The Washington Capitals‘ 2024-2025 campaign was promised big things. The adjustments made to the squad during the off-season, combined with the hope of seeing Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s goals record, had fans impatient for the start of the year.
Although the Russian is on track to join the Wonder as of this season, with a harvest of ten goals in 16 matches, it is not he who stands out the most in terms of efficiency in hitting the target. It is rather the young 23-year-old center, Connor McMichael, who stands out. Not only is he his team’s top scorer, but he also has the best success rate among players who have played at least five duels, with an efficiency of 26.1%. This figure is almost double that of last year, which was 13.3%.
Friday, during the visit of Caps in Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche, the former Ontario Hockey League (OHL) athlete scored a double, bringing his total to 12 goals and coming within one achievement of the top of the Bettman circuit. A feat that few people had on their bingo card heading into the 2024-2025 financial year. This meeting marked the return of Valeri Nichushkin, Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood for the Avsbut these returns were overshadowed by McMichael’s performance.
He stands out as one of the great surprises of the season, both with the Capitals and in the National Hockey League (NHL). In 2023-2024, he had his best campaign in terms of statistics with 18 goals and 15 assists in 80 games. This year, he only needs six goals and eight assists to match those totals. McMichael is currently the third point scorer on the team led by Spencer Carbery, with 19 points. Collectively, Washington is in second place in the Metropolitan division.
