Caps Care Year in Review: Youth Hockey Development

During the 2024-25 season, the Washington Capitals, its players, and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation continued to give back to the community and grow participation in hockey throughout the region. Through fundraising and programming efforts, the Capitals and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation supported numerous organizations in an array of missions. The organization's efforts resulted in more than 2.3 million raised for charity.

This week, WashCaps.com presents highlights across the following categories:

Caps Care Community Programs and Initiatives
Theme Nights and NHL Platforms
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation
Youth Hockey Development and District of Play
Capitals Player Programs
City Engagement

Today, WashCaps.com recaps Youth Hockey Development and District of Play:

Hispanic Heritage Month Clinic: In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Capitals hosted a ball hockey clinic with the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) to engage youth with the sport in September. LAYC’s mission is to empower a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through multicultural, comprehensive and innovative programs that address youth’s social, academic and career needs.

Coaches Day: In November, the Capitals and Capitals coaching staff extended a unique opportunity to local youth hockey coaches by hosting Coaches Day. More than 160 coaches from across the region participated. To kick off the day, Coaches were invited to participate in an on-ice ADM coaching clinic with USA Hockey. A general panel moderated by Capitals alumnus Craig Laughlin followed. Attendees then watched the Capitals practice following Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery’s practice plan. Post practice featured remarks by Carbery, a Q&A panel featuring select Capitals coaching staff members, an ALL CAPS coach panel and breakout sessions. Capitals skating coach Wendy Marco also led a session on the importance of skating.

Hockey School: The Capitals Hockey School program is aimed at providing access to the sport of hockey by introducing it to children in elementary and middle school. During the 2024-25 season, nearly 117,300 students were introduced to the program across 93 schools. The Capitals Youth Hockey Development staff conducted 11 teaching trainings, as well as 14 school visits.

The Capitals donate hockey equipment including sticks, nets, balls and pucks to each school, and P.E. teachers receive a standardized curriculum following SHAPE America’s national requirements. In addition, the Capitals Youth Hockey Development staff visit schools to host assemblies surrounding the game. There are currently 1,694 schools in the Hockey School program, reaching 1,169,585 students across Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. In addition, 3,200 teachers have been trained through the Hockey School program.

Street Hockey Extravaganza: The Capitals hosted the Capitals Street Hockey Extravaganza, a youth ball hockey tournament in celebration of the team’s 50^th Anniversary season, in November at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax, Va. Nearly 70 youth participated across 11 teams, with the Bowie Bruins Street Hockey Team crowned champions.

The event paid tribute to the Capitals’ original Street Hockey Extravaganza tournaments, which took place in the 1970s. In the 1970s, the Capitals made their mark on growing the game by hosting the largest street hockey clinic in existence: the Capitals Youth Hockey Extravaganza. In 1975, more than 2,000 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14 participated in 50 simultaneous street hockey games at the Capital Centre in Maryland.

They were bussed from across Prince George’s County after the Capitals and the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission teamed up for a summer street hockey program to celebrate the growing interest in street and ice hockey in the region. The Capitals continued hosting the event throughout the 1970s, eventually expanding the invite to all children in the Washington, D.C. region.

Youth Hockey Weekend: From Jan. 2-5, the Capitals celebrated youth hockey across the Washington, D.C. region. Events and initiatives included:

On Jan. 2, the Capitals honored nearly 100 high school hockey captains during a game intermission. On Jan. 3, the Capitals hosted a youth hockey open practice at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, encouraging youth players to attend the team’s practice wearing their youth hockey jerseys. The organization also hosted an ALL CAPS ALL HER girls’ clinic.

The Capitals celebrated Youth Hockey Day on Jan. 4. Select youth hockey players from the region walked with Capitals players during pregame arrivals. Each Capitals player was paired with a local youth player while walking to the locker room, with both wearing the youth player’s team jersey. In-game and social content highlighted Capitals youth hockey programming throughout the evening. Game presentation activities throughout the evening also featured youth hockey players.

On Jan. 5, the Capitals hosted a Rising Stars Academy skate at The Wharf.

Rising Stars Academy: Capitals Youth Hockey Development hosted Rising Stars Academy clinics on Aug. 18 and Feb. 19 at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, with a combined 112 participants. The clinics featured on- and off-ice elements, including panels and skill development sessions. Capitals players Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Lars Eller, participated in the February clinic with lead Rising Stars instructor Bryan King. The Capitals also hosted a special Rising Stars skate at The Wharf for participants as part of Youth Hockey Weekend.

