Francois Bouchard, Kyle Greentree and Zack Miskovic were put on waivers Saturday according to TSN.ca. Hershey Bears are set to start their training camp Monday and Keith Aucoin and Dany Sabourin were sent down. They join players Andrew Carroll, Jacob Micflikier, Joel Rechlicz, Brett Flemming and Julien Brouillette.
Bouchard was signed about the same time as Mathieu Perreault but has failed to be even considered a call up from Hershey. His production numbers have plummeted since his arrival from Juniors where he had 125 points (45 g, 80 a) through 68 games in '05-'06 with Baie-Comeau. Since being with Hershey, he has only mustered an average 52 points through 77 games in '09-'10 and dropped to just 24 points and a -5 through 74 games last season.
Miskovic was a free agent signed by Washington, but was another prospect that did not pan out.
Since attacking the free agent market this summer, it is likely the Capitals might be thinning the ranks through Hershey so clear way for cheaper call ups with a tight salary cap. It is also likely that the players they waived (which none have been claimed as of yet) were players that could flourish in a different organization since space is tight with the Caps new additions.
Showing posts with label Bouchard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bouchard. Show all posts
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Thursday, September 24, 2009
What Olie The Goalie Meant To Me
Goaltenders are a funny bunch. Ask any rational person to stand in front of a screaming 100 mile per hour slap shot and they will tell you how crazy you are. But then expect to be hit by the screamer line drive shot to keep it from going into the net is somewhere between lunacy and committed-in-asylum crazy. It takes a special personality to do it. Olaf Kolzig was definitely special.
Kolzig wasn't a household name in the league when he was drafted in 1989 by the Washington Capitals. He played only two games in the NHL that year, he lost both games and was a disappointing .810 save percentage and had a 6.oo goal against average. He was sent to the minors for some seasoning. He was knocked around in the lesser leagues for a few years, even spending time in the ECHL (remind you of Micheal Neuvirth?).
Olie would ping pong from the Portland Pirates to the Washington Capitals from '92 to '96 before he finally stuck in the NHL. Playing backup for Jim Carey, a young goalie that seemed to leaped frog over Kolzig for the number one spot. Carey would carry the team until his numbers slipped in the '96-'97 season.
Biding his time, in comes Olie the goalie. Kolzig would used his size to his advantage, challenging shooters on the first shot, making the save and allowing his speedy defensemen like Calle Johansson and Sergei Gonchar pick put the rebounds. The only thing that hampered Kolzig was his temper. Stick breaking rages were common in practices and even between periods in the locker room. But while some would call it a temper, others saw it as passion. And did Kolzig ever have passion.
That passion would carry them through to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. From that point on Kolzig would endear himself to Washington, and as Capital fans, we acknowledged him as our number one guy in net. No matter how bad things got, with Olie in the net, things were going to be okay. It would be a decade before anyone could knock him from the number one spot. Partly because of some failed prospects behind him, partly because he was that good. Olie and the Caps would fall to the Red Wings that year four games to none in the Finals, but Kolzig solidified himself as an elite goaltender in the NHL.
It wasn't long before the Caps desperately wanted to taste the Finals agian and they made the mistake of bringing in free agent after free agent. Jaromir Jagr was one of those big signings that had the Caps' fans chomping at the bit for another run in the playoffs. But that would end in disaster. When the Jagr experiment failed, the Capitals vowed to rebuild. That meant a long time commitment to developing players and a lot of good talent would be lost. But the Caps could never get rid of Olie. What he meant to this city, for hockey here, and to the fans, it would take something drastic to drag our goaltender from guarding the net.
Not only have fans gotten used to seeing Kolzig between the pipes, we overlooked his bad temper. We overlooked when he started missing the second and third saves that he used to make. His name and past record was good enough for us.
As a teenager, I even made a sign in his honor that read "Go-Olie!" Not only did it get me some jumbotron action (thank you ladies for the nice compliments following the game), it also got a rise from the crowd. Olaf Kolzig will always be a Capital, there will never be another quite like him. When the reality came that maybe Kolzig just wasn't up to the challenge any more, our hearts all just ached a little. We wanted him to succeed, because his success was our success too.
Olaf Kolzig will hang up the skates this season, calling it a career after 14 years guarding a 6 foot by 4 foot net from a black rubber puck. His amazing play in '98 when he brought us so close to the Stanley Cup are now apart of Capital legend and lore. While he didn't get to raise the Cup, Kolzig was always a champion to us.
Caps Nots:
Kolzig wasn't a household name in the league when he was drafted in 1989 by the Washington Capitals. He played only two games in the NHL that year, he lost both games and was a disappointing .810 save percentage and had a 6.oo goal against average. He was sent to the minors for some seasoning. He was knocked around in the lesser leagues for a few years, even spending time in the ECHL (remind you of Micheal Neuvirth?).
Olie would ping pong from the Portland Pirates to the Washington Capitals from '92 to '96 before he finally stuck in the NHL. Playing backup for Jim Carey, a young goalie that seemed to leaped frog over Kolzig for the number one spot. Carey would carry the team until his numbers slipped in the '96-'97 season.
Biding his time, in comes Olie the goalie. Kolzig would used his size to his advantage, challenging shooters on the first shot, making the save and allowing his speedy defensemen like Calle Johansson and Sergei Gonchar pick put the rebounds. The only thing that hampered Kolzig was his temper. Stick breaking rages were common in practices and even between periods in the locker room. But while some would call it a temper, others saw it as passion. And did Kolzig ever have passion.
