Capitals Camp Notebook: Wilson Feeling Good, McMichael Confident In Camp

ARLINGTON, Va. — Washington Capitals training camp kicked off at MedStar Capitals Iceplex Thursday, ushering in the start of more than seven months of hockey action.

Here are the key news and notes from Day 2.

Tom Wilson: “I feel like myself.”

When Tom Wilson returned to the ice last season after his torn ACL was repaired, he wasn’t close to 100%.

To the Capitals’ benefit, it’s a different story now.

“I started feeling a lot better around one year kind of postdoc,” Wilson said Friday. “I probably came back seven, seven and a half months postdoc and, you know, it’s the middle of the season. You get soreness, you get fatigue, all that. At this point, it doesn’t really matter. I feel like myself, I feel great on the ice and [I’m] good to go.”

Like Nicklas Backstrom, injury concerns are all in the rearview.

“I’m not thinking about it at all,” Wilson said. “As time goes on it feels better and better, but at this point I’m not thinking about it. I’m not worrying about it. I’m out there doing my thing, and it’s nice to feel good on on Day 1. Obviously there’s bumps and bruises throughout the year, but starting good, feeling great. Feeling like myself.”

McMichael Excited To Play Under Carbery Again

It’s not the first time Connor McMichael is coming into Spencer Carbery’s camp.

In 2020, McMichael’s first year with the Hershey Bears, Carbery was entering his third season at the helm of the squad.

“When he was my coach, I think I had a good year,” McMichael said. “He knows my game well, and he knows what I’m capable of, so I think that’s for sure gonna help me.”

Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in July that he would “pencil in” McMichael to the NHL roster, but his fit is still to be determined.

“He might be playing wing to start the thing, eventually we’re gonna get him to center at some point,” MacLellan said Thursday. “I don’t know the timeframe on it. Had a good year last year, we’re really happy about his progress. But we’ll see where he ends up.”