and RJay Berra would later join the club but the Capitals would finish bottom in a hugely disappointing 10th place, despite a strong start to the season, thus missing the play-offs. Emmerson would later leave the club and retire from hockey after one season as player-coach while club stalwart David Beatson, the Capitals' longest-serving player, would retire after eighteen years with the team. 2016–17 season After the retirement of player-coach Riley Emmerson after one season in the role and two as a member of the Capitals, the club appointed Michal Dobroň in May 2016 as their new player-coach for the 2016-17 season. Dobroň had previously been a Capitals player between 2012-2014. Dobroň began his recruitment early by signing Canadian centre Taylor MacDougall from the University of New Brunswick, forward Mason Wilgosh from the University of Prince Edward Island, and his former teammate Karel Hromas from HC Morzine in France. He then added defenceman Michael D'Orazio from St Mary's University in Canada and D'Orazio's former St Mary's teammate, forward Matt Tipoff. The marquee signing by the Capitals was arguably former NHL first-round draft pick, forward Pavel Vorobyev. The Capitals continued their recruitment with the signing of former Carolina Hurricanes forward Jared Staal in July 2016, netminder Travis Fullerton and forwards Yevgeni Fyodorov and one-time NHL draft-pick Ian Schultz. The roster was completed in early September with the signings of Latvian defenceman Rihards Grigors following a successful trial with the team and Czech defenceman Jaroslav Hertl - the brother of San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl. Netminder Jordan Marr would later join from the Hull Pirates of the EPIHL initially on a short-term loan, before signing permanently in early 2017 on a deal until the end of the season. Having been eliminated from the Challenge Cup at the quarter-final stage by Sheffield Steelers (the first time the Capitals had ever made it out of the group stage of the competition), a pair of defeats at Murrayfield to the Nottingham Panthers in consecutive days in March 2017 rendered the Caps unable to qualify for the 2016–17 Elite League playoffs. It was the fourth consecutive season that the Capitals have failed to make the post-season. Pavel Vorobyev finished as the Capitals' top scorer in all competitions, tallying 58 points in 60 games. 2017–18: The club's final EIHL season After confirming their place in the expanded 12-team Elite League following the adoption of a three-conference