That passion would carry them through to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. From that point on Kolzig would endear himself to Washington, and as Capital fans, we acknowledged him as our number one guy in net. No matter how bad things got, with Olie in the net, things were going to be okay. It would be a decade before anyone could knock him from the number one spot. Partly because of some failed prospects behind him, partly because he was that good. Olie and the Caps would fall to the Red Wings that year four games to none in the Finals, but Kolzig solidified himself as an elite goaltender in the NHL.
It wasn't long before the Caps desperately wanted to taste the Finals agian and they made the mistake of bringing in free agent after free agent. Jaromir Jagr was one of those big signings that had the Caps' fans chomping at the bit for another run in the playoffs. But that would end in disaster. When the Jagr experiment failed, the Capitals vowed to rebuild. That meant a long time commitment to developing players and a lot of good talent would be lost. But the Caps could never get rid of Olie. What he meant to this city, for hockey here, and to the fans, it would take something drastic to drag our goaltender from guarding the net.
Not only have fans gotten used to seeing Kolzig between the pipes, we overlooked his bad temper. We overlooked when he started missing the second and third saves that he used to make. His name and past record was good enough for us.
As a teenager, I even made a sign in his honor that read "Go-Olie!" Not only did it get me some jumbotron action (thank you ladies for the nice compliments following the game), it also got a rise from the crowd. Olaf Kolzig will always be a Capital, there will never be another quite like him. When the reality came that maybe Kolzig just wasn't up to the challenge any more, our hearts all just ached a little. We wanted him to succeed, because his success was our success too.
Olaf Kolzig will hang up the skates this season, calling it a career after 14 years guarding a 6 foot by 4 foot net from a black rubber puck. His amazing play in '98 when he brought us so close to the Stanley Cup are now apart of Capital legend and lore. While he didn't get to raise the Cup, Kolzig was always a champion to us.
Caps Nots:
- Rusty no more. The Capitals pulled a 6 spot on the visiting Chicago Blackhawks beating them at the phone booth 6-2. Mike Knuble finally looked comfortable on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and the pair accounted for 2 goals each. You can get a recap and the scoresheet from NHL.com.
- Expect more cuts to come, but the Caps have already bid a farewell to a good number of players including John Carlson and Francois Bouchard. All will be in the Hershey Bears training camp in the coming days. You can catch up with everyone on JohnWaltonhockey.com.
- The Caps will do a home and home preseason tilt with the New York Rangers. Donald Brashear should be in at least one of the two games. We are now just under a week away from the start of the regular season.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
White Team Sweeps As Camp Closes
The Washington Capitals' Development Camp ended today with the third and final scrimmage. And team white swept all three games although they didn't dominate like they had in previous scrimmages. For the prospects it was a last ditch effort to impress management and coaches.
Michael Dubuc scored another two goals for seven goals total in three games. He had a tremendous camp. His contract is actually through Hershey, but that could change in a heartbeat. He scored 35 goals in 49 goals with South Carolina last season.
Others that impressed were Trevor Bruess, John Carlson, Dmitri Orlov and goaltender Braden Holtby.
Carlson felt he didn't have the best camp, but he has improved since last summer. He looked a bit human today with two bad turnovers. His overall performance was very good through camp. He looks like he can make a smooth transition into training camp by the end of August.
A player that made the switch from the white team to the blue one, Trevor Bruess also had an impressive camp. He is a hard working player, and it was apparent through out the scrimmages. Bruess had a couple of assists and worked well with the white team on a line with Andrew Glass and invitee Backman.
Another good defenseman was Dmitri Orlov who had some dynamite hits and handled himself well with the puck. He was usually partnered with Carlson and the duo played very well together. Orlov was considered a steal in the second round of the draft this year. He has the potential to go further and it would be interesting to see him with bigger faster players.
Braden Holtby had a good camp too. He had a great opening in the scrimmages when he posted a shut out in the 30 minutes he played. He came up with some good saves for his team and looked pretty good in net. He has filled out his pads from last summer, and looked much more confident in net.
A surprise to this years camp might be Garrett Zemlak, who played well in the final two scrimmages. He nearly posted a shut out in today's scrimmage, and he kept his blue team in it in the second scrimmage by stopping everything that came his way. Impressive considering the white team dominated the second game and eventually won the game on seven straight third period goals.
Those that might have come up on the disappointing side were some old hats. Like Francois Bouchard who didn't play bad, but didn't stand out either. Today he was a bit in and out of the play and only seemed to push his intensity button late in the third when he had a scoring chance that rang off the post.
Jake Hauswirth also had a so-so camp. After lighting the lamp five times in last summer's camp, he hardly made much noise this year. In the third scrimmage he was lined up with invitee Meyer and Joe Finley. The line was a big one and had their moments, but they couldn't get the puck in the net.
Finley played up as a forward in this game, and he did okay. There were moments where he was a little lost and his passes didn't connect, but he didn't do that badly. He admitted to reporters after the game that he was a bit uncomfortable at the position at first but if they wanted him to strap up as a goaltender he would do it.
All in all this was a good camp for the prospects. Injuries sidelined Stefan Della Rovere and Anton Gustafsson. It would have been nice to see them continue on but why chance hurting them any more. Della Rovere had a sprained shoulder that kept him from playing. Gustafsson sustained a concussion when he crashed into the post and cut his head. Both players were a bit disappointed in the way their camp ended, but both promised to come back healthy and ready in August.
Next up for the Capitals, training camp in August. Plus there might be a signing here or there to watch out for as GM George McPhee tinkers with his team.
