The Capitals have found their next head coach.
Washington announced that the team is hiring Spencer Carbery to replace the fired Peter Laviolette as the 20th head coach in franchise history.
"We are extremely pleased to name Spencer as our new head coach," Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said in a statement. "Spencer is one of the best young coaches in the game who's had success at every level at which he has coached. We feel his leadership, communication skills, ability to develop players and familiarity with our organization will be a tremendous asset as he makes this next step in his coaching career."
The Washington Capitals have named Spencer Carbery the team’s head coach. #ALLCAPS
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) May 30, 2023
Carbery spent the last two seasons with the Maple Leafs, working as an assistant coach under Sheldon Keefe. He most notably worked with the power play, turning Toronto into one of the league's most lethal teams on the man advantage.
"It's a tremendous honor and privilege to be named the head coach of the Washington Capitals," Carbery said in a statement. "I would like to thank the Capitals organization for affording me the opportunity to lead this team. I look forward to working with this group of talented players and building upon the winning culture in place. I would also like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for all their support over the past two years and wish them all the best in the future."
Carbery spent time in Washington's AHL and ECHL systems, so while he may not be as well-known in the NHL coaching circle, he has experience within the Capitals' farm system.
NHL PLAYOFFS: FULL BRACKET | PREDICTIONS | SCHEDULE
Washington is coming off a disappointing 2022-23 season that saw the club miss the postseason for the first time since 2014. The Capitals finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 35-27-10.
The Sporting News has more details on Carbery and what he's bringing to the Capitals.
Who is Spencer Carbery?
Carbery, 41, is one of the NHL's best and brightest young coaches. It was a matter of when, not if, he got a crack at a head coaching position in the league.
The former winger began his coaching career in 2010 when he joined the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays' coaching staff after announcing his retirement from hockey. He was named head coach ahead of the 2011-12 season when head coach Cail MacLean took a job in the AHL. At just 29 years old, he was the youngest head coach in the ECHL at the time.
In 2016, Carbery left the Stingrays to take the head coaching job with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. A year later, he was named one of the assistants for the AHL's Providence Bruins.
MORE: Gerard Gallant, Darryl Sutter among fired head coaches
Carbery returned to the Capitals' system in 2018, taking over as head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears. In his time with Hershey, he led the team to the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy in 2021 awarded to the AHL's regular-season champion and also won the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award for coach of the year.
With Hershey, Carbery oversaw the development of a number of young, prospering Capitals prospects that he could also have in the NHL this season. Among those that he coached are Martin Fehervary, Aliaksei Protas, Connor McMichael and Alex Alexeyev.
In the summer of 2021, Carbery got his first NHL coaching job, joining the Maple Leafs' staff as an assistant. In his two seasons with the Maple Leafs, Carbery was specifically responsible for turning around the Leafs' power play.
Under Carbery, the Maple Leafs' power play was second-best in the NHL over the last two years, clicking at a 26.6% success rate. Only the Oilers (29.4%) had a better power play in that span.
Carbery garnered a ton of interest this summer with multiple head coaching jobs available, but his familiarity with the organization played a role in his return. The Capitals didn't want to lose Carbery before when he was hired by the Maple Leafs, but now have him running the ship in Washington.