The Capitals launched the Rising Stars Academy in 2023 as a co-ed program established to provide elite skill development and mentorship for local hockey players of color. Clinics emphasize physical and mental strength as well as social discussions around hockey culture. The Rising Stars Academy is offered at no cost to participants and funded through the Capitals Capital Impact Fund.

USA Warriors Tournament: In September, the Capitals hosted a Standing USA Warriors Tournament presented by LiUNA at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. The USA Warriors Ice Hockey program consists of veterans wounded or injured during combat who have since joined hockey teams across the country in an effort to rekindle the camaraderie between fellow military men and women. This season marked the fourth tournament the Capitals have partnered with LiUNA since 2019.

Washington Capitals Warriors: In October, the Washington Capitals announced the formation of the Washington Capitals Warriors Hockey Team in collaboration with the USA Warriors and Capital Beltway Warriors. In honor of the formation of the Washington Capitals Warriors, the Washington Capitals Alumni Association presented the Washington Capitals Warriors with a $25,000 check prior to the Capitals Alumni Game on Oct. 11 at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. In addition, five Washington Capitals Warriors players participated in the Alumni Game. The funding will be used by the Washington Capitals Warriors to fund future programming, including tournaments and practices.

The Washington Capitals Warriors are a joint effort between the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program, Inc. (USAW) and the Capital Beltway Warriors (CBW). The USAW are a local military non-profit providing ice hockey opportunities exclusively to wounded, ill, and injured military veterans in the DMV area and nationally through several affiliates. The Capital Beltway Warriors Ice Hockey Inc is a Virginia based nonprofit organization uniquely dedicated to providing ice programing to all status of military; Active, Disabled and Veteran Service Members. Washington Capitals Warriors is entirely comprised of combat wounded or service-disabled veterans from the Washington Capitals region. The Washington Capitals Warriors represent the Washington Capitals at NHL branded and USA Hockey events to showcase the abilities of local veterans injured in service to our nation.

Capitals Inline Hockey League: During the 2023-24 season, 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 one team per club, per division. As of the 2024-25 season, there are nearly 200 registered players. The CIHL hosted 6 tournaments this season and added one new team, bringing the total of CIHL clubs to six. The participating clubs included the Ashburn Fury of Ashburn, Va., the Fauquier Dragons of Fauquier, Va., the Fredericksburg Phantoms of Fredericksburg, Va., the Madison Wildfire of Madison, Va., the Richmond Renegades of Hanover, Va., and the Winchester Revolution of Winchester, Va.

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 also refurbished or built 14 outdoor ball/inline hockey rinks across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia to further encourage participation in hockey. In addition to on-ice programming, the Capitals also offer a robust lineup of off-ice programming to grow the game, including initiatives surrounding ball hockey and inline hockey.

Bar-T: The Capitals continued to amplify their partnership with Bar-T. The Capitals launched a partnership with Bar-T, the largest private provider of before and after school programs for children in Montgomery and Frederick County, Maryland, during the 2023-24 season. Through the relationship, the Capitals Hockey School program became available to 1,800 elementary school students. The Caps Hockey School program had been partnered with Montgomery County Public Schools since 2019, so schools already possessed equipment donated by the Capitals. With Bar-T, the Caps donated additional equipment for Bar-T to have for its programs separate from the school itself and available during after school programming. During the 2024-25 season, the Capitals hosted three Try Hockey For Free clinics. Caps Youth Hockey also had a presence at the Bar-T Family Fun Day in 2024 and 2025.

Ball/Inline Rinks: The Capitals are committed to providing access to hockey across the region and to date have refurbished or built 14 rinks across Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. To further encourage the growth of the game, the Capitals Youth Hockey Development staff holds clinics in conjunction with the refurbishment of each rink. A complete list of rinks can be found at washcaps.com/streetrinks.

October Saves: The October Saves Goalie Challenge saw Capitals goaltenders Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson join youth hockey goalies from across Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland to collectively raise more than $200,000 in October. A portion raised was donated to the Capitals Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. Their fundraising contributed to $678,000 raised across the entire October Saves platform. The top 10 local fundraisers attended the Capitals Hockey Fights Cancer Night in November to present a check to the #CapsFightCancer campaign and meet Capitals goaltenders Charlie Lindgren and Logan Thompson postgame.

