“We are excited to announce Chris' promotion to general manager,” team owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. “Chris is a dedicated and hard-working executive who is well prepared for the next step in his career. His vision, extensive experience, hockey acumen and player evaluation skills make him the perfect leader to lead our team moving forward, and we are confident he will excel in this new role.”
Patrick, 48, is the son of team president Dick Patrick and began his professional hockey career as a scout for the Capitals in 2009. He was promoted to director of player personnel in 2014 and became assistant general manager in 2021, primarily overseeing minor league operations for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League and managing the professional scouting staff.
During his tenure, the Bears won back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024. Patrick hired coaches Spencer Carberry and Todd Nelson, both of whom won AHL Coach of the Year awards. Carberry was later promoted to coach of the Capitals.
Patrick's role was moved to associate general manager last season, a slight title change that significantly expanded his responsibilities. Patrick now has oversight of the analytics department, player contract negotiations, hockey operations staff, player personnel, budget and schedule.
McClellan, 65, became president of hockey operations last season in addition to his general manager role. The promotion at the time was intended to allow longtime team president Dick Patrick to take a less active role as chairman and promote Chris Patrick to assistant general manager. McClellan's name was named as his successor just a year later.
