Ryan Leonard and Ivan Miroshnichenko shine in 3-on-3 tournament to close 2023 Development Camp (Photos)
The Washington Capitals concluded their 2023 Development Camp with a three-on-three scrimmage tournament on Thursday morning. The half-rink games were played vertically and competed in by five separate teams of prospects. The tournament replaced what has been in the past a full-ice scrimmage between just two teams in past development camps.
Team Grey, led offensively by Andrew Cristall and Alex Suzdalev, ended up as the victors at the end of the games. Their prize was a replica Lombardi Trophy (Super Bowl) with a puck poorly taped on the top of it. The prospects gleefully hoisted the trophy and skated it around the rink as fans in attendance applauded their efforts.
A few other standouts in the games included the two first-round picks at the camp. 2022 selection Ivan Miroshnichenko scored bucket loads of goals for Red Team and 2023 pick Ryan Leonard ended his impressive camp by scoring in bunches for Blue Team.
Rosters
Red Team
Bogdan Trineyev “C”
Ivan Miroshnichenko
Simon Tassy
Ryan Leibold
Dylan Anhorn
Aaron Trotter (G)
White Team
Oskar Magnusson “C”
Ryan Chesley
T.J. Hughes
Patrick Thomas
Ryan Hofer
Garin Bjorklund (G)
Blue Team
Brent Johnson “C”
Ryan Leonard
Max Burkholder
Jack Rogers
Jaxson Murray
Mitchell Gibson (G)
Green Team
Haakon Hanelt “C”
Ludwig Persson
Jake Karabela
Cam Allen
Brett Hyland (inj.)
Chase Clark (G)
Gray Team
Joaquim Lemay “C”
Alex Suzdalev
Andrew Cristall
Ian Pierce
David Gucciardi (inj.)
Antoine Keller (G)
Photo recap
Free agent Aaron Trotter
2023 seventh-round draft pick Antoine Keller
2018 fourth-round draft pick Mitchell Gibson
2020 sixth-round draft pick Garin Bjorklund
For it being just a 30 minute warmup for the five goalies, 2021 sixth-round draft pick Chase Clark seemed to be having an absolute blast. After another netminder made a fantastic save during the drills, Clark leaped into the air to celebrate it.
Boards were put in place to create two mini rinks on either side and an open area at center for the benches.
The games were five minutes a piece with non-stop, close-quarters action and lots of scoring. The red team, featuring last season’s first-round draft choice Ivan Miroshnichenko, seemed to be lighting the lamp most frequently.
Miroshnichenko played some spirited hockey, scoring a whole slew of goals and playing noticeably physical at times. The Russian winger even put 2023 first-round pick Ryan Leonard hard into the boards.
2020 fourth-round draft pick Bogdan Trineyev
Free agent Ryan Leibold
Free agent Dylan Anhorn
Free agent Simon Tassy
Fresh off being made the first member of the team’s 2023 draft class, Leonard led the blue team.
Free agent Max Burkholder
The white team was highlighted by defenseman Ryan Chesley, the Caps second-round pick in 2022.
2022 sixth-round pick Ryan Hofer
Free agent TJ Hughes
2020 seventh-round pick Oskar Magnusson
At the end of the tournament, the gray team secured the championship in overtime via a goal from Dartmouth’s Ian Pierce.
Free agent Ian Pierce
2021 fourth-round pick Joaquim Lemay
The tournament championship trophy was an artfully-crafted, replica Lombardi Trophy (Super Bowl) with a hockey puck taped to the top of it.
The gray team held up the trophy, one by one.
Ian Pierce
Andrew Cristall
Alexander Suzdalev
Antoine Keller
After the final game, Leonard made time to greet fans and handed up a puck to 15-year-old Grayson. Grayson is a passionate Caps fan that had a blast at this past week’s camp. Grayson’s mom Susan reached out to us to share a little more about this awesome interaction.
“He started following the Caps several years ago when he got the chance to skate on their ice with the Washington Blind Hockey Club,” Susan said. “Grayson is intellectually disabled but knows his Capitals well, he knows all of the players, coaches, announcers, and statistics. He loves watching Caps games on his iPad and enjoys, like all of us, playing the 2018 Stanley Cup parade on repeat. Lots of players have taken time this week to meet Grayson and take pictures and sign autographs for him, which Susan says is what they love so much about the Capitals organization.”
Photos: Alan Dobbins/RMNB
Source: Russian Machine Never Breaks
