#CapsDevCamp Diary: Brett Leason

My last few days have been a dream come true.
After I was selected by Washington, my emotions were high. It's always been a lifelong dream to be drafted in the NHL, and I'm just really excited to be a Capital. Seeing my parents and my girlfriend after my name got called was an emotional embrace, they have always been supportive of me since day one and they were the first people I wanted to thank. As soon as I walked into the family lounge in Vancouver and spotted them, I could tell how proud they were. It was a really special feeling and it's something I'll never forget.

It has been a busy few days since the draft in Vancouver. Once I got drafted, I met a ton of people within the organization and talked to some more people from Washington on the phone. Kind of a lot to take in but it was so exciting. I jumped on a flight Sunday for D.C., literally within a day, so it's been a little hectic.
I haven't gotten to see much of the city yet, but from what I have seen so far, this is a nice area and I'm really excited to be here and explore it a little bit more.

I started my first day eating an early breakfast with the team, then I came straight to the rink for the morning practice. After the morning skate, me and the guys headed back to the hotel to rest up before the afternoon activities. I came back to the rink in the mid-afternoon for our workout and then laced up the skates for the second ice session of the day. We worked on some situational drills and breakout plays. It feels great to hit the ice with these guys.
I have made some good friends so far with the guys who I have played against in the WHL, lots of stories to tell and it is a good time seeing some familiar faces. It's funny, I know Aliaksei Protas as my teammate with the Prince Albert Raiders, but I also recognize playing against some of these guys. For example, I go from playing against Alex Kannok-Leipert, who plays for the Vancouver Giants, in the WHL Final last season to all of a sudden having him as my teammate within my new organization. Funny how that works.
I plan on lounging around tonight, it was a long day and we have some more days ahead of us. But, you know, I'll see what the guys are doing and if anything else is going on, because why not? I'm excited to be in Washington, to be a Cap and continue on with this camp.