Lackovic, Chisholm, others suit up for first game as Caps; Mateiko gets a bit bigger, more
Summer’s End – On the final full day of the summer of 2025, a youthful group of Capitals is making its way to Boston for the first of Washington’s six preseason games of training camp. While the rest of the Caps engaged in a Sunday morning scrimmage at MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, today’s game group takes a plane ride to Beantown following three high-paced practice days to start camp.
All Things New Again – If it’s mid-September and the Caps are playing their first preseason tilt, then someone is almost certainly getting their first taste of NHL preseason action. The Caps have a few such players today, including 18-year-old Lynden Lackovic, the team’s first-round choice (27th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Lackovic attended Washington’s summer development camp in July and its rookie camp in Annapolis last weekend, and after three days of training camp drills, practices, scrimmages and scrums, the 6-foot-4, 190-pound winger makes his NHL preseason debut skating the left side of a line with Eriks Mateiko in the middle and Spencer Smallman riding shotgun.
Less than three months after hearing his name called in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft, Lackovic is opening eyes at Caps camp.
“He’s looked fantastic,” says Carbery of Lackovic’s early camp performance. “From all the reports in Annapolis he was great there, and then the first two days of camp he has looked excellent. The things that I notice, two things: one, he’s got deceptive speed for a bigger guy. He skates really well, and you saw it in the skate test and that; he blew away his group.
“For a guy his size and his age to be that efficient as a skater is really impressive. For someone that big that you think is only going to grow into a big power forward that can skate like that is very unique.
“And then he’s got a great presence about him. Usually, the first crop of your first pro camp, you’re a little tentative, nervous, just kind of getting where you fit in. He is asking questions, looking you in the eye, ‘What do I do here, coach?’ You can feel he’s got a confidence and a little bit of swagger, but not in an arrogant way, in a way that he feels like he fits in and can play with everybody out here.”
Lackovic also seems very even and level; he doesn’t seem rattled or intimidated by anything he is going through here in camp. Those characteristics should serve him well as he takes this step today in his hockey career.
“It’s definitely surreal,” says Lackovic. “It’s every kid’s dream to throw on an NHL jersey for the first time in a game situation. I’m definitely going to be amped up and looking forward to it. I’m happy to be out there with some of the veteran guys and to learn from them.”
In just 47 games with WHL Moose Jaw in his draft season of 2024-25, Lackovic piled up 27 goals and 58 points. With a December 2006 birthday, he would be eligible to play in Hershey as early as 2025-26. But first things first; camp is only a few days old and he’ll be aiming to stick around and continue making a strong first impression as long as he can.
“Just competing is the biggest thing for myself and what I think the management is looking for, and whatever is going to help us win the game,” says Lackovic. “Another thing would be my details. In defensive zone coverage and on the forecheck, I have to be real detailed with my routes, my timing and my checking. If I do all that, at the end of the day, my bread and butter is a skill game. So I think if I’m moving my feet and I’m making plays and I’m using my hockey IQ, I think it’s going to go well for me.”
Mateiko was the Caps’ third-round pick (90th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he got his first taste of preseason activity a year ago at this time. What would he tell his linemate Lackovic about the experience?
“Just enjoy it; it’s your first time,” says Mateiko. “I had my first time last year. Try to soak it in. It’s a really good experience, especially playing in Boston too, against pro guys. Obviously, not a lot of players can have that on their résumé, so just be grateful and enjoy it.”
Lackovic’s training camp roommate is Terik Parascak, the Caps’ first-round pick (17th overall) from the 2024 Draft. Parascak also got his first taste of NHL preseason action last fall. Preseason NHL games are different birds in a lot of ways, especially road games. That’s magnified a bit with a 5 pm start time, an unusual starting time for hockey players at any time of year.
“I was talking to my roommate about this the other day,” says Lackovic. “I’ve never hopped off a plane and played a game a few hours later. So that’s going to be different for me, but I’m going to treat it like any other game, even though it isn’t.