I did a quick interview with Caps' prospect Garrett Mitchell as well and I will post that a little later tonight.
Caps Notes:
Michael Dubuc scored another two goals for seven goals total in three games. He had a tremendous camp. His contract is actually through Hershey, but that could change in a heartbeat. He scored 35 goals in 49 goals with South Carolina last season.
Others that impressed were Trevor Bruess, John Carlson, Dmitri Orlov and goaltender Braden Holtby.
Carlson felt he didn't have the best camp, but he has improved since last summer. He looked a bit human today with two bad turnovers. His overall performance was very good through camp. He looks like he can make a smooth transition into training camp by the end of August.
A player that made the switch from the white team to the blue one, Trevor Bruess also had an impressive camp. He is a hard working player, and it was apparent through out the scrimmages. Bruess had a couple of assists and worked well with the white team on a line with Andrew Glass and invitee Backman.
Another good defenseman was Dmitri Orlov who had some dynamite hits and handled himself well with the puck. He was usually partnered with Carlson and the duo played very well together. Orlov was considered a steal in the second round of the draft this year. He has the potential to go further and it would be interesting to see him with bigger faster players.
Braden Holtby had a good camp too. He had a great opening in the scrimmages when he posted a shut out in the 30 minutes he played. He came up with some good saves for his team and looked pretty good in net. He has filled out his pads from last summer, and looked much more confident in net.
A surprise to this years camp might be Garrett Zemlak, who played well in the final two scrimmages. He nearly posted a shut out in today's scrimmage, and he kept his blue team in it in the second scrimmage by stopping everything that came his way. Impressive considering the white team dominated the second game and eventually won the game on seven straight third period goals.
Those that might have come up on the disappointing side were some old hats. Like Francois Bouchard who didn't play bad, but didn't stand out either. Today he was a bit in and out of the play and only seemed to push his intensity button late in the third when he had a scoring chance that rang off the post.
Jake Hauswirth also had a so-so camp. After lighting the lamp five times in last summer's camp, he hardly made much noise this year. In the third scrimmage he was lined up with invitee Meyer and Joe Finley. The line was a big one and had their moments, but they couldn't get the puck in the net.
Finley played up as a forward in this game, and he did okay. There were moments where he was a little lost and his passes didn't connect, but he didn't do that badly. He admitted to reporters after the game that he was a bit uncomfortable at the position at first but if they wanted him to strap up as a goaltender he would do it.
All in all this was a good camp for the prospects. Injuries sidelined Stefan Della Rovere and Anton Gustafsson. It would have been nice to see them continue on but why chance hurting them any more. Della Rovere had a sprained shoulder that kept him from playing. Gustafsson sustained a concussion when he crashed into the post and cut his head. Both players were a bit disappointed in the way their camp ended, but both promised to come back healthy and ready in August.
Next up for the Capitals, training camp in August. Plus there might be a signing here or there to watch out for as GM George McPhee tinkers with his team.
I did a quick interview with Caps' prospect Garrett Mitchell as well and I will post that a little later tonight.
Caps Notes:
- The Caps traded Keith Seabrook, a prospect drafted in the '06 draft, was traded to the Calgary Flames for future considerations. Who knows what those considerations are, maybe it's more hot dogs in the visiting GM's box. Actually this might be a player thing as Seabrook is from the Calgary area and plays for the Hitmen.
- For more info on Development Camp, the Capitals have a page with videos and more at WashingtonCaps.com.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Who To Keep An Eye On
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Over the next three days, PHT will be taking a closer look at the kids coming into town over the weekend for the Capitals' development camp. Some players we will be seeing for the very first time while others may look at next week's development camp as old hat. Either way, the Capitals have invested heavily in their draft picks and their scouting. Camps like these give the Capitals' organization and the fans a chance to see the fruits of that labor.First let's take a look at some of the returning crowd to Kettler.
John Carlson is rated number 3 on the list of top prospects in the Capitals' system according to Hockeysfuture.com. This will be his second stint in development camp. The first time around the coaching staff have the defenseman some critiques and when training camp started a month or so later, he didn't let those constructive comments go to waste. He spent last season with the OHL's London Knights (former Cap Dale Hunter's team) then was sent to Hershey when the Knights were eliminated from the playoffs. Not only a top prospect for the Capitals, he will also attend the U.S. national junior evaluation camp in August. He was a first round pick, drafted 27th overall in the '08 NHL Entry Draft by the Caps.
Mathieu Perreault played his first full season with the Hershey Bears last year. He also was featured in 21 playoff games in the Bears' march to a Calder Cup Championship. He tallied two goals and six assists in that playoff run. If you can remember, Perreault was the scoring champ in the QMJHL with a 114 points, he led all Hershey rookies in points and was 10th overall in the AHL. He was chosen 177th overall (6th round) in the '06 Entry Draft.
Also returning is Francois Bouchard (pictured right), who was Perreault's line mate for a majority of the season along with another Cap prospect Oskar Osala. Bouchard is a creative forward who dazzled Caps fans last summer with a spin-o-rama move to score. According to the Capitals PR release:The move looked familiar, as it is the same one his brother (Minnesota Wild's Pierre-Marc Bouchard) has used successfully against Chicago and San Jose in NHL shootouts. You may think that Francois picked up the move from his older brother, but it is the other way around. After Pierre-Marc debuted the move in 2006 he was quick to credit Francois for coming up with the idea and showing it to him first.Bouchard registered with 15 goals and 20 assist in 64 games with the Bears last season. He was the Capitals 35th overall (2nd round) pick in the '06 Entry Draft.
