MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin, striker and captain of the Washington Capitals National Hockey League (NHL) club, will come back to the United States early next month for training camp ahead of the next NHL season, his spokesman Gleb Chistyakov told TASS on Thursday.

The Caps announced in early July that Ovechkin had re-signed with the club on a one-year contract. Under the reported deal, he will earn $1 million in salary, a $3.25 million signing bonus, and a $4.75 million games-played bonus (if he plays ten games).

"He is planning to set off to Washington in early September, Chistyakov stated.

The 2026-27 NHL regular season kicks off on September 29. The Washington Capitals will play their first game on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, on October 2.

On April 6, 2025, Ovechkin scored his 895th career regular season goal in a game against the New York Islanders, passing legend Wayne Gretzky for most all-time (894 goals). As of today, the Russian player has scored 929 goals in the regular season and 77 in the playoffs (1,006 combined).

So now, Ovechkin is within reach of Gretzky’s combined regular season and playoff goals record, once thought untouchable. He’s just 10 away from tying the Great One’s 1,016 goals (894 in regular season and 122 in playoffs).

Over the previous NHL season, Ovechkin appeared in all 82 games for Washington, scoring 32 goals and dishing out 32 assists for the Capitals.

The Russian forward has played his entire NHL career with the Washington Capitals, who selected him with the 1st overall pick in the 2004 draft. Ovechkin led the Caps to a Stanley Cup title in 2018, the only one of his career, and the only one in the club's history.

In 2008, 2012 and 2014, "Ovie," as he is called by his fans, won gold medals at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships to go along with his two silver and four bronze medals at the world championships.

Ovechkin has won a slew of NHL awards in his career, including the Calder Memorial Trophy (2006), Art Ross Trophy (2008), Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020), Hart Memorial Trophy (2008, 2009, 2013), Lester B. Pearson Award/Ted Lindsay Award (2008, 2009, 2010), Conn Smythe Trophy (2018) and others.