Cam Allen’s rookie pro season didn’t go the way he wanted, but the Capitals defensive prospect is treating the setback like a reset button.
A shoulder injury that he had already been dealing with flared up halfway through his first year with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, and surgery shut him down early. The 21-year-old ended up playing just 22 games, finishing with seven points, 22 penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating.
“It sucks; There's no other way to put it, but I've been through it before where I've missed some time with my other shoulder and everything. But there's a lot of value in the other stuff you can do,” Allen said. “Watching the game, you're constantly relearning and focusing on what's important to me at that time, which was rehabbing.”
Even while he was sidelined, Allen wasn’t going through it alone. Tom Wilson stayed in touch and became a steady source of feedback as Allen worked back.
“Just talking to him every day, he's always got pointers, and he's not afraid to tell me (different things),” Allen said. “It's great, every day little conversations.”
By the end of the year, Allen was back on the ice skating, and he looked sharp at Capitals development camp, where he skated without contact. He stood out with his speed in testing, better skating and stronger defensive IQ, and he also handled a larger leadership role.
The right-shot defenseman, selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, expects to be ready when training camp opens in the fall.
Now, with pro experience behind him and his body back in shape, Allen says he wants a bigger jump.
“I hope to take a big step,” Allen said. “I'm not dipping my toes in the water anymore. It's coming full force, and hopefully I have a good impact on the game and (can) be a big part of the team.”
That’s the next challenge: convincing Washington he can handle major minutes at the NHL level, especially with the organization looking for more depth on the right side.
Allen says he’s not interested in easing in this time.
“It’s knowing my game and not tiptoeing around, just really stepping in, using my speed, using my strength to impact the game in so many different ways,” Allen said. “There's a lot of things that I can do within the game, but it's just finding what I do best and using that at the pro level. I think that'll help me take some big steps.”
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