Next Gen Collegiate Hockey Combine: The Washington Capitals Next Gen Collegiate Hockey Combine (previously the College Hockey Combine & Fair) took place for the 18^th year during the 2024-25 season. The annual event is a free opportunity for high school aged hockey players throughout the Washington, D.C., region to showcase their on-ice and off-ice talents, as well as learn about the different avenues and opportunities in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).

The Capitals are the only NHL club to offer an initiative of this nature. 229 student-athletes in grades 8-12 registered, with 32 ACHA programs involved. The two-day event provides young hockey players and their parents the chance to meet and gain valuable insight from coaches as the fair covers the qualities and characteristics that college coaches look for and how players can best prepare themselves academically and athletically.

ALL CAPS ALL HER: The Capitals continued to offer 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. More than 1,410 women and girls participated in on- and off-ice programs within the ACAH platform during the 2024-25 season.

To date, more than 3,395 individuals have participated in an ALL CAPS ALL HER initiative. 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.

ACAH programming during the 2024-25 season included ACAH Girls Learn to Play, ACAH Adult Learn to Play and Learn to Skate, ACAH Adult Skills clinics, ACAH Girls Hockey Camp, ACAH DMV Girls Try Hockey for Free Day, and various ACAH Future Caps Learn to Play sessions. Additionally, the Capitals support the Capitals Women's Hockey League (CWHL) at MedStar Capitals Iceplex.

In honor of Women in Hockey Night in March, the Capitals hosted a pregame ACAH Women in Sports Networking Event as part of the ACAH business development and networking platform, welcoming nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a career in the sports industry to District E at Capital One Arena. The March 20 Women in Hockey game featured an ALL CAPS ALL HER starting lineup, a first intermission girls Mites on Ice, featured content pieces and more.

ALL CAPS ALL HER STANLEY AWARD: In July 2024, the Capitals were announced as a 2024 NHL Stanley Award recipient in the category of Social Impact and Growth Initiatives for their ALL CAPS ALL HER platform. The category celebrates Club work that strategically expands their brand and the game of hockey to attract new, non-traditional audiences through social impact and growth initiatives.

DMV Girls Try Hockey for Free Day: The Capitals, Potomac Valley Amateur Hockey Association, USA Hockey and Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation teamed up for the third annual DMV Girls Try Hockey for Free Day. 20 rinks throughout the region hosted a girls-only Try Hockey for Free event on Sept. 14. An annual grant of $25,000 from Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation supported the event funding. More than 510 girls participated and the Capitals Future Caps Learn to Play female participation increased more than 10% in less than seven days.

Future Caps Learn to Play: In partnership with the National Hockey League and National Hockey League Player's Association, the Capitals continued this season to offer the Future Caps Learn to Play program presented by World Wide Technology. As of July 2025, the program saw over 1,300 registrations across the 2024-25 campaign.

Future Caps offers first-time participants, ages 5-9, free, Capitals-branded head-to-toe equipment and eight classes of instruction from certificated coaches, Capitals alumni and female ambassadors. Since its launch in 2016, more than 10,342 players have been introduced to hockey through the Capitals Learn to Play Program. The program was offered at 19 local rinks throughout the 2024-25 season. To learn more about the program, visit CapsYouthHockey.com/youth-on-ice/future-caps/.

Sticks & Sneakers: Sticks & Sneakers is a first of its kind learn to play ball hockey initiative that provides families the opportunity to join the hockey community through an accessible and affordable program. Participants develop fundamental skills that will help them succeed in hockey and beyond. The Sticks & Sneakers program is designed for first-time players between the ages of 5-14. For a small fee, participants will receive free equipment and three weeks of age-appropriate introductory instruction on the fundamental skills of hockey from certified coaches. To learn more about the program, visit capsyouthhockey.com/youth-off-ice/ball-hockey/sticks-sneakers-learn-to-play/.

Sunday Summer Skills: Capitals youth hockey continues to offer the Sunday Summer Skills Clinic Series, which features members of the Capitals youth hockey development staff guiding co-ed sessions for players of all skill levels including across offensive, goalie and defensive skills, and more. The program, offered May-August, saw nearly 200 participants in 2024.

