Capitals Rookie Camp: Fitness, Drills, Lapierre, Iorio, Has Impress On Day 3

ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals hit the ice early, with all skaters on the ice at 9 a.m. sharp. Coaches were setting up laser gates for skate tests to open Day 3. However, due to a malfunction with the cameras and gates, the rookies got out of the testing, as cones were set up instead for more drills and skating work.

Still, fitness was a priority, and the rookies were still in for quite a bit of work.

The day consisted of skating through cones and 1-on-1 drills, along with more work on shooting and rushes up and down the ice. And when it came to skating, there were a few names that stood out after Henrik Rybinski and more stole the show on Day 2.

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Hendrix Lapierre and Vincent Iorio were all in on the drills, going hard in the 1-on-1 drills and not shying away from contact. Despite their tight-knit friendship off the ice, both were physical and aggressive while competing against one another. Lapierre and Iorio were also in high spirits, sharing laughs, combining for a couple of goals, leading by example and also showcasing their moves.

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Another name that established himself on Sunday: Martin Has. The 2019 fifth-rounder showcased his skating ability and speed and was also physical on the backcheck. He is coming off a strong rookie season in the QMJHL with the Shawinigan Cataractes that saw him dish eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points in 57 games while also playing top-4 minutes. The Cataractes also won the President’s Cup this season.

Head coach Peter Laviolette was also there to watch the rookies in action and take in the mini-camp ahead of this week’s upcoming training camp starting Thursday.

Here are some other notes from today’s session:

• Clay Stevenson came up with quite a few impressive saves.
• Ethen Frank can really skate. He is great on his edges and has a lot of speed.
• Brooks Orpik was on the ice helping coach the youngsters on Sunday.
• After the skate, the rookies went for body fat testing.