Healthy competition among forwards pushes Tyler Graovac in return from injury

For almost a month, Tyler Graovac hasn’t been in a lineup. On October 17, Graovac was injured in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, suffering an upper-body injury that listed him at week-to-week.

After returning to the ice in early November, the 6-foot-5 center was assigned to Hershey on Tuesday on a long-term conditioning stint to begin his journey hopefully back to the NHL.

“It’s a first for me,” said Graovac after Hershey’s game Wednesday. “I’ve had some injuries before. I’ve never really been out this long. Definitely a different feeling. New room, new coaches, new teammates. I was a little hesitant out there today I felt, but it’s going to come.”

Graovac was traded to Washington to provide an extra slot for a forward to protect in the NHL Expansion Draft this summer, but was a nice surprise for the Caps during training camp, earning a spot on their opening night roster.

Now, a logjam appears to be forming in the nation’s capital as Washington’s injured players are coming off of IR, while call-ups like Chandler Stephenson and Madison Bowey are proving they deserve to keep their spot on the NHL roster when decisions need to be made.

“I think I even saw it at training camp, the competition is there,” Graovac commented on the current depth situation for the Caps. “I think it’s a great thing for the organization. We have great depth and wing and center spots. It’s great competition. It pushes everybody. If you asked me where I would be three/four weeks ago it would be somewhere different.

“With this game, every week’s different, every day’s different. From an individual standpoint, I just have to be healthy, be confident. Not so much hesitation out there and whatever happens, happens. It’s out of my control.”

Bears head coach Troy Mann was impressed with his new center in his first game with the Chocolate and White. “He hasn’t played a game in four weeks, and [had] minimal practice time,” said Mann, “the NHL schedule does not allow for a lot of practices – yesterday was his third overall practice since he played his last game. I thought it was fine.”

Mann paired the 24-year-old up with Mathias Bau and Riley Barber on the second like against Syracuse. “I thought that line had some good o-zone time. A couple of big bodies there and Barbs has got a tremendous work ethic as well. I suspect [Tyler] will be even better on Friday. It’s good to get that first one out of the way, I know he’s pretty excited about the schedule. Including tonight we’ve got pretty much an NHL schedule over the next four games.”

While there’s a chance these are the only three games he spends in a Hershey sweater, the jump from DC to Hershey has been very smooth for Graovac. “It’s been an easy transition. With the coaching staff, even up above, and the medical teams, we’ve made a game plan since day one and attacked it and four weeks later I’m back out playing. You briefly meet a few guys at training camp. It’s different because you are all battling for the same jobs, but you get closer to [them]. Just after one win today you feel closer to the group, you bond a little bit.

“It really is a great group. You never want to be too comfortable, but this is a good spot here.”