Capitals Cup High School Championship: The Capitals support 14 high school hockey championships across eight leagues, crowning the “Caps Cup Champions.” There are currently 192 teams with 4,215 players and 880 coaches. Each league received support from Capitals Youth Hockey, with the champion teams receiving custom medals.

The Capitals also host league information, team pages, stats, standings, and more for all eight local High School Hockey leagues at CapitalsCup.com.

High School Captain’s Intermission: During an intermission during the Capitals Jan. 3 game, the Capitals honored nearly 100 local high school hockey captains in-game. Captains were honored at center ice as part of the Youth Hockey Weekend celebration.

Mites on Ice: Through Mites on Ice, local youth players are able to play a game at Capital One Arena during intermission while the Capitals home crowd cheers them on. Mites on Ice games, presented by Delta Dental, are refereed by Capitals mascot, Slapshot, and players get to wear Capitals jerseys while they skate. This program is limited to teams in the 8U age group and a maximum of sixteen (16) total players are allowed to participate (14 skaters and 2 goalies total).

This season 657 players participated across 44 intermissions.

Learn to Inline Skate Clinics: The Learn to Inline Skate program offers free inline skating clinics to kids ages 5-17. The program is designed for first-time skaters and saw 389 participants engaged during the 2024-25 season across 19 clinics as of June 2025.

Participants receive age-appropriate introductory instruction on the fundamentals of hockey skating and power-skating in order to be more proficient and agile on the rink. The focus is on developing proper techniques with all instruction being conducted without a puck. To learn more about the program, visit www.CapsYouthHockey.com/LearnToInlineSkate.

Capitals player Brandon Duhaime participated in a Capitals Youth Hockey Development Inline Skate session with local youth at Francis C. Hammond Middle School in Alexandria, Va, during the 2024-25 season. The focus was on developing proper techniques with all instruction being conducted without a puck.

Try Hockey for Free Clinics: The Try Hockey for Free program is geared toward participants ages 4-17. It launched in April 2022 to offer ball hockey clinics free of charge to local children across the Washington, D.C., area. Each participant learns the basics of hockey, including stickhandling, passing and shooting. Additionally, all participants receive a stick and ball to take home following the event to encourage continued development. As of June 2025, nearly 730 individuals participated during the 2024-25 season across 26 total clinics.

The Capitals Try Hockey for Free program is designed as both an introduction to the game for participants as well as an opportunity to reach families in the Washington community interested in more affordable options to participate in hockey. To learn more about the program, visit www.CapsYouthHockey.com/TryHockeyForFree.

JWHL Challenge: The Capitals were proud to support the Junior Women’s Hockey League Challenge Cup at MedStar Capitals Iceplex from Feb. 14-17. The annual tournament is hosted at MedStar Capitals Iceplex and Rockville Ice Arena by the Washington Pride in order to showcase Tier I (AAA) women’s ice hockey. The Capitals hosted the JWHL All-Star Girls’ Clinic with participation by 60 girls to kick off the Challenge Cup Weekend. The Capitals organization also extended support through social media marketing and by providing championship banners for all three age divisions.

Baltimore Street Hockey Tournament: Since 2010, the Washington Capitals have hosted a Baltimore Street Hockey Tournament in Baltimore City at Madison Square Recreation Center. This tournament was designed to provide local community centers the opportunity to be introduced to the sport of hockey in a fun and competitive environment. Originally, the tournament was a way for kids to try something new. Since then, the Capitals involvement in growing the game in Baltimore has involved the donation of street hockey equipment (sticks, balls, pucks, nets) to 40 community centers in Baltimore City in partnership with Baltimore City Recreation and Parks to encourage local kids to get involved in sports and physical activity. The Capitals also partnered with Baltimore City Public Schools to donate a set of floor hockey equipment to all 175 public schools in the city reaching close to 78,000 students as another avenue for kids in the city to be introduced to the sport.

The August 2024 tournament saw more than 100 youth participate across 12 teams. The 13^th Baltimore Street Hockey tournament took place on July 25.

GR895 Kids Day Practice: The Capitals hosted a GR895 Kids Day Practice on April 9, welcoming 895 students from Arlington Public Schools to MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., for the Capitals practice in celebration of Ovechkin becoming the NHL’s all-time goal scoring leader. Fourth and fifth grade students from five Arlington schools were in attendance to celebrate the milestone.

