Rising Stars and Breaking Down Barriers

The following article appears in W Magazine, a lifestyle publication produced by the Washington Capitals. The magazine features more than 200 pages of exclusive photography of Capitals players and their families and content and interviews on lifestyle topics with each member of the 2025-25 roster. It is available online at washcaps.com/WMagazine and at the Team Stores at Capital One Arena and at the Team Store at MedStar Capitals Iceplex as a gift with purchase

In August of 2023, Kerstin Magnuson-Anderson was on the ice coaching at MedStar Capitals Iceplex (MCI) when she noticed a group of hockey players skate by. While most skaters don’t cause the Team USA coach to do a double-take, this bunch – part of an inaugural Rising Stars Academy clinic – was different. It wasn’t their skills that stood out, but rather the diversity of the participants.

As the mother of a biracial hockey player, Magnuson-Anderson has made it a priority for her son, Magnus Anderson, to be exposed to other hockey players and coaches who look like him. She inquired about the program and how she could get her eight-year-old involved.

“I thought it was super important for him, given kind of the need for a little bit more exposure to players that look like him – where they come from a background with a little bit more diversity,” Magnuson-Anderson said. “When it was an opportunity for him this year, I was like, ‘We're in!’”

Anderson recently took the ice wearing a gray Rising Stars Academy jersey as a participant in the third on-ice clinic of the program.

Before attending the Rising Stars clinic this summer, the two prepared by watching the Canadian documentary film, Black Ice, together. The 2022 production tells the history of hockey through the untold stories of Black hockey players both past and present to examine the challenges players of color face within the predominantly white sport. Magnuson-Anderson noticed her son was starting to recognize he looked different than some of the other players on his teams and felt the film would be a good precursor to the Rising Stars Academy clinic.

“I thought it was important for him given he is recognizing that there's not as much representation in the hockey community,” Magnuson-Anderson said. “Rising Stars is super cool for him to connect with other kids on other teams, to be able to kind of check in with people at tournaments, at games.”

Sentiments regarding a sense of belonging and community from parents like Magnuson-Anderson are exactly what lead instructor Duante’ Abercrombie hopes players and parents alike take away from their participation in Rising Stars.

Growing up in the Washington, D.C., area, Abercrombie didn’t have much, if any, exposure to other Black hockey players or coaches. He worked hard to prove himself as a player, and then a coach, with little guidance. Now the Head Coach of the Tennessee State University men’s hockey team, Abercrombie knows what it takes to make it to the higher levels of hockey.

Noticing there was still a need for guidance for hockey players of color, Abercrombie wanted to help players like Anderson reach their maximum potential and teamed up with the Capitals to conceptualize the idea for Rising Stars to provide children of color within the hockey community with a type of guidance and access to the sport he didn’t have growing up in D.C.

“The Rising Stars Academy is exactly what I was missing growing up playing ice hockey in the DMV,” Abercrombie said. “One of the main reasons that I wanted to play and coach professionally was because of the knowledge and experiences that I would gain along the way, knowing that my ultimate goal was to bring that information back to the next generation of hockey players and their families in the DMV. We are meant to be a bridge that many in this area need and can trust. I personally believe that The Rising Stars Academy shines a much-needed light on the current state of BIPOC hockey in the DMV. BIPOC participation has grown over the past decade, but a common theme still exists – the lack of advocacy.”

Abercrombie said Rising Stars looks to not only equip athletes with the necessary tools on the ice to be successful, but also to provide them and their families with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for equity amongst their peers.

“In turn, hockey culture in the DMV continues to strengthen because all participants’ voices are heard and valued,” Abercrombie said.

Like Abercrombie, Bryan King grew up in the region and has been a Rising Stars Academy coach since its inception. Entering his seventh season as the head coach of Gonzaga College High School’s Varsity II team, King believes the off-ice portion of Rising Stars is the most impactful for players.

“I think the sense of family and just knowing that there are people that are playing the game that look and come from similar backgrounds as you, that's an experience that you won't be able to take away from a person that experiences Rising Stars,” King said.

Like many other parents, Magnuson-Anderson attended the off-ice session to learn from the panelists. She felt the advice from Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela James and Capitals Development Camp invitee Ayo Adeniye, among others, was inspiring. Listening to them speak helped Magnuson-Anderson feel more confident in knowing there is not just one route her son can take to achieve success within the hockey world.

“It's just so awesome to be able to show him that there's so many avenues for you,” Magnuson-Anderson said. “If you love the sport, there's different things you can do with it, and it doesn't matter what level you play, as long as you have that passion and that drive – I love it.”

Anderson’s takeaway from the panels – “believing in myself” – was more simplistic than his mother’s, yet just as powerful.

“We just want to thank the Caps for being committed to growing the sport in so many different avenues, and for allowing us to be a part of this,” Magnuson-Anderson said. “We'll be here for years to come.”

Meet the Coaches

With deep connections to the Metropolitan area hockey community, both Duante’ Abercrombie and Bryan King are dedicated to helping the next generation of BIPOC hockey players reach their full potential. Learn more about their hockey journey in their professional bios.

Duante’ Abercrombie

A Washington, D.C. native, Abercrombie is currently serving as the first HBCU men’s hockey head coach at Tennessee State University. He began playing hockey with the Fort DuPont Cannons at Washington, D.C.’s Fort Dupont Ice Arena at the age of six. Abercrombie is an alumnus of Gonzaga College High School, where he won multiple championships as a player and a coach. He also coached at Georgetown Preparatory School and led the team to its first IAC Championship in his first year.

Following his time coaching high school hockey, Abercrombie served in roles as Stevenson University’s assistant ice hockey coach and as the Washington Little Caps’ Director of Player Achievement. He has also served as the Coaching Development Associate for the Toronto Maple Leafs (2022-23 season) and participated in the Boston Bruins Scouting Mentorship Program.

Abercrombie is also a member of the Capitals’ Black Hockey Committee and an inaugural member of the National Hockey League Coaches’ Association’s BIPOC Coaches Program.

Bryan King

Entering his seventh season at Gonzaga College High School, King currently serves as the Varsity II Head Coach. The team is seeking its fourth-consecutive Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League (MAPHL) A-division championship, winning the title in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The Washington, D.C. native previously worked as an assistant coach in the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Program after completing his playing career at LaSalle University. King led the Explorers to a league championship and represented the team in the ACHA Division II All Star games during his senior year.