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Capitals Prospects - Offense |
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Hello All,
Today I wanted to take a look at some of our more notable offensive prospects and see which ones have a chance to crack the lineup for the 2020-2021 season.
Most major hockey outlets have the Capitals ranked as either last or close to last in terms of farm system rankings. The Capitals simply do not have a lot of elite prospects. Part of this is because they traded away so many draft picks the last five years. Since the Curtis Glencross deal on March 1st 2015, The Capitals have shipped away 19 draft picks and only received 10 in return.
Here is a breakdown of what they traded away:
-One 1st round draft pick
-Eight 2nd round draft picks
-Six 3rd round draft picks
-Three 4th round draft picks
-Two 5th round draft picks
-One 6th round draft pick
Here is what they received:
-One 1st round draft pick
-Four 2nd round draft picks
-Three 3rd round draft picks
-Two 5th round draft picks
The Caps have been buyers at every trade deadline in the Alex Ovechkin era and have easily been one of the best teams of the past decade. They have won their division in 10 of the last 13 seasons. They have won the Presidents trophy three times in the last 11 seasons. They have only missed the playoffs once since the 2007-2008 season. The Caps are never anywhere near a top draft pick and appropriately so. They have to rely on developing talent and getting a little lucky with how some players develop.
While the Capitals may not have the best prospects on paper, there is still tons to be excited about for the future. There are a few guys that may crack the NHL lineup this year and couple more players to get really excited about down the road.
Here is how the offensive lines are currently being projected:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Panik
Hathaway-Dowd-Pinho
*line projections based on www.dailyfaceoff.com*
Lets take a look at the prospects and who could crack the lineup. In no particular order here they are:
1. Brian Pinho, C/Wing
Draft: 2013 WSH, 6th rd, 23rd pk (174th overall)
Age: 25
Height/Weight: 6’1, 193lbs
Let’s start with Pinho since dailyfaceoff is projecting him to get regular action in the NHL. Pinho actually got called up to play two games against the Islanders in the first round of the playoffs. He did not register a point and was -1 through the two games. In the second game, Coach Reirden only skated Pinho for 3:22 ice time which is weird. Why call the kid up if you aren’t even gonna play him? This simple question mark is less about Pinho and speaks more to why Reirden needed to go as a coach. Pinho has played two full seasons with the Hersey Bears. His first year was quiet, posting a 4-8-12 stat line in 73 games played. In his second year with the Bears, he ramped it up offensively and scored 20-17-37 in 62 games played. One thing to note is that all 20 goals were scored even strength which is slightly more impressive. Pinho is known for being a responsible player, killing penalties, strong faceoff %, and can play any position offensively
2. Daniel Sprong, Right Wing
Draft: 2015 PIT, 2nd rd, 16th pk (46th overall)
Age: 23
Height/Weight: 5’11, 191lbs
Washington was able to flip pending UFA Christian Djoos for Daniel Sprong. Sprong brings 97 games of NHL experience and is known for his shot. The knock on his game is probably what he lacks on the defensive side. Last year, the Capitals 3rd and 4th lines failed to produce consistent offense down the stretch. Plugging someone like Sprong in on the bottom two lines could help sure up what the Caps lacked last season. Expect Sprong to be very much in play for routine NHL work.
3. Shane Gersich, Left Wing
Draft: 2014 WSH, 5th rd, 14th pk (134th overall)
Age: 24
Height/Weight: 6’0, 180lbs
Gersich has four NHL games under his belt, all in the 2017-2018 season. He played two regular season games and had an assist in one of them. He played two games in the Penguins series and went pointless. Since then he has played two full seasons in the AHL posting mediocre numbers. He simply has not quite found his offensive potential yet. Gersich is known as a hard worker and a great teammate. He is the kind of player that could be a captain for the Bears. From what I have read, the coaches rave about him. He is a bottom six player and a grinder. He has a very similar style to Nathan walker in terms of style of play. Gersich is also a big part of the PK. Because of his time he played during the Stanley Cup run, Gerish is probably a more notable name compared to other prospects. Unless we see his offensive stats jump through the roof, we are likely years away from seeing any consistent Gersich action in the NHL.
4. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Left Wing
Draft: 2016 WSH, 5th rd, 26th pk (147th overall)
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 6’1, 194lbs
Jonsson-Fjallby scored 12-11-23 in 63 games played for the Bears last year. It was his first full season with the Bears so lets see how much he can improve in year two. He also played very well on the PK last year. In terms of improvement, he improved his shot accuracy as the season went on. The risk with Jonson-Fjallby is he is really inconsist.
5. Beck Malynstn, Left Wing
Draft: 2016 WSH, 5th rd, 24th pk (145th overall)
Age: 22
Height/Weight: 6’3, 200lbs
Malynstn might be the one I am most excited about of the guys I have listed so far. He played three games with the caps last year and went pointless. He did total four shots on goal. He might be the best fit for the Caps in a 4th line role. For the Bears, he is a fourth line grinder. He is a fearless shot blocker and as tough as nails. He is already throwing clean NHL caliber hits in the AHL. He is willing to drop the gloves with anyone. In a 4th line role, he still produced a 7-8-15 stat line in 46 GP for the bears. Not bad! Bears head coach Spencer Carberry has likened him to Tom Wilson.
6. Philippe Maillet , Center
Undrafted
Age: 28
Height/Weight – 5’10, 190lbs
Maillet lead the Bears in points last season with a 17-27-44 stat line in 61 GP. The Capitals signed Maillet after losing Riley Barber and Nathan Walker to free agency. Maillet is a bit of a late bloomer with this offensive production. He scored 54 and 36 points in the previous two seasons with the Ontario Reign. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Capitals give him a game or two next season.
Future guys to get excited about who are not yet AHL eligible:
Connor McMichael, Center
Age: 19
Draft: 2019 WSH, 1st rd, 25th pk (25th overall)
Height/Weight: 6’0, 183lbs
Aliaksei Protas, Center
Draft: 2019 WSH, 3rd rd, 29th pk (91st overall)
Age: 19
Height/Weight: 6’6, 210lbs --- What a tank!
Hendrix Lapierre, Center
Age:18
Draft: 2020 WSH, 1st rd, 22nd pk (22nd overall)
Height/Weight: 6’0, 179lbs
Who are you most excited to see next season? Thanks for reading and Go Caps!
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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