Capitals Prospect Gets Big Break with First-Line Nod

Preseason may not count in the win-loss column, but it counts for rookies. Tuesday night, a young Capitals prospect will get his first live-action NHL opportunity.
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Washington's 20-year old Swedish forward who signed last May, will start on the first line in the preseason home opener against the Boston Bruins, slotted with T.J. Oshie and fellow Swede Nicklas Backstrom, his childhood hockey idol.

"He has to make sure that people leave the game saying that that guy can skate, and that guy hunts pucks, and causes turnovers, and is able to add off the rush, and when he's out there penalty killing he's looking to disrupt," coach Todd Reirden said of what they're looking for from Jonsson-Fjallby, the Caps fifth-round pick in 2016. "This is a great opportunity for him."
And an opportunity he's earned in short time.
In last week's Prospect Showcase in Estero, Fl., Jonsson-Fjallby scored 42 seconds into the second contest, providing the only boost young goaltender IIya Samsonov and the Caps would need in their eventual 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning prospects. Off the game's first shift, he juked his way past a Tampa Bay defender and flung a shot from inside the crease to the top left corner of the net.

Last season, playing in the Swedish Hockey League, Jonsson-Fjallby tallied 24 points in 53 games. He also led Sweden to a silver medal in the 2018 U-20 World Junior Championship, notching four points in seven games.
Yet by Jonsson-Fjallby's own admission, he's not the most prolific goal-scorer. Known for his speed, he said he wants to establish himself as a physical player, a guy who forechecks hard and sprinkles in big offensive plays like the one in the Prospect Showcase. Veterans have already noticed that aggressive style on the ice.
"That guy can fly," Matt Niskanen said. "Seems to have come in with a ton of confidence. He isn't holding anything back. We're five days into camp and he's made himself noticeable."

"Seems like a confident guy," added Backstrom, using the adjective of choice. "Feels like he's pretty reckless, the way he's been playing. I can't wait to play [on the same line] as him tonight."
The feeling is mutual. Jonsson-Fjallby noted the differences at the NHL level compared with Sweden - smaller rink, more intense and physical play - and said Backstrom and other veterans have helped him adjust quickly. He's also grateful for Reirden and the coaching staff's vote of confidence.
"That means a lot," Jonsson-Fjallby said. "I feel like the coaches believe in me. They'll let me play this game and I just want to show them what I can do and make the best of it."

Reirden, for his part, wasn't about to make any roster guarantees -- "It's a competition. Lots of different things go on in the next few weeks," he said -- but called this a key time for the young forward to advertise his skill-set.
"That's what we're about, trying to find guys who can add to our team as quickly as the start of the year but also down the road who can be great assets for our organization," Reirden said.
"There's only one way to find out [if he can make the Capitals team], and that's to put him in situations like today."