District of Play Initiatives

*District of Play* is Monumental Sports & Entertainment's groundbreaking youth sports initiative dedicated to providing every child in Washington, D.C., with the opportunity to engage in sports and build lifelong health benefits. Through a multi-million-dollar, multi-year investment, the program focuses on creating safe play spaces, supplying essential equipment, and fostering community engagement. By empowering youth and uniting communities, District of Play aims to make sports accessible and inclusive for all children in the District.

Skate for Fitness Field Trips: Through Skate for Fitness Field Trips, the Capitals assisted with the transportation of DC Public Schools students to local rinks as part of the Fort Dupont Ice Arena Kids on Ice program to provide access to skating and ice hockey classes. Field trips were held at Canal Park Ice Rink in Washington, D.C., and at Tucker Road Ice Rink in Fort Washington, Md. One special field trip in April attended the Capitals SkyRink at Hi-Lawn at Union Market in Washington, D.C. Nearly 80 field trips from December through April saw participation by 2,153 students and 225 teachers and chaperones.

Rink Pass: The Washington Capitals Rink Pass program is an extension of the Hockey School platform, where students are first introduced to the sport in their Physical Education classes. The Rink Pass program provides students the opportunity to further engage with the sport outside of school through field trips to their local ice rinks for skating classes and local ball hockey rinks for continued hockey instruction. Through these field trips, students further their knowledge of the sport and continue their hockey instruction both on and off the ice.

Visits to each rink are scheduled in coordination with participating school systems and are offered to select grade levels. The Capitals provide transportation and all necessary equipment. Participating schools are selected by county administrators. The 2024-25 season saw five field trips to MedStar Capitals Iceplex, one field trip to the SkyRink at HiLawn at Union Market in Washington, D.C., and two field trips to Capitals ball/inline rinks. More than 1,000 students were engaged across three counties including Montgomery County in Maryland and Alexandria and Arlington counties in Virginia.

Kids on Ice Skate: In February, Capitals player Dylan McIlrath participated in a Fort Dupont Ice Arena Kids on Ice® Capitals Skate with local children at Canal Park Ice Rink in Washington, D.C.

Participating youth were affiliated with the Fort Dupont Ice Arena Kids on Ice® program, and the event was part of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s District of Play initiative. With the new Fort Dupont Ice Arena under construction, Kids on Ice® is the exclusive provider of youth skating instruction at Canal Park. Kids on Ice® is a member of Learn to Skate USA, a national organization fully supported by U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating, with support from Special Olympics and the U.S. Ice Rink Association. The Kids on Ice® program is unique in that all three types of skating are Olympic sports, it offers programming to both boys and girls, and parents can choose from either a team sport or an individual sport.

Union Market Rink Pass Field Trip: The Capitals and Union Market District announced in April the Capitals SkyRink at Hi-Lawn, a synthetic ice rink located on the rooftop at Union Market. As part of Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s District of Play initiative, the Capitals coordinated Rink Pass field trips with DC Public Schools students to play hockey at the rink. At 72 ft x 32 ft, the 2,300 square foot Capitals Rink at Hi-Lawn was the largest outdoor rooftop synthetic rink in the nation. The rink’s vast size allowed for general skating while also encouraging hockey play with hockey sticks, pucks and goals available to skaters.

Fort Dupont Ice Arena: During the 2024-25 season, the Capitals continued to support Fort Dupont Ice Arena (FDIA). FDIA, currently under reconstruction, is the only public indoor ice arena located in Washington, D.C., and the only skating facility in the area that provides free or subsidized skating programs to children. It’s also home to the Fort Dupont Cannons, the oldest minority youth hockey program in North America.

In 2023, MSE Foundation and the Capitals pledged $500,000 to the Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena in support of its Kids On Ice ® program. The grant is being distributed over a five-year period, with FDIA receiving $100,000 per year. Through District of Play, the Capitals are pledging an additional $200,000 per year to support FDIA and the Fort Dupont Cannons. This annual investment funds weekly ice time, new gear for skaters and players, staffing, off-ice programming, and more.

The 2024-25 season saw the donation of a Sani Sport Supreme ozone unit that kills 98% of bacteria and 100% of viruses in a 12-minute cycle, the same system used by 28 NHL clubs, including the Capitals. The treatment keeps gear safer, fresher and lasting longer.

Through District of Play, the new rink is also the recipient of 314 pairs of rental skates – 227 figure skates and 87 hockey skates – so that every child can step onto the ice upon the rink’s reopening.