If there was ever an up and coming pest in the NHL, it could be Stefan Della Rovere. The 5'11", 196 lbs. forward is a pure agitator that other teams love to hate. He makes his second appearance at the Capitals' development camp. He spent last season with the OHL's Barrie Colts and was apart of the World Junior Championship gold medal winning team Canada. He racked up 149 PIMs in Barrie, but also nearly had a point a game with 51 points in 57 games. Della Rovere was picked 204th overall (7th round) in the '08 Entry Draft.
Braden Holtby (pictured left), a prospect goaltender, surprised many in last year's camp. But his good play at camp didn't end with training camp last summer. Holtby started in 61 games for the Saskatoon Blades and was one of two goaltenders to hit the 40 win mark by season's end. Holtby practiced with the Bears during their playoff run and may play a bigger role in Hershey's goaltending depth next season. He was picked 93rd overall (4th round) in the '08 Entry Draft.If Josh Godfrey's name sounds familiar, it's mostly because of his defensive partner Karl Alzner as both were on the '08 gold medal team for Canada (they were also partners on the Calgary Hitmen squad). The pair worked together for their country, but Godfrey was hampered with an injury last year. He spent a majority of it not with Hershey, but with the South Carolina Stingrays (who were also champions last year, defeating the Alaska Aces for the ECHL's Kelly Cup). Godfrey shows how talented and deep the defensive core is for the Capitals. He was the Capitals' 34th pick overall (2nd round) in the '07 Entry Draft.
The Capitals' biggest prospect (literally) would be Joe Finley. The 6'7", 240 lbs. defenseman has been to a Caps development camp before, but he has missed the previous two due to his college obligations (college players can attend a NHL camp, but NCAA rules stipulate they must pay their own way to the city and for their own accommodations). He suffered through an injury last season, but Finley has been a rock on the blue line for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Most will remember Finley as a tough guy who once punched a guy in the line to shake hands and he also went after a visiting team's mascot. He was an '05 draft pick.
Also returning is Dan Dunn (pictured right), a big goaltender who spent last year with St. Cloud State. But he may be looking for work this year as he played second chair to junior Jase Weslosky, who was drafted by the Islanders. Dunn only started 5 times last season and played in nine games. It will be an important camp for him. He was selected 154th overall (6th round) in the '07 Draft.Tomorrow we will look at a few more prospects that will grace our presence at the Capitals development camp, included a pair that were not even drafted.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Serious Rivalry Brewing With Caps And Flyers
As much as the National Hockey League would like divisional rivalries to become more the norm, the Washington Capitals seem to be an anomaly that Gary Betteman probably didn't consider. Even though the Caps have been sent to the Southeast Division in the '98-'99 season, old habits die hard. It's still a Patrick/Atlantic Division rivalry that has now the whole league seemingly on the edge of their seats to see.
Even though the Flyers took the first game decidedly 7-1, that hasn't seemed to cool the jets of head coach Bruce Boudreau.
"They have 50 points and we have 55. ...a) we don't like them and b) the importance is continually getting ahead of them in points," Boudreau told reporters Monday morning at practice in the Kettler Iceplex. "It's either going to be a three point lead or a seven point lead. We want to be the first place team. If we want that to happen, we have to go through the Flyers."
For the Flyers, this is more about ending a road trip healthy. It's a different attitude for the Philly side, who are coming off a long holiday road trip that saw them finish their last five games 2-2-1. And while venom is spewing from D.C., Paul Holmgren paid a compliment when asked what he thought about the All-Star selections: "The fans must not have been watching Ovechkin."
While the rivalry seems more low key from the Philly camp, Alex Ovechkin is getting his house pelted with eggs for a 7-1 defeat to the Flyers, the head coach is looking for just desserts over last game's loss and urinals will be filled with Flyers' faces at the phone booth.
Even in the rookie game, weeks before the season was to start, Caps fans were ravenous for a Capitals win at Kettler over the Flyers' rookie team. It was a charged atmosphere that the Caps' camp attendees fed off of and beat their guests 7 to nothing. The Caps fans took some consolation in that win. It was not a suitable vengeance win over the Flyers who had ended an amazing Caps' season-ending run. While it doesn't avenge the game seven's overtime sting back in April, it did feel good to see that score.
The rivalry isn't one sided, maybe just more intense on one side more than the other. It is clear that the Flyers don't care for the any Capitals, and the Capitals don't care for any Flyers. Even when the Flyers took Steve Eminger during the summer, they couldn't get rid of him fast enough to Tampa Bay. Just because he still had that Capitals' smell to him (in all fairness, I am almost certain that is not the case, but it is funny to surmise it).
Simply put, the Flyers are now an elite Eastern Conference team. For the Capitals to climb atop the conference, Boudreau hit the nail on the head: they have to go through Philadelphia to get there. And a rivalry is only good if both teams are at or near their peak.
Even though the Flyers took the first game decidedly 7-1, that hasn't seemed to cool the jets of head coach Bruce Boudreau.
"They have 50 points and we have 55. ...a) we don't like them and b) the importance is continually getting ahead of them in points," Boudreau told reporters Monday morning at practice in the Kettler Iceplex. "It's either going to be a three point lead or a seven point lead. We want to be the first place team. If we want that to happen, we have to go through the Flyers."
For the Flyers, this is more about ending a road trip healthy. It's a different attitude for the Philly side, who are coming off a long holiday road trip that saw them finish their last five games 2-2-1. And while venom is spewing from D.C., Paul Holmgren paid a compliment when asked what he thought about the All-Star selections: "The fans must not have been watching Ovechkin."
