annapolis to be pushed outside their comfort zones by climbing and balancing on logs, ropes, wires and platforms -- some of them 40 feet above the ground -- on the “confidence course.”

“It was hard,” defenseman Vincent Iorio said. “It was definitely challenging. I think communication was good. But you don’t realize how hard some of it is, and this is very basic stuff and it’s very challenging for us. We’re out of our element.”

Each summer, the Naval Academy’s plebes negotiate the “confidence course” with their platoons as part of their training. Occasionally, outside groups are permitted to use the course for team-building exercises.

Former Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig, now the team’s professional development coach, recalled going through it with his teammates around 2006 when Glen Hanlon was coach. The Capitals spent a day at the Naval Academy during training camp in 2014, under coach Barry Trotz, but did not participate in the “confidence course” then or when they were in Annapolis for the 2018 NHL Stadium Series against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

“We hadn’t been to Annapolis in forever, so it was only natural that when we do come here to do this,” Kolzig said. “In hockey, like any other sport, communication is vital, and to get through the course safely, coordination is vital. So, I think they’ll have a little bit more self-belief leaving after going through this course, and that’s kind of what the goal is.”

Top prospects participating in this camp such as Iorio, a second-round pick (No. 55) in the 2021 NHL Draft, and other draft picks in forwards Hendrix Lapierre (No. 22 in 2020), Ivan Miroshnichenko, (No. 20 in 2022), Alexander Suzdalev (third-round, No. 70 in 2022), Andrew Cristall (second-round, No. 40 in 2023), and Ryan Leonard (No. 8 in 2023), who is in his freshman season at Boston College, represent Washington’s potential future.

The Capitals hope they’ll be able to step in to lead the next generation of success when Alex Ovechkin, 38, Nicklas Backstrom, 35, T.J. Oshie, 36, John Carlson, 33, and other remaining members of the core of the 2018 Stanley Cup team eventually move on. This rookie camp is one of the first steps in that process.

“They’re young Capitals right now, so that’s all part of kind of filtering up and, hopefully, X amount of them end up playing in the NHL,” Washington assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said. “But it’s all part of being in the Capitals organization and that pride that you have. This is kind of where it starts, the summer development camp and then this camp. That’s where you start getting guys together. They come from all these different leagues and different countries and different teams, but now they’re part of the Capitals’ system.”

The rookies will also participate in the Capitals’ NHL training camp, which opens under first-year coach Spencer Carbery on Thursday. But these days in Annapolis, which are being directed on the ice by Hershey (American Hockey League) coach Todd Nelson and his staff, is their chance to bond before that.

Washington is among a handful of teams that doesn’t play in a rookie tournament, choosing a different approach after a few of its prospects were injured during the 2019 NHL Prospect Showcase in Nashville. Holding part of the rookie camp at the Naval Academy adds a different element this season.

They’ll practice again Monday morning before having lunch with some of the midshipmen and touring the academy.

“We’ll have a couple guest speakers and learn about some new things,” Lapierre said. “I think they did a great job, the organization, to do this team building and make sure we learn new stuff, and we don’t just go to a rookie tournament where we play three games and it’s over. There’s a purpose to all of this and so far, it’s been really good.”

Before beginning the confidence course, the players received directions from Naval Academy instructors and were fitted into harnesses, crab claw safety ropes and helmets. They had to work together in pairs, each asking his partner for permission to clip and unclip each end of their crab claw before beginning and moving on from an obstacle.

“The idea is to put them in situations where they kind of interact and trust each other, learn how to put on some basic technical gear and trust that it works,” said Craig Holt, a professor of physical disciplines and assistant gymnastics coach at the Naval Academy.  “… With that, we put in the element of a little bit of physical rigor and the rational fear of heights, the fact that you could fall at any time. But if you put your systems in place, it’s just another day, just a little bit higher.”

The first obstacle required a leap of about 10 feet from an elevated log onto a rope climbing net. The course ended with a zip line down from platform about 35 feet high. As the first player through the course, defenseman Spencer Meier said he felt a little pressure.

“More nerves, especially when we got high, but it was fun,” said Meier, a rookie camp invitee after playing at St. Cloud State University the past five seasons. “It was a great experience. I definitely thought I was going to fall once or twice, but surprisingly didn’t. They had a lot of good help up there to teach the techniques and stuff.”