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Top-10 Prospects : Capitals (1-10) |
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Washington has done a pretty decent job at incorporating their young talent into the lineup as they continue to try to compete for a Cup shot. Alzner, Carlson, Johansson, Orlov, Holtby and obviously the big three in OV, Green and Backstrom before them have all been worked in at their own pace.
Their prospect took a rather large hit when they dealt their second best one at the time in Filip Forsberg in a deal that I think took us all by surprise. That said they do have a few strong prospects and interesting guys despite so many of their younger players graduating.
As per usual this list doesn’t include players with 50+ NHL game experience or a player who played the vast majority of this shortened year and became a “legitimate NHLer.” I’ve kept Kundrátek in here despite the fact that he looked pretty darn NHL ready in his stint with the club and will be on the Caps next season.
1. Yevgeni Kuznetsov : Centre/Left Wing, 26th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’3 206lbs, Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL
Considered one of the best prospects in the world, Kuznetsov has that ability to completely take over a game at any time. The size, the speed, the elite hands and shot, he has it all, except consistency. There are two Kuznetsov’s, the elite monster who gets 5 points in a night and crushes a few guys on the boards, and the invisible Kuznetsov whose name you don’t hear all game and wonder where the hell he was. Having seen him play quite a bit I can honestly say he’s going to be a top-six forward whenever he decides to get himself over to North America…but he’s going to be much maligned because of his inconsistency. He leaves you wanting more much like other players of his ilk have like Semin, Kovalev and a few others that have all the talent in the world, but don’t seem to be able to use it all the time. That said he’s pretty much been the best scorer for Traktor since he was 19 and has been a superstar at the KHL level for some time now. This should be his final year in the KHL as his contract that he signed to make sure he would be in the Olympics (Signed when there was uncertainty if NHL players would be allowed to go) ends.
Potential : First Line Winger
2. Tomas Kundrátek : Defenseman, 90th Overall, 2008, 23 years old, 6’2 209lbs, Hershey Bears in the AHL
A bit of a homer pick for me here, but I really like his game and think he’s going to be a valuable piece of the improving Washington d-core. His development has been off the charts. From a more defensive defender known for being a two-way guy with some solid passing skills and decent puck skills, to a high scoring defenseman with one of the best shots from the point in the AHL. He went from being a terrible shooter with no accuracy to scoring 12 and 16 goals in 55 and 49 games respectfully since making the move to the Capitals. He had a small sample of NHL hockey last season playing 25 games playing a bit on the penalty kill and every now and then being thrown out for some brief time on the PP. Next season he will be with the Caps fulltime and should take the PK time that Schultz had.
Potential : Top-Four Two-Way Defenseman
3. André Burakovsky : Right Wing, 23rd Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’1 179lbs, Malmö in the Allsvenskan
The Austrian born Swede had an up and down season like many that play in the professional circus in Europe. His main asset is his elite level skating and more importantly his elite start-up speed, he gets to his top gear extremely quickly and can fly by players. He loves to shoot off the rush and try to drag defenders with him to make passes to the slot. He has puck possession skills and many feel that his hard work and quick reflexes make him very hard to take off the puck. His U18 tournament gave him back some of the credit he lost by being stuck on the 4th line for Malmö. He does have some puck hogging tendencies which is annoying, but his package makes him a very interesting player and one with easy top-6 potential. He needs to bulk up and work on his defensive game as he’s very gangly. Interestingly enough he decided to make the move to the OHL where the Eerie Otters drafted him 5th overall…man…Strome-McDavid-Burakovsky…shit.
Potential : Top-Six Sniper
4. Tom Wilson : Right Wing, 16th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 6’4 227lbs, Plymouth Whalers in the OHL
Brian Huddle’s favourite player and Don Cherry’s soon to be love child, Wilson took his offensive production that he began showing in the second half of the 2011 season that stretched into the playoffs and rolled with it all season long. He’s known for his huge hits and his love of dropping the gloves, but has now added scoring goals to his repertoire as he was by far the best Whaler last season (before Trocheck got there) despite missing a lot of games. His defensive game is a strength and his physicality is second to none, his major issue is that his skating while improving is still a tad slow like a lot of big guys. His ceiling is very high as a top-six power forward, but he’s still very safe as a guy who can make the NHL in the role of a tough grinder that can pop in a few goals. He’ll spend another season in the OHL next season and hopefully show more development to his offensive game.
