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‘The Last of Us' Actor Keivonn Woodard Spends Day With Capitals, Hopes to Be First Deaf Black NHL Player

Woodard plays Sam Burrell in Episode 5, "Endure and Survive" and was teased at the end of Episode 4

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Keivonn Woodard is a young boy of many talents.

The 10-year-old became a hit sensation for his performance as Sam Burrell on HBO's "The Last of Us", but he can do much more than acting.

Woodard, a deaf player on the Bowie Hockey Club under-10 team in Maryland, on Feb. 24 spent the day at the Washington Capitals practice facility in Arlington, Va., where he met with NHL star Alexander Ovechkin.

Woodard stood alongside Ovechkin in the practice locker room, where he taught the Capitals star how to say his nickname in American Sign Language.

"I can't believe it. This is a dream of mine," Woodard said through an ASL interpreter after meeting Ovechkin.

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Woodard said his goal is to be the first deaf Black NHL player, and he got to show off his potential on the practice rink with Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren and forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel.

The Capitals last October granted Bowie Hockey Club $10,000 to help boost diversity in the sport, with a portion of the money being invested in an ASL interpreter to help Woodard thrive on the ice.

Woodard also attended the Capitals' "Celebrating Black History Month" game on Feb. 25 against the New York Rangers, where he witnessed a 6-3 win for the hometown squad.

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