Siegenthaler To Make NHL Debut On Friday

Jonas Siegenthaler will make his NHL debut Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, suiting up for the Capitals for the first time since the preseason.
With John Carlson nursing an injury-and Brooks Orpik placed on IR-the Capitals told their 21-year-old Hershey defenseman to exchange his brown jersey for a red one on short notice.

"I got the call yesterday, which was exciting," Siegenthaler said. "I talked to my parents, my girlfriend, my sister and a few friends back home. They're happy for me."
Siegenthaler said he felt more mentally and physically prepared during training camp and the preseason this year than he had in his first two years since the Capitals selected him with the 57th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. That improvement came from time in the gym and more experience.
Last year was his first full season on the Bears. Before, he'd spent most of his career in his native Switzerland, playing professionally in the NLA for the ZSC Lions and at the U20 World Juniors in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
In 75 games with Hershey in 2017-18, Siegenthaler totaled 12 points (6g, 6a) and 61 penalty minutes. Through 14 games this year, he's recorded two assists, both coming in wins.

"He's been a prospect we've watched a lot over the last few years, monitoring his development," coach Todd Reirden said of Siegenthaler. "He's a big, strong guy who can help on the penalty kill as well. I think he's had a decent start to the year in Hershey."
While his teammates expressed excitement for him, they're refraining from offering any pep talks, mindful that too much attention can add unnecessary pressure.
Matt Niskanen, a 12-year NHL defenseman, said Siegenthaler just needs to play instinctively and "enjoy it, have fun."

"Move your feet," Niskanen added. "Every time you touch the puck, think, 'Move your feet.' The quicker you get back for a puck, the more time you have and the easier your play is. If you move your feet up the ice, you've already established your position and have a good gap."
"He's going to have a lot of adrenalin, so I don't want to complicate things for him," Niskanen continued. "He should go out there and play with his instincts because he's a good player."

Madison Bowey echoed his veteran teammate's advice. Not far from his own debut last October, the 23-year old is expected to lineup alongside Siegenthaler tonight and said emotions swirl from the time the news comes to puck drop - "This only comes once in a lifetime," he said - then added that it's important to not make the moment bigger than hockey.
"Just play your game," Bowey said. "We all have our skill-sets that get us to this point. I think [Siegenthaler] is really big, good at moving the puck. I think if he just keeps it simple, sticks to his game, then he should come out with a positive result. The biggest thing is to just enjoy it."

Reirden said Carlson is "day-to-day" and is hopeful that the Caps star defenseman will return Sunday. Until then, Washington will roll with a trio of young defensemen in Christian Djoos, Bowey and Siegenthaler. The first two have progressed the last few games, drawing praise from Reirden this week. He's confident the latter is ready.
"[Siegenthaler] deserves this opportunity," Reirden said. "I'm looking forward to seeing him play his first NHL game tonight."
"I dreamed about it all my life," Seigenthaler said. "I've never felt this happy. It's really special for me - I worked hard to get here. I can't really describe it. It's just a big step in my life."