Potential : Second/Third Line Power Forward
5. Riley Barber : Right Wing, 167th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 6’0 197lbs, Miami University in the NCAA
Barber was the second highest scoring U20 player in the NCAA this past season behind only Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau ending up second on his team in points and first in goals. He also has grown an immense amount in one year as during his draft year he was listed at 5’10 179lbs, so he must have found the protein shakes. He had a great showing at the U20’s for America and won the CCHA Rookie of the Year and being named to the First All-Star Team. He’s got very good speed and plays a fairly physical game. The main issue with his game is that he only goes one way; he doesn’t backcheck enough and has a tendency to wait at the blue line for the breakout instead of trying to cover his point. His defensive game needs to drastically improve to make the NHL, luckily he’s still young and has a lot of time to grow that side of his game.
Potential : Second Line Winger
6. Madison Bowey : Defenseman, 53rd Overall, 2013, 18 years old, 6’1 201lbs, Kelowna Rockets in the WHL
Bowey is an excellent puck carrying defenseman that plays a strong all-around game. He shows excellent skating abilities and is an aggressive puck mover. He plays hard and physical, while also showing surprising restraint in his own end making very few mistakes despite his aggressive style. He showed good improvement in the offensive zone this year raising his goal total to 12. He had very strong showings in both the U18’s and Ivan Hlinka tournament where Team Canada both won Gold at. I like his smart two-way abilities and the overall package that he brings. Next season he will play again for Kelowna.
Potential : Top-Four Two-Way Defenseman
7. Philipp Grubauer : Goalie, 112th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’1 185lbs, Hershey Bears in the AHL
Grubauer split the season 50-50 between the AHL and ECHL as well as playing two games for Washington and at each level he looked very comfortable. He took over the starting job in Hershey once Holtby left after the lockout ended stealing it from AHL journeyman Danny Sabourin. His strengths are his calm play and poise, along with excellent lower body speed. The Goalie Guild ranks him at number 25 in their top-100 goalie prospects. His potential is really hard to gauge right now though it is encouraging that he has been playing a starters load for four seasons now. Next season he should be the starter for the Bears.
Potential : Split Starter
8. Connor Carrick : Defenseman, 137th Overall, 2012, 19 years old, 5’11 186lbs, Plymouth Whalers in the OHL
Carrick is a bit of an undersized offensive defenseman that likes to play physical and doesn’t back down from anybody. He had an excellent rookie season in the OHL making a seamless transition from the USHL. He’s a pretty good skater and puck mover who is very good at running a PP as he has both a strong shot and strong passing skills. Aside from his size, his issue is that he can be too giddy to make that big offensive splash, be it going for the bull’s-eye breakout pass through the middle or making a wild pinch. A lot of scouts question his hockey sense and whether he can calm those aspects of his game down. Next season he plays again for Plymouth and will probably make the USA’s U20 squad.
Potential : Top-Four Offensive Defenseman
9. Michael Latta : Centre, 72nd Overall, 2009, 22 years old, 5’11 204lbs, Hershey Bears in the AHL
Latta was the other part of the Forsberg deal and is a pretty good fit for the Caps. He’s a heart and soul kind of player that loves to grind players down and will drop the gloves at the drop of a hat. As you probably noticed he doesn’t exactly have the ideal size for that kind of role, but he makes up for it by his fierce play. After being a fairly effective scorer in junior, he’s had two quality seasons in the AHL (38 points and 198 penalty minutes), but his offensive upside isn’t exactly great as of right now…though the entire Admirals team wasn’t a high scoring system. He’s a strong two-way player, but needs to continue to improve his skating. Next season he’s set to play the full year with Hershey.
Potential : Third Line Grinder
10. Stanislav Galiev : Left Wing, 86th Overall, 2010, 21 years old, 6’1 187lbs, Reading Royals in the ECHL
Galiev is highly talented and highly frustrating. He was sent down to the ECHL after a terrible start to his AHL career as the coaching staff grew tired of his lackadaisical play and lack of defensive awareness. He’s an elite skater with a ton of fancy moves, sometimes going to the extreme with those. He was a part of the Saint John Sea Dogs super squads and looked to be putting together his skills with his QMJHL Playoff performance. In his defense he found his game in the ECHL going over a PPG and having a great playoff run for the Kelly Cup winning Royals. He has all the fancy skills that you want from a top-six scorer and has the playmaking and sniping skills we all love. It’s the consistency and effort level that are concerning. Hopefully it was just a rough start to his pro game and an aberration. Massive boom/bust potential with him right now. Next season he will be out to prove everybody wrong as he will start in Hershey.
Potential : Top-Six Scorer or Bust
Notables :
Caleb Herbert (Has a lot of natural skill, but his size and softness are major problems, he’s extremely boom/bust and while his rookie season in the NCAA was excellent he took a step back last season, he takes a lot of selfish stick penalties)
Travis Boyd (Undersized two-way centre, had a great U18’s a few years back and hasn’t done much to gain much notoriety since, he’s a mature player and only 19, so the offense could emerge)
Thanks for reading. Not sure who is next.
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