Capitals’ 5-foot 7, 140-pound Matthew Phillips tops the list of season-opening NHL roster surprises

Matthew Phillips is 140 pounds and listed at 5-foot-7. More important, he is listed on an NHL roster.

Phillips making the Washington Capitals at the start of the season is one of the biggest surprises around the league. He is one of a couple of unexpected players to open with the Capitals, joining 2022 second-round picks Matthew Poitras in Boston and Fraser Minten in Toronto among those who earned a spot with a strong training camp and preseason.

“He’s a hard-working guy,” Washington captain Alex Ovechkin said of Phillips. “He’s small but doesn’t take contact and makes some plays. He deserves it.”

MATTHEW PHILLIPS

A 2016 sixth-round pick, Phillips has spent the past six years in the minors in the Calgary Flames organization, putting up impressive numbers but nothing that got him an extended look with the big club. His NHL experience to this point is 32:23 over a total of three games.

Now 25, Phillips could be on the ice against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday when the Capitals play their first game of the season.

“It’s something that I was working all summer for and, frankly, I’ve been kind of working my whole life for” Phillips said. “They gave me a great opportunity and put a lot of trust in me, so I just tried to kind of do my best every day.”

Washington Capitals defenseman Chase Priskie, center Matthew Phillips, defenseman Hardy Haman Aktell and center Dylan Strome, from left, celebrate a goal by Phillips against the Detroit Red Wings during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Detroit. Credit: AP/David Guralnick

Phillips had a goal and two assists in five preseason games, but new coach Spencer Carbery said it was more about the chances generated. Phillips sure did plenty of that the past two years in the American Hockey League, piling up 67 goals and 77 assists in 131 games.

“Man, he can make plays,” veteran winger T.J. Oshie said. “He’s very, very smart. He’s obviously a smaller guy, but he’s smart enough to put himself in positions to win puck battles (and) create space for himself. … I wouldn’t want to cover him.”

Also joining Phillips on the initial Capitals roster is fellow longtime minor leaguer Lucas Johansen, a 2016 first-round pick and one-time top prospect. He also has a whole three games of NHL experience.

“(Johansen) has had various bumps along the road from injuries to you name it, he’s probably been through it,” said Carbery, who coached Johansen for three years in Hershey of the AHL. “(He) just kept pushing and grinding and trying to find a way every day to get better.”

A shot by Washington Capitals center Matthew Phillips slips past Detroit Red Wings goaltender Jan Bednar for a goal during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, in Detroit. Credit: AP/David Guralnick

MATTHEW POITRAS

The Bruins thought maybe one day Poitras would be part of their future. The 19-year-old stood out so much that he’s part of their present.

Poitras handled preseason games on back-to-back nights and scored a game winner against the Rangers. Rarely did the 54th pick in the draft last year look unprepared for the occasion.

“Matthew has stepped forward every challenge thus far,” general manager Don Sweeney said. “We’ll see if that continues.”

New captain Brad Marchand likened Poitras to recently retired Bruins center David Krejci when it comes to poise with the puck.

“He doesn’t seem like he’s ever under pressure, and the game doesn’t move too fast for him,” Marchand said. “He has all the attributes to be a great player in this league, and we’ll see how it plays out.”

John Beecher, a 22-year-old forward, could also make the team as Boston moves forward without Krejci and six-time Selke Trophy winner Patrice Bergeron.

FRASER MINTEN

Sheldon Keefe didn’t make up some story about how he and his Toronto coaching staff saw the promise of Minten from the first practice of training camp. Keefe acknowledged the 19-year-old “wasn’t on our radar at all.”

Minten’s body of work allowed him to force his way onto the team that’s trying to get over the hump in the playoffs and, like Boston, compete for the Stanley Cup. The Leafs needed another center, and Minten earned the chance.

“The foundation of his game is rooted in competitiveness, intelligence — just pro habits and detail.,” Keefe told reporters. “All things that normally when kinds are coming out of junior, you’ve got to spend time to get into their game, he arrives with that. That’s exciting, and that’s why he didn’t take a step backwards. He just has that solid foundation to build upon.”

Given the high expectations in Toronto, a bad stretch could lead to Minten returning to the Western Hockey League. But for now, he will get a taste of the NHL to show he deserves to stay.