While the rivalry seems more low key from the Philly camp, Alex Ovechkin is getting his house pelted with eggs for a 7-1 defeat to the Flyers, the head coach is looking for just desserts over last game's loss and urinals will be filled with Flyers' faces at the phone booth.
Even in the rookie game, weeks before the season was to start, Caps fans were ravenous for a Capitals win at Kettler over the Flyers' rookie team. It was a charged atmosphere that the Caps' camp attendees fed off of and beat their guests 7 to nothing. The Caps fans took some consolation in that win. It was not a suitable vengeance win over the Flyers who had ended an amazing Caps' season-ending run. While it doesn't avenge the game seven's overtime sting back in April, it did feel good to see that score.
The rivalry isn't one sided, maybe just more intense on one side more than the other. It is clear that the Flyers don't care for the any Capitals, and the Capitals don't care for any Flyers. Even when the Flyers took Steve Eminger during the summer, they couldn't get rid of him fast enough to Tampa Bay. Just because he still had that Capitals' smell to him (in all fairness, I am almost certain that is not the case, but it is funny to surmise it).
Simply put, the Flyers are now an elite Eastern Conference team. For the Capitals to climb atop the conference, Boudreau hit the nail on the head: they have to go through Philadelphia to get there. And a rivalry is only good if both teams are at or near their peak.
Friday, September 26, 2008
It's Not You, It's Me (Updated)
The Capitals make more cuts as Hershey starts their training camp today. The latest include: Greg Amadio, Dean Arsene, Jay Beagle, Francois Bouchard, Sean Collins, Viktor Dovgan, Michael Dubuc, Alexandre Giroux, Bryan Helmer, Maxime Lacroix, Tommy Maxwell, Patrick McNeill, Graham Mink, Travis Morin, Michal Neuvirth, Oskar Osala, Steve Pinizzotto, Sasha Pokulok, Darren Reid and Kyle Wilson.
Some surprises and thoughts:
Osala gets sent down after what I thought had a good development camp/rookie camp. It seems though he is getting lost amongst the veterans. I really thought he would last much longer.
Mathieu Perrault stays but Bouchard is sent down.
The forward's list gets tighter going down to 20 players, but there are still 14 defensemen at camp. The competition must be getting pretty stiff for a job on D.
The goaltender list goes down to fourth and surprisingly, it's Neuvirth that was the low goaltender on the todem pole. Daren Machesney, Simeon Varlamov, Brent Johnson and Jose Theodore remain.
UPDATE: Per Caps PR Dept., Josh Godfrey was also sent down to Hershey. Now the defensemen are down to 13 players. 6 more to cut before October seventh.
Some surprises and thoughts:
Osala gets sent down after what I thought had a good development camp/rookie camp. It seems though he is getting lost amongst the veterans. I really thought he would last much longer.
Mathieu Perrault stays but Bouchard is sent down.
The forward's list gets tighter going down to 20 players, but there are still 14 defensemen at camp. The competition must be getting pretty stiff for a job on D.
The goaltender list goes down to fourth and surprisingly, it's Neuvirth that was the low goaltender on the todem pole. Daren Machesney, Simeon Varlamov, Brent Johnson and Jose Theodore remain.
UPDATE: Per Caps PR Dept., Josh Godfrey was also sent down to Hershey. Now the defensemen are down to 13 players. 6 more to cut before October seventh.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Rookie Game: Flyers RIP
In an almost packed house (there were a few open seats) at Kettler, the Capitals' prospects routed the Philadelphia Flyers' prospects 7 to nothing. If the game sounded one sided by the score, it was. The Caps kept the Flyers to their own end for a majority of the game. Since this is a late post, thanks in part due to a cold, I am going to leave the story line to others like the Post, Times and OFB boys.
Here is what stood out for me in this game.
If I had the size Oskar Osala had, I would have used it much like he did today at Kettler against the Flyers. While there were bigger defensemen on the Philly side, he purely out worked them and out manuvered them time and time again. While the Flyers were using their size to plain out just hit everything in site, Osala reserved his hitting for the right moment. He got his defender off kilter and then used his speed and strength to open holes.
Mathieu Perreault is magic with the puck. He picked up a couple of assists (mostly on the power play) but his vision made him a great set up guy. He was lined up with Francois Bouchard and Steve Pinizzotto and the three were hard to stop all afternoon long. That line gave the Flyers the fits, and also accounted for drawing the most penalties from their opponents just by using their speed and quickness. Pinizzotto often found himself being the enforcer for most of the game as the Flyers got more and more chippy.
While the Caps didn't have the size, they sure had the heart. Stefan Della Rovere, who stands at 5'11" on a good day, may have been the smallest Capital out there besides Perreault. But he was the fiestiest. You could tell each time he took the ice he did his best to be a pest and make the Flyers look twice before fighting for a puck in the corner with him. In fact all the Caps seemed to have no problems fighting pucks off the boards and winning the little battles for possession. Jay Beagle (who missed on a penalty shot) even killed at least a minute of a Flyer power play by his board work.
On defense, Karl Alzner is a smooth defender. Nothing rattled this guy. Even when an errant pass was picked off, he was right there in position to deal with it. John Carlson is a stand up guy too. More than once did he come to the rescue of his goaltender. In fact when any Flyer crashed the net and so much touched the goaltenders, the Caps defense sent a message. They did a nice job standing up for one another as well.
