Ethen Frank

Ethen Frank turns heads at the Capitals' morning skate by shedding his no-contact jersey, signaling real progress from that brutal lower-body hit he took crashing into the Colorado net courtesy of Devon Toews. Coaches love seeing bottom-six grinders like Frank push back this quick, especially with Washington juggling scratches and returns like Miroshnichenko and Kampf.

The Capitals slide Ivan Miroshnichenko into the lineup against St. Louis as Ethen Frank sits with a lower-body injury that no one in the room is downplaying. This 2022 first-rounder has been itching for ice time after dominating in Hershey with 31 points in 38 games, and coach Spencer Carbery finally pulls the trigger with the bottom six needing a spark.

Ethen Frank added an exclamation point to Washington's dominant performance against Calgary with a late empty-netter, extending a night where the Capitals' depth scoring came through in a big way. The goal underscores Frank's value to Spencer Carbery's lineup - a speedy, versatile forward who's become a reliable contributor after clawing his way from the AHL to earn a two-year, $4 million extension just days earlier.