Capitals Prospects To Watch: Bogdan Trineyev A Dark Horse For NHL Time Next Season

The Washington Capitals are very much a team in transition right now as the core ages and the group gets younger. Washington is starting to turn the attention to its youth in the system to help fill voids, and one name that could surprise and be in the NHL sooner rather than later is prospect Bogdan Trineyev.

Trineyev, who is entering the final year of his entry-level contract, has been proving his worth all season long with the AHL's Hershey Bears and has been an instrumental part of the team's Calder Cup run in his first full North American season.

In 63 games with Hershey in the regular season, the 2020 fourth-rounder had nine goals and seven assists for 16 points, along with a plus/minus of plus-12 and only 18 penalty minutes. In 10 playoff games thus far, he has four assists and has been packing a punch on the team's fourth line.

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Trineyev is a capable power forward who has good hockey sense, screens the goaltender and gets to the right places, but it's his play away from the puck that makes him an even bigger asset and a candidate for a roster spot in D.C. next season.

The 6-foot-3, 198-pound winger is a physical presence who gets to the right places at the right times and thrives in a bottom-6 role, somewhat like Beck Malenstyn. He is a utility player with great defensive awareness who isn't afraid to battle for pucks along the boards, get in front of shots or show some grit. He has also taken on the role of a penalty killer down with the Bears.

Trineyev, a right-hand shot, could compete for a role to replace the likes of Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who is an unrestricted free agent, on the fourth line with Malenstyn and Nic Dowd.

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Still, there's a lot of depth and competition, and for Trineyev, there are still ways to go and a learning curve. But the improvement and maturity he's showcased so far through 2023-24 are promising signs for Washington, and it could result in a call-up at the very least next year.