Goaltenders, Simeon Varlamov didn't see much action in the first half of the first period, maybe a shot or two. But by the end of the period the Flyers mounted their best attack. It turned out to be the only sustained pressure the Flyers were able to put on all game. Varlamov made two outstanding saves late in the first to complete a third of the shut out. Micheal Nuevirth and Braden Holtby also had to be sharp to complete the shut out.
All and all, the Caps prospects look pretty good. George McPhee has got some talent in the pipeline for years to come. Although, personally I am not sure if he will be able to hold on to all of them as they make their way up the ranks. But for now be content in knowing the Caps' talent runs deep.
Here is what stood out for me in this game.
If I had the size Oskar Osala had, I would have used it much like he did today at Kettler against the Flyers. While there were bigger defensemen on the Philly side, he purely out worked them and out manuvered them time and time again. While the Flyers were using their size to plain out just hit everything in site, Osala reserved his hitting for the right moment. He got his defender off kilter and then used his speed and strength to open holes.
Mathieu Perreault is magic with the puck. He picked up a couple of assists (mostly on the power play) but his vision made him a great set up guy. He was lined up with Francois Bouchard and Steve Pinizzotto and the three were hard to stop all afternoon long. That line gave the Flyers the fits, and also accounted for drawing the most penalties from their opponents just by using their speed and quickness. Pinizzotto often found himself being the enforcer for most of the game as the Flyers got more and more chippy.
While the Caps didn't have the size, they sure had the heart. Stefan Della Rovere, who stands at 5'11" on a good day, may have been the smallest Capital out there besides Perreault. But he was the fiestiest. You could tell each time he took the ice he did his best to be a pest and make the Flyers look twice before fighting for a puck in the corner with him. In fact all the Caps seemed to have no problems fighting pucks off the boards and winning the little battles for possession. Jay Beagle (who missed on a penalty shot) even killed at least a minute of a Flyer power play by his board work.
On defense, Karl Alzner is a smooth defender. Nothing rattled this guy. Even when an errant pass was picked off, he was right there in position to deal with it. John Carlson is a stand up guy too. More than once did he come to the rescue of his goaltender. In fact when any Flyer crashed the net and so much touched the goaltenders, the Caps defense sent a message. They did a nice job standing up for one another as well.
Goaltenders, Simeon Varlamov didn't see much action in the first half of the first period, maybe a shot or two. But by the end of the period the Flyers mounted their best attack. It turned out to be the only sustained pressure the Flyers were able to put on all game. Varlamov made two outstanding saves late in the first to complete a third of the shut out. Micheal Nuevirth and Braden Holtby also had to be sharp to complete the shut out.
All and all, the Caps prospects look pretty good. George McPhee has got some talent in the pipeline for years to come. Although, personally I am not sure if he will be able to hold on to all of them as they make their way up the ranks. But for now be content in knowing the Caps' talent runs deep.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Developing Day 2
The morning started with some time trials. Basically they set up some timing equipment and had the first group skate as hard as they could in different situations. There was the straight fast skate. Timed how fast from a dead stop, so on and so forth.
Since I could only get to the morning session, that was what I mostly saw. They did clean the ice and do some more drills after that, but I didn't stick around long. One thing I did notice was Bruce Boudreau's intensity during drills. He likes his drills done full speed and loves to let some of the players keep going. Sometimes screaming, "Put it in!"
It was my first look at Francois Bouchard. He is one of the dark horses to make the team. He looked like he was in good shape to me and has fill out some since a year ago. He is still fast and still has some good hands.
While the goaltenders didn't take part in the speed trials, they got their work out later when they started doing drills. Braden Holtby spent some time in front of me. He did okay, goes down a little early, but looked okay. He is no where near where Michal Neuvirth and Simeon Varlomov are, but he has some good basics down. I got some pics, but I am no expert so I apologize for the many out of focus shots.
Francois Bouchard during the time trials.
Dan Dunn makes the save.
Braden Holtby prepares for more shots.
Since I could only get to the morning session, that was what I mostly saw. They did clean the ice and do some more drills after that, but I didn't stick around long. One thing I did notice was Bruce Boudreau's intensity during drills. He likes his drills done full speed and loves to let some of the players keep going. Sometimes screaming, "Put it in!"
It was my first look at Francois Bouchard. He is one of the dark horses to make the team. He looked like he was in good shape to me and has fill out some since a year ago. He is still fast and still has some good hands.
While the goaltenders didn't take part in the speed trials, they got their work out later when they started doing drills. Braden Holtby spent some time in front of me. He did okay, goes down a little early, but looked okay. He is no where near where Michal Neuvirth and Simeon Varlomov are, but he has some good basics down. I got some pics, but I am no expert so I apologize for the many out of focus shots.
Francois Bouchard during the time trials.Dan Dunn makes the save.Braden Holtby prepares for more shots.Monday, July 07, 2008
Kids Are Back In Town
The Washington Capitals start their development camp today. Some are getting their first look at the Capitals' system, and some getting another chance to turn some heads and look to graduate to training camp in a month or so.
As always, the camp will take up considerable space at the Kettler Iceplex in Arlington Va. Most of the practices start every day at 10 AM and are open to the public. However on Saturday July 12 (final day) the intersquad scrimmage will be at 10:30 AM with the Caps' Fan Fest scheduled all day at Kettler. Should be a packed house.
The big names to watch for are Karl Alzner and Simeon Varlomov. Alzner earned WHL Player of the Year honors and the WHL’s Defenseman of the Year last season. He also signed an entry level contract with the Caps ensuring that he will stay for training camp. Possibly even a spot since Eminger has departed.
