The Washington Capitals had some representation on the ice at the 2025 Shoulder Check Showcase charity game on Thursday night.
Ryan Leonard and Sonny Milano squared off in the third annual event at Terry Conners Rink in Stamford, Connecticut. The two were part of a group of 26 NHL players who gathered to help raise money for the HT40 Foundation, a mental health charity created in honor of the late Hayden Thorsen.
Leonard played on NHL trainer Ben Prentiss and former Metropolitan Riveters captain Madison Packer’s team, while Milano played on a team led by Martin St. Louis and Jonathan Quick.
Leonard scored one of 11 goals for Team Prentiss in an 11-5 victory over Team Quick. The 20-year-old winger beat a defender to the outside at the blue line and rifled a wicked wrister off the post behind Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger and in.
The Boston College product is expected to play his first full season with the Capitals next year after 17 combined regular-season and playoff games for the club this past season. He was joined on the ice Thursday by a few of his former Eagles teammates, including Cutter Gauthier and Will Smith.
Milano skating is notable as the 29-year-old forward was kept out of the Capitals’ lineup for virtually the entire 2024-25 campaign, getting into just three games last fall before an upper-body injury prematurely ended his season in early November.
The New York native appeared to make progress toward a return, skating again by December, rejoining practice by January, and shedding his no-contact jersey in February. However, he suffered a “fairly significant setback” in early March and did not return to the ice for the remainder of the season.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick told reporters in July that Milano “feels good” and is expected to participate in the team’s training camp in a couple of months.
Before his shortened 2024-25 season, Milano recorded 23 points (15g, 8a) and played 49 games in 2023-24. He has one year remaining on his contract with the Caps at a $1.9 million cap hit.