Registration Now Open for 2026-27 Future Caps Learn to Play At 18 Local Rinks

This is a press release from the Washington Capitals and World Wide Technology

The program provides first-time participants ages 5-9 with head-to-toe equipment, eight classes of age-appropriate on-ice instruction and certified coaching

Registration is now open for the 2026-27 Future Caps Learn to Play program presented by World Wide Technology (WWT), hosted at 18 local rinks. The program provides first-time participants ages 5-9 with head-to-toe equipment, eight classes of age-appropriate on-ice instruction and certified coaching in a fun and safe atmosphere. Each participant also receives a special welcome video from Capitals forward and Learn to Play ambassador Aliaksei Protas.

The program is intended for players who are completely new to the sport and have not participated in an organized ice hockey program before. Participants are required to have completed a Learn to Skate program at a local rink prior to registering for the program, but those with previous organized ice hockey experience and/or who have obtained a USA Hockey membership number in the past are ineligible.

Click here to register for the program. Please note that additional rinks and sessions may be added throughout the season, and players may only register for and participate in Future Caps Learn to Play once.

Participating rinks in Virgina include: Ashburn Ice House (Ashburn, VA), Brigade Sports Complex (Annapolis, MD), Haymarket IcePlex (Haymarket, VA), MedStar Capitals Iceplex (Arlington, VA), Mount Vernon Rec Center (Alexandria, VA), Prince William Ice Center (Woodbridge, VA), Powhatan Ice Den (Powhatan, VA), Richmond Ice Zone (Chesterfield, VA), SkateQuest (Reston, VA), Skate Nation Plus (Glen Allen, VA) and The St. James (Springfield, VA).

Participating rinks in Maryland include: Bowie Ice Arena (Bowie, MD), Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex (Hagerstown, MD), Ice World (Abingdon, MD), Reisterstown Sportsplex (Reisterstown, MD), Rockville Ice Arena (Rockville, MD), Skate Frederick (Frederick, MD) and Talbot County Ice Rink (Easton, MD).

"World Wide Technology is proud to continue our partnership with the Future Caps Learn to Play program, giving kids across the Washington, D.C., region an accessible way to fall in love with hockey," said Scot Gagnon, Vice President, Federal, WWT. "Programs like this reflect what we value most as a company – investing in the communities where our people live and work. Helping the next generation build confidence, teamwork and character on and off the ice is exactly why we're excited to be part of this program.”

Future Caps is a Learn to Play initiative developed in collaboration with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) through the Industry Growth Fund. The NHL and NHLPA have identified the need for a unified growth strategy as a priority for the sport of hockey. The Future Caps Learn to Play program aims to be the gold standard for youth hockey programs with the goal of inspiring more families to join the hockey community.

During the 2025-26 season, the program introduced over 1,500 kids ages 5-9 to ice hockey. Since its launch in 2016, more than 12,000 players have been introduced to the sport through it.

According to USA Hockey, there has been significant growth in hockey participation in the Washington, D.C., area since Alex Ovechkin was drafted. The total number of USA Hockey-registered youth and adult players in D.C. has climbed by more than 220 percent from 2005-06 through 2025-26. The total number of USA Hockey-registered girls and women players across D.C., Maryland and Virginia has also increased by 225 percent over that period. Additionally, the Southeastern District (comprised of D.C., Maryland and Virginia, as well as nine other states) ranked No. 1 in registration for the 2025-26 season.

The Capitals Youth Hockey Development team offers a robust lineup of hockey programming and is committed to growing the game throughout the region. For more information on the programming, visit capsyouthhockey.com.

This is a press release from the Washington Capitals and World Wide Technology