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Washington Capitals Blogger •
Was Somethin’ a-Bruin?
Quick and to the point, George McPhee knew who he wanted.
Yet, one has to wonder what was really going on?
As the Capitals turn to select their first round pick drew near, the Washington table got very serious and McPhee began working the phone. In an interesting sequence of events, as the clock began to tick away for Washington to make their selection, McPhee stood up and exchanged a few body signals with Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. Following the exchange, McPhee sat back down and picked up the phone once again. George replaced the phone, the Capitals group sat back and waited. After a minute or two, an impatient commissioner beckoned the Capitals to the stage once again. With a last minute look to the phone, which had yet to ring, McPhee quickly rose from his seat and made for the stage, making the quickest announcement of the evening, stating simply “…with the 24th overall pick, the Washington Capitals select Marcus Johannson.”
Now, you would not have been privy to that situation had you not been sitting in the stands of the Bell Centre. There was no such coverage of the floor available on any of the media outlets and so fans truly miss out on a great(and very interesting) part of the draft, which is the intermingling of all of the team’s GM’s while the draft is taking place.
With only mere speculation available, the logical idea behind the apparent interaction between McPhee and Chiarelli concerned their back to back picks(24 &25). The only problem with that, as I see it, is that the Caps would only want to trade down 1 spot if the Bruins desperately wanted to trade up a spot. McPhee chose Johansson and Chiarelli chose power forward Jordan Caron. The quick selections by both general managers suggests that the apparent exchange between the Bruins and Capitals had more to do with their current squads than their current picks.
Considering the phone never rang for George McPhee suggests that he never got consent to move forward with any sort of plans between he and Chiarelli.
Whatever the case may be, something looked to be up and both general managers appeared to have something going on in the moments prior to the Capitals pick. Whether there is any meat to the bones of that theory is pure speculation. The fact remains, McPhee and Chiarelli seemed friendly and one would have to wonder where that might lead them in the next few weeks?
Onto what actually did transpire on the Draft floor and the newest member of the Washington Capitals:
Marcus Johansson.
Here is the final report from Central Scouting:
Statistics
info obtained at:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?dpid=5367&tab=prf
A little more from TSN’s Draft Rankings:
When all was said and done, Johansson is the newest member of the Washington Capitals and I am sure that Nic Backstrom will welcome him with open arms and , along with Anton Gustafsson, show them the ropes on what is shaping up to a very dangerous Washington Capitals team for a long time to come.
Johansson’s final rankings were: ISS: 95, TSN: 33, THN: 30
He is recognized for his two-way play and ability to read the play. He can shoot, he can score and he can win faceoffs. All of these are recognized as a plus as the Capitals needed the injection of a youthful centerman into their prospect group.
Picked a little early? Time will tell, but according the general manager George McPhee’s demeanor at the time of the selection, there appeared to be no other player available.
Welcome to the Capitals Marcus!
- In an interesting and related note, the Capitals selection of Marcus Johansson marked the 7th Swede to be selected in the 1st Round of the 2009 Draft, setting a record for most Swedes selected in the 1st round.
They were: #2 TB: Hedman, #6 PHX: Ekman-Larsson, #10 EDM: Paajarvi-Svensson, #17 STL: Rundblad, #20 NJ(from CGY) Josefson, #23 CGY(from NJ) Erixon, #24 WSH: Johansson
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
Quick and to the point, George McPhee knew who he wanted.
Yet, one has to wonder what was really going on?
As the Capitals turn to select their first round pick drew near, the Washington table got very serious and McPhee began working the phone. In an interesting sequence of events, as the clock began to tick away for Washington to make their selection, McPhee stood up and exchanged a few body signals with Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli. Following the exchange, McPhee sat back down and picked up the phone once again. George replaced the phone, the Capitals group sat back and waited. After a minute or two, an impatient commissioner beckoned the Capitals to the stage once again. With a last minute look to the phone, which had yet to ring, McPhee quickly rose from his seat and made for the stage, making the quickest announcement of the evening, stating simply “…with the 24th overall pick, the Washington Capitals select Marcus Johannson.”
Now, you would not have been privy to that situation had you not been sitting in the stands of the Bell Centre. There was no such coverage of the floor available on any of the media outlets and so fans truly miss out on a great(and very interesting) part of the draft, which is the intermingling of all of the team’s GM’s while the draft is taking place.