Varlomov is the Caps' future in net. He is one of the many reasons Cris Huet could not be signed here. Varlomov spent all of last year in Russia and has expressed a deep desire to play in the NHL. He was so excited that when he was first selected in the '06 draft he promptly painted the Capitol dome on his helmet.
MIA: Joe Finley and Anton Gustafsson. Both have good reasons to miss camp. Finley would have to pay his own way here to keep his college elgibility. Since he experienced camp last year, he may just be saving his dollars for when he signs an entry level contact.
Gustafsson still has some lingering injuries that will keep him grounded in Sweden. According to Nate Ewell, Capitals' Director of Media Relations, the Caps had consider bringing him in anyway, but decided it was best for him just to stay home and heal up.
Other noteables:
I most likely will be able to check out the morning skates everyday this week. I doubt many of these players will make the squad full time like Nick Backstrom did, which makes him a pretty amazing talent for doing so. If anyone has a chance it would be Alzner or Oskar Osala, big kid from Finland who was Rookie of the Year playing for the Blues Espoo.
The next week will be a good measuring stick on the Capitals' future. At the very least you can watch what it takes for these kids make their NHL dreams come true. Below is the full schedule:
Monday, July 7
10 a.m.: Group A on ice
2:30 p.m.: Group B on ice
Tuesday, July 8
10 a.m.: Group B on ice
2:30 p.m.: Group A on ice
Wednesday, July 9
10 a.m.: Group A on ice
11:15 a.m.: Group B on ice
3:30 p.m.: Intrasquad scrimmage
Thursday, July 10
10 a.m.: Group B on ice
11:15 a.m.: Group A on ice
3:30 p.m.: Intrasquad scrimmage
Friday, July 11
10 a.m.: Group A on ice
11:15 a.m.: Group B on ice
Saturday, July 12
Capitals' Fan Fest
10:30 a.m.: Intersquad scrimmage
As always, the camp will take up considerable space at the Kettler Iceplex in Arlington Va. Most of the practices start every day at 10 AM and are open to the public. However on Saturday July 12 (final day) the intersquad scrimmage will be at 10:30 AM with the Caps' Fan Fest scheduled all day at Kettler. Should be a packed house.
The big names to watch for are Karl Alzner and Simeon Varlomov. Alzner earned WHL Player of the Year honors and the WHL’s Defenseman of the Year last season. He also signed an entry level contract with the Caps ensuring that he will stay for training camp. Possibly even a spot since Eminger has departed.
Varlomov is the Caps' future in net. He is one of the many reasons Cris Huet could not be signed here. Varlomov spent all of last year in Russia and has expressed a deep desire to play in the NHL. He was so excited that when he was first selected in the '06 draft he promptly painted the Capitol dome on his helmet.
MIA: Joe Finley and Anton Gustafsson. Both have good reasons to miss camp. Finley would have to pay his own way here to keep his college elgibility. Since he experienced camp last year, he may just be saving his dollars for when he signs an entry level contact.
Gustafsson still has some lingering injuries that will keep him grounded in Sweden. According to Nate Ewell, Capitals' Director of Media Relations, the Caps had consider bringing him in anyway, but decided it was best for him just to stay home and heal up.
Other noteables:
- Two players, John Carlson and Stefan Della Rovere, both have 1990 birthdays. Now I feel old.
- Four players at this year's camp have moved up through the system all the way from the South Carolina Stingrays.
- Two players to definitely keep an eye on, Mathieu Perreault and Francois Bouchard. Both have won scoring titles in the QMJHL. Both joined the Hershey Bears late last season.
I most likely will be able to check out the morning skates everyday this week. I doubt many of these players will make the squad full time like Nick Backstrom did, which makes him a pretty amazing talent for doing so. If anyone has a chance it would be Alzner or Oskar Osala, big kid from Finland who was Rookie of the Year playing for the Blues Espoo.
The next week will be a good measuring stick on the Capitals' future. At the very least you can watch what it takes for these kids make their NHL dreams come true. Below is the full schedule:
Monday, July 7
10 a.m.: Group A on ice
2:30 p.m.: Group B on ice
Tuesday, July 8
10 a.m.: Group B on ice
2:30 p.m.: Group A on ice
Wednesday, July 9
10 a.m.: Group A on ice
11:15 a.m.: Group B on ice
3:30 p.m.: Intrasquad scrimmage
Thursday, July 10
10 a.m.: Group B on ice
11:15 a.m.: Group A on ice
3:30 p.m.: Intrasquad scrimmage
Friday, July 11
10 a.m.: Group A on ice
11:15 a.m.: Group B on ice
Saturday, July 12
Capitals' Fan Fest
10:30 a.m.: Intersquad scrimmage
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
The Morning After
There is a mix of feelings toward the Capitals' moves on free agent Tuesday. At first there was a lot of animosity headed in the Caps' management way when GM George McPhee seemed to have botched the Cris Huet deal and went with a less capable goaltender in Jose Theodore >>>. Then that flipped when it had been revealed that Huet was actually given what they had asked for and still went to the open market. McPhee afraid he would be with out a number one goaltender at all, made the move he thought he had to to get a number one goaltender.Huet dismissed the offer that they themselves told McPhee they would sign for and headed for open market. When all was said and done, Huet got a better contract with Chicago. Which already has a "number one" in Nic Khabibulin. In a way it's funny that both Capitals' goaltenders, Cris Huet and Olie Kolzig, went to different teams that already have number ones (in Kolzig's case he is right back into a situation with 3 goaltenders in Tampa with Mike Smith and Karri Ramo).