“I think I still have a lot to prove. I’m going to go out there and compete, but if you’re not sleeping at night, then you’re thinking about too much and I don’t think you’re going to play too well, so you have to treat it like every other game.”
Seconds Of Pleasure – Coming off another strong season in the QMJHL, the 19-year-old Mateiko – who will turn 20 in November – is eligible to begin his pro career this season, and he will be looking to prove he is worthy of doing so at camp this fall.
After the Caps drafted him in the summer of 2024 and he got his own first taste of the NHL preseason last fall, Mateiko returned to the QMJHL where he served as captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs in his third season with that club. Following a dazzling performance – five goals in as many games, including an overtime game-winner against Germany – at the 2025 World Junior Championship, Saint John swapped Mateiko to Rimouski, where the lanky Latvian went on a lengthy playoff run with the Oceanic. The 6-foot-6, 214-pound Mateiko totaled seven goals and 11 points in 18 playoff games after putting up 26 goals and 41 points in 47 regular season contests.
“I feel way better this year,” says Mateiko, “and not ‘way’ better; but I feel like I know what’s coming. And I had a good summer getting ready for this camp. So yeah, I feel pretty good.
“I’m still working on getting bigger – more strength, more weight. I still have to do that and I’m still growing. But it’s puck battles – board battles and puck battles – and I feel like I did some good work this summer, put in some good work in getting the weight and strength up. So that was my biggest goal of the summer.”
Mission accomplished. Last season, the Washington media guide listed Mateiko at 6-foot-5, 207 pounds. He has added an inch and seven pounds since.
Something Wild – Defenseman Declan Chisholm, obtained from the Minnesota Wild in a deal during the 2025 NHL Draft, will also pull on the Washington game sweater for the first time this afternoon in Boston.
A fifth-round pick (150th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in the 2018 NHL Draft, Chisholm has logged 99 NHL games with Winnipeg and the Wild, scattered over three NHL campaigns. He skated in 66 games with the Wild last season, scoring a pair of goals and putting up a dozen points.
“I would say I’m a two-way [defenseman],” says Chisholm. “I think I’ve really worked on my defensive game, especially last year. And I want to continue just trying to create more offense in this league; it’s obviously a lot harder. So I want to use my skating and my quick breakouts, quick passing and transition to my advantage.”
In The Nets – Logan Thompson and Garin Bjorklund are the two netminders going to Boston for Sunday’s preseason opener. There’s no early word on how they’ll be deployed, but last season, the Caps split their goaltenders midway through the preseason opener against Philadelphia. However, the two goaltenders for that game were last season’s Hershey tandem of Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson.
Thompson will share the Washington net with Charlie Lindgren this season while Bjorklund is expected to be part of the Hershey netminding duo along with Stevenson.
All Lined Up – Here’s how we except the Caps to look when they take the ice today in Boston and a roster of likely Bruins participants for Sunday’s game:
WASHINGTON
Forwards
22-Duhaime, 26-Dowd, 53-Frank
15-Milano, 29-Lapierre, 72-Beauvillier
63-Miroshnichenko, 58-Rybinski, 87-Trineyev
14-Lackovic, 73-Mateiko, 81-Smallman
Defensemen
47-Chisholm, 57-van Riemsdyk
25-Rosen, 2-Iorio
45-Muggli, 41-Chesley
Goaltenders
48-Thompson
68-Bjorklund
BOSTON
71-Arvidsson, Victor
13-Blumel, Matej
38-Brown, Patrick
62-Duran, Riley
39-Geekie, Morgan
84-Jeannot, Tanner
28-Lindholm, Elias
23-Lysell, Fabian
93-Minten, Fraser
51-Poitras, Matt
21-Steeves, Alex
48-Viel, Jeffrey
Defensemen
59-Brunet, Frederic
6-Lohrei, Mason
73-McAvoy, Charlie
26-Peeke, Andrew
29-Soderstrom, Victor
58-Sweezey, Billy
91-Zadorov, Nikita
Goaltenders
60-Cavallini, Luke
80-DiPietro, Michael
85-Zajicek, Simon
Hockey News