WLC Alumni & History

The History of the Washington Little Capitals 
In 1977, 12 families of Pee Wee-aged players from the Fairfax Ice Hockey Club ( Fairfax, Va. ), competing in the Tier II Capital Beltway Hockey League (CBHL), decided they wanted their children to compete at a higher level of play. This led to the creation of the Washington Metros Hockey Club. Two years later, the club applied to, and was accepted by, the Atlantic Metropolitan Hockey League (AMHL). The AMHL includes teams through the Mid-Atlantic states and as far north as Connecticut . Membership in the AMHL is very limited and based upon the relative strength of the players residing within a geographic area.

In 1983 the Washington Metros merged with an elite Midget-level hockey club, the Washington Young Americans. This move established a new relationship within the CBHL, a base from which players were drawn. Several years later, with support from the parent NHL organization, the club changed its name to the Washington Little Capitals.

The WLC is one of the most historical and successful clubs in USA Hockey’s Southeastern District.  Many young players have gone on to prep school, Junior A, and college Division I and III programs. Several former players have been drafted into the NHL including Jeremy Roenick of the Los Angeles Kings and Jeff Halpern of the Washington Capitals.

Many Little Capitals teams have participated in the USA Hockey National Championships, and the WLC has been a proud host of these USA Hockey championships in 1994, 1999 and 2003.

In 2006 the Washington Little Capitals made the decision to move operations to the new Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington County, Va. , which is the training and front office facility for the NHL’s Washington Capitals.  The WLC also agreed to cooperate with the formation of Team Maryland, which is based out of the Rockville and Laurel ice rinks, and waive the AMHL’s exclusivity clause in order to allow Team Maryland probationary membership in the AMHL.  The Little Caps acknowledge that the Washington area has grown in size and population over the years, to the point it’s not realistic that one Tier I club could logistically serve the area.

WLC Alumni

Many players have passed through the Washington Little Captials Hockey club in the past 20+ years.  Some, like Jeff Halpern, have gone onto the NHL and lived their childhood dream of serving as team captain of the "hometown" Washington Capitals.

Others have simply made hockey a large part of their childhood, giving them team and individual skills that easily transfer to the real world.

Below is a list of players who have donned the Washington Little Caps uniform at one time or another. This list is constantly being updated so please e-mail corrections/additions to Jeff Nygaard at WashingtonLittleCaps@Comcast.net.  Only verified placements will be added to this list.