With Huet going the open market route, the next best thing was Theodore who was willing to sign on for less time and money. Think of it as a "patch" until the Caps young talent can get their feet wet. Although Theodore, while inconsistent, is no "patch." He is a good goaltender. Will he produce the numbers for the Caps that are comparable to Huet's? Maybe not, but he is no slouch either. When his game is on, Theodore is a playoff goaltender and has the ability to sway a game or two. If you want to draw side by side comparisons, Huet has never made the second round of the playoffs, Theo has (not to mention got cozy with Paris Hilton). If the Avalanche had a healthy squad in front of him, Theodore could have done a shade better too.
The Capitals do have some talent in the pipeline in the goaltender department and are certian that their prospects are a year or two away from the big show. The Caps didn't want to be bogged down with a lengthy contract if the likes of Simeon Varlomov was ready to play in the big league after spending some time in the minors and making his way through the system. If Huet signed for four years and Varlomov has to sit on his keaster to wait out the contract.
The job isn't done. Green check, a goaltender check. Now onto the RFA's with the likes of Eric Fehr, Boyd Gordon, Shaone Morrisonn and Brooks Laich need to be re-upped and UFA Sergei Fedorov. I still think the Fedorov deal will take the Caps almost up to training camp as he weighs his options. Obviously it helps that Alex Ovechkin is in constant contact with him and has been his number one campaigner.While those other contracts will take some time to iron out, development camp is around the corner. Just a week away, we will see the likes of goaltender Simeon Varlomov, defensemen Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey, and forwards Oskar Osala, Francois Bouchard and Mathieu Perreault. Can a few of these players finally make the jump to the bigs? Its about time to find out.
P.S. If you were curious, NHL network is replaying the 2008 playoff series with Minnesota and Colorado. Your chance to see Theodore in action over the next week or so.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Kids Are Coming Back To Town
Per Tarik and his blog, the Caps development camp starts up mid July. Which is less than a month from now. Time flies when your having fun I guess. All the same prospects will be there like Karl Alzner (possibly his warm up for training camp), Simeon Varlamov (young Russian phenom that may be the Caps' Carey Price) and forwards Francois Bouchard and Mathieu Perreault.
July 6 is when the kids are in town and camp starts on the 7th with the first group hitting the ice at 10 am. Camp is open to the public for free at the Kettler Iceplex in Arlington, Va. It will be interesting to see who makes the graduation from rookie camp to training camp. Nick Backstrom was the only name that comes to mind that made that jump last season.
The camp goes until Saturday July 12th with a scrimmage from 10 am to 1 pm. Again, it's free to the public. Bruce Boudreau and the usual faces will be conducting camp.
In other news, Canadians are breathing a sigh of relief after CTV stepped in and saved the Hockey Theme from Hockey Night in Canada. If they had lost the rights to the song, I am sure the Canadians would have revolt worse than the Rocket Richard riots. Hey, it's a catchy tune. You can listen to it here, it's obviously the second tune in the intro.
July 6 is when the kids are in town and camp starts on the 7th with the first group hitting the ice at 10 am. Camp is open to the public for free at the Kettler Iceplex in Arlington, Va. It will be interesting to see who makes the graduation from rookie camp to training camp. Nick Backstrom was the only name that comes to mind that made that jump last season.
The camp goes until Saturday July 12th with a scrimmage from 10 am to 1 pm. Again, it's free to the public. Bruce Boudreau and the usual faces will be conducting camp.
In other news, Canadians are breathing a sigh of relief after CTV stepped in and saved the Hockey Theme from Hockey Night in Canada. If they had lost the rights to the song, I am sure the Canadians would have revolt worse than the Rocket Richard riots. Hey, it's a catchy tune. You can listen to it here, it's obviously the second tune in the intro.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Schedule Changes
Every team will play every team next season. So says the board of governors yesterday after talks about the season changes made after the lock out three years ago. Now every team gets a chance to see the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Sid "the Kid" Crosby. The playing of division rivals eight times will cease next year as owners and fans alike are a little tired of playing the same division foes a little too much.
Also discussed was the possibility of expansion which seemed to be shut down by the owners. Right now the league is evened out at thirty and to add two new teams would off set a division in each conference.
The Caps return to practice today concentrating more on their preseason match against the Ottawa Senators. Traing Camp has turned serious over the last two days amongst the cuts that happened after the Carolina game where Karl Alzner and Francois Bouchard were both sent back to there junior teams. Also a long list of players were sent to Hershey for the start of their camp tomorrow.
The Wash Post's Tarik did an article on Ben Clymer who looks good at practice and played well in Carolina. Clymer is fighting for a new contract, and you can see he has improved greatly after his abdominal injury last year. I am starting to agree with Tarik, Ben is fast becoming a favorite of mine.
Also discussed was the possibility of expansion which seemed to be shut down by the owners. Right now the league is evened out at thirty and to add two new teams would off set a division in each conference.
The Caps return to practice today concentrating more on their preseason match against the Ottawa Senators. Traing Camp has turned serious over the last two days amongst the cuts that happened after the Carolina game where Karl Alzner and Francois Bouchard were both sent back to there junior teams. Also a long list of players were sent to Hershey for the start of their camp tomorrow.
The Wash Post's Tarik did an article on Ben Clymer who looks good at practice and played well in Carolina. Clymer is fighting for a new contract, and you can see he has improved greatly after his abdominal injury last year. I am starting to agree with Tarik, Ben is fast becoming a favorite of mine.
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