With only mere speculation available, the logical idea behind the apparent interaction between McPhee and Chiarelli concerned their back to back picks(24 &25). The only problem with that, as I see it, is that the Caps would only want to trade down 1 spot if the Bruins desperately wanted to trade up a spot. McPhee chose Johansson and Chiarelli chose power forward Jordan Caron. The quick selections by both general managers suggests that the apparent exchange between the Bruins and Capitals had more to do with their current squads than their current picks.
Considering the phone never rang for George McPhee suggests that he never got consent to move forward with any sort of plans between he and Chiarelli.
Whatever the case may be, something looked to be up and both general managers appeared to have something going on in the moments prior to the Capitals pick. Whether there is any meat to the bones of that theory is pure speculation. The fact remains, McPhee and Chiarelli seemed friendly and one would have to wonder where that might lead them in the next few weeks?
Onto what actually did transpire on the Draft floor and the newest member of the Washington Capitals:
Marcus Johansson.
Here is the final report from Central Scouting:
Final Rank: 8
Midterm Rank: 6
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11’’
Weight: 189lbs.
Born in: Landskrona, Sweden
Hometown: Karlstad, Sweden
Profile
• As a member of Farjestad in 2008-09, Johansson recorded 10 points (5-5-10) in 45 games in the Swedish Elite League. He gained valuable experience as an 18-year-old, helping his club win the Swedish championship.
• As a member of Team Sweden at the 2009 World Junior Championships, he scored two goals (2-0-2) in six games, winning a silver medal. He also represented his country at the 2007 Under-18 World Championships (bronze) and the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament (gold).
• His uncle, Gunnar Johansson, played and coached Farjestad BK and his brother, Martin, also plays in the Swedish Elite League. Martin, born in 1987, played for Team Sweden at the 2007 World Junior Championships.
• He began skating before he was three, following in the footsteps of his older brother. Johansson’s biggest career influences are his father, for always pushing him and his brother for inspiring him to be better.
• His most memorable hockey moment was winning the Under-18 Swedish Championships with Farjestad’s BK in 2006-07.
FAVORITES
NHL Teams: Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Player: Henrik Zetterberg
Shootout Move: “Nothing special, depends on the goalie”
Movie: The Green Mile, American Gangster
TV Show: Friends
Video Game: Playstation 3, NHL ’08
Music Artist or Group: Akon, Lars Winnerback, Metallica
Website: Youtube.com
Pump-up Song: Metallica songs
Pre-game meal: Pasta and meatballs
NHLEuropeanScoutingService
“Johansson has a good selection of shots with a quick precise wrist shot. His overall skill level and stickhandling give him room to move the puck and shoot. He is a player with good offensive instincts and fine understanding of his defensive duties. He can play both center and wing with a consistent hard working presence.”
Statistics
| SEASON | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| 2007-2008 | Farjestad Jr. | Swe JR-2 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 0 |
| 2008- 2009 | Farjestad | Sweden | 45 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
info obtained at:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?dpid=5367&tab=prf
A little more from TSN’s Draft Rankings:
Profile
2008-2009 Team: Farjestad
League: SweJE
Position: Left Wing
Ht/Wt: 5’11’’, 189lbs.
Stats Through 02/11/09: 37 GP, 5 G, 8PTS
Notes: Johansson scored two goals in six games for Team Sweden at the 2009 WJHC in Ottawa.
Scouting Ranking:
ISS: 127
Central Scouting Bureau: No.6 (Europe)
- info obtained at: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=4084
When all was said and done, Johansson is the newest member of the Washington Capitals and I am sure that Nic Backstrom will welcome him with open arms and , along with Anton Gustafsson, show them the ropes on what is shaping up to a very dangerous Washington Capitals team for a long time to come.
Johansson’s final rankings were: ISS: 95, TSN: 33, THN: 30
He is recognized for his two-way play and ability to read the play. He can shoot, he can score and he can win faceoffs. All of these are recognized as a plus as the Capitals needed the injection of a youthful centerman into their prospect group.
Picked a little early? Time will tell, but according the general manager George McPhee’s demeanor at the time of the selection, there appeared to be no other player available.
Welcome to the Capitals Marcus!
- In an interesting and related note, the Capitals selection of Marcus Johansson marked the 7th Swede to be selected in the 1st Round of the 2009 Draft, setting a record for most Swedes selected in the 1st round.
They were: #2 TB: Hedman, #6 PHX: Ekman-Larsson, #10 EDM: Paajarvi-Svensson, #17 STL: Rundblad, #20 NJ(from CGY) Josefson, #23 CGY(from NJ) Erixon, #24 WSH: Johansson
steven.hindle@hockeybuzz.com
capitalshockeybuzz@live.ca
Go Caps!!!!!
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