Jakub Vrana has faced many challenges both on and off the ice. Since 2021, he has been traded twice, participated in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, gone through waivers, and spent time in the minor leagues.
Now, he’s back at training camp with the Washington Capitals on a professional tryout, hoping to revive his career six years after helping the team win the Stanley Cup.
“My journey? It was difficult, man,” Vrana said. “Things happened over the past few years, but I’ve put that behind me and I’m ready to see this as a new chance to bounce back.”
At just 28 years old, Vrana was a first-round draft pick and has scored over 20 goals in a season twice. He also scored during Washington’s 2018 Cup-clinching win, a highlight of his 165 points with the team.
David Pastrnak, a fellow Czech and winger for Boston, has trained with Vrana for 13 years. After seeing him in the gym this past summer, Pastrnak is hopeful about Vrana’s chances of landing an NHL job.
“Obviously super cheering for him,” Pastrnak said. “We all know he’s very fit, and he’s physically prepared. He looks very good and very in shape, so I really hope that he can get his career running again.”
Vrana’s last contract paid him over $5 million a year, which is typical for wingers with his scoring ability. To stay with the Capitals and secure a guaranteed contract for the season, he will need to do more than just score goals.
“The thing that I want to see is the compete level, the work level of, ‘This is a great opportunity for you, but through practices, through scrimmages, you’re going to need to show myself, the rest of the coaches, management how bad that you want this,’” said coach Spencer Carbery, noting that Vrana could provide valuable scoring for the team.
“I just want to see him competing for every puck, coming back to stop plays, tracking the game — doing all the little things when he doesn’t have the puck.”
New general manager Chris Patrick, who decided to offer the tryout, believes Vrana is taking this chance seriously.
“He doesn’t think anything is being handed to him,” Patrick said. “That was kind of the point. We want to have a competitive camp. We don’t want to just give away spots to guys. We want them to earn it. He’s in a group of several players fighting for one or two spots.”
After changing the roster in the offseason, the Capitals have several new forwards, including wingers Andrew Mangiapane, Brandon Duhaime, and Taylor Raddysh. They are all under contract and will make the team.
Many of Washington’s longest-tenured players hope Vrana will join them.
“Everybody battles their demons in life, and there are ups and downs. From talking to him, he’s taken accountability and ownership of that,” said winger Tom Wilson, who, along with Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson, is one of the only players left from the 2018 Cup champions.
“He wants to be better and he wants to be happy and find his groove. I think it’s been great seeing him. He’s a guy that you root for and someone I’d play with any day of the week.”
Ovechkin believes Vrana is “motivated to bounce back and play hard and make smart decisions.” Carlson sees a player “eager to get another chance” and ready to make the most of it.
Being in a familiar setting, around former teammates who have become friends, should help Vrana succeed. With his future in hockey on the line, he is trying to balance the comfort of that familiarity with the new challenge of winning a roster spot.
“I feel great, and I have still a lot to prove,” Vrana said. “Don’t overthink it too much. Just go and play, do what you can do out there, and show that you can play in this league.”
