Capitals sign Ryan Chesley to entry-level contract

According to a team statement, the contract will carry an average annual value (AAV) of $923,333 at the NHL level, and $82,500 in the AHL.

Chesley signed an amateur tryout agreement (ATO) with the Hershey Bears, the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. He scored a goal and two assists in four games.

Chesley, a second-round pick for the Capitals in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, spent three seasons playing college hockey with the University of Minnesota. In 116 games, he finished with 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points and 80 penalty minutes.

Before enrolling in college, Chesley spent two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team in the USHL. In those two seasons, he scored 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points in 53 games.

The Mahtomedi, Minn., native has represented the U.S. twice at the World Junior Championships, winning bronze in 2023 and gold in 2024.

The Capitls finished the season with a 51-22-9 record and 11 points, clinching the Metropolitan Division and the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Captain Alex Ovechkin led the team in goals with 44, finishing with 29 assists and 73 points. Dylan Strome led in assists and points with 53 and 82, respectively. Aliaksei Protas had 30 goals and 36 assists for 66 points, while Pierre-Luc Dubois had 20 goals and 46 assists for 66 points.

In the crease, Logan Thompson had a 31-6-6 record with a .910 save percentage (SV%) and 2.49 goals against average (GAA), while Charlie Lindgren had a 20-14-3 record and .896 SV% and 2.68 GAA.