Washington Capitals -- Development Camp 2014: Day Five

The second scrimmage of Development Camp 2014 for the Washington Capitals held on Friday was a rout.  Team Red scored a touchdown and added a two-point conversion, while Team White managed only a field goal in an 8-3 win for the Redsters.

They are not yet Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, but Andre Burakovsky and Jakub Vrana did a passable impression of the prolific pair on the parent club.  This week might be remembered as being Burakovsky’s in large part.  In his second straight day playing at center – a new position for the drafted winger – he looked entirely comfortable distributing the puck when he wasn’t firing it himself. He would finish this scrimmage with a goal and two assists.

We did not have a chance to see all eight goals for Team Red (the sick bug consumed us after Team Red went up, 5-1, mid-way in the second period), but what we saw was impressive enough.  Burakovsky had two assists in the first period, and Vrana picked a top corner with a one timer (from Burakovsky), and one could see this pair being a productive second line partnership (ok, probably in 2016 or 2017).

Team White had their moments, but they were of the “coulda woulda shoulda” variety.  For instance, Austin Wuthrich hit a pipe early on in the first period, the puck staying out.  Red scored the game’s first goal on the ensuring rush.  It was not the only pipe that Team White hit in the first period, getting another chance when the game was still 1-0.

That, and a nice finish by Chandler Stephenson of a spin-a-rama pass from Riley Barber, would pretty much do it for the Team White highlights, the deeper offensive skill of Team Red taking over in the first half of the game we had a chance to see.  We did get some pics, though…

 Gentlemen...start your engines.

waiting waiting waiting

skating skating skating

Three Amigos

"let's score eight on two....ready...BREAK!"

Garrett Haar in the shootout interlude

 The jury renders the verdict.... 8-3

Washington Capitals -- Development Camp 2014: Day Three

If there was a word that captured the morning session of Day Three of Washington Capitals Development Camp 2014, it was “pace.”  Wednesday was very much an up-tempo day as the prospects tackled situational scenarios – one-on-one, two-on-one, two-on-two-and three-on-two set-ups.  There was a lot more contact in today’s session, and little time to catch one’s breath between repetitions. 

It seems part of a progression that began Monday to get the guys’ skating legs under them, and then structured drills on Tuesday.  Today’s situational drills is just the next step before intrasquad scrimmages on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday to close the week.  As this was going on a few things caught our eye.

• Riley Barber might have had the nickname “H.G.” early on.  It seemed every shooting opportunity was one for him to go high glove.  He picked a few, too.
• Andre Burakowsky is, as one might expect, bigger than he was at last year’s D-camp, but he looks quicker, too.  He covers a lot of ground...uh, ice quickly while not seeming to expend a lot of effort doing it.
• Burakovsky and Michal Cajkovsky had a few of battles of the big guys.  The latter held his own in most situations against the former.  Cajkovsky really seemed to use his body well to keep Burakovsky from generating or maintaining any momentum, especially when dueling along the wall.
• Want to learn how to skate backwards?  Try this drill… You are the defenseman at the top of the offensive zone faceoff circle.  Your opposite number is at the far hash marks of the circle along the wall.  At the whistle the offensive player takes off down the wall with the puck, the defenseman skating backward and tracking the offensive player until they approach the blue line (if he doesn’t get an opening to poke the puck away or body the opponent off the puck first).  Then the defender can turn and press forward to try to angle the offensive player off his line to the net or otherwise prevent him from getting off a shot.  It puts the defender in an uncomfortable position from the start of the play, but one he’s going to see any number of times going forward.  Some guys could keep up; others struggled to keep the offensive player from gaining advantage or a breakaway.
• Jakub Vrana has a nasty snap shot.  Gets on a goalie quickly.  From time to time we were thinking the same thing of Miles Koules and Braden Pimm.
• Sounds of hockey… puck hitting crossbar: PING!  Shot going wide and hitting glass: CRACK!  Player being run into the boards: RUM-M-M-M-M-BLE.  Then there was the odd sound coming from time to time when goalie Vitek Vanecek was in goal, sort of like a really loud egg cracking.  Seems he is not averse to using his mask as another blocker, not unlike Henrik Lundqvist.  Or maybe his head was just in the way.  Either way, it was effective.
• How fast was the pace?  They weren’t even waiting for the ice resurfacer to clean the ice.  In each of the morning groups, the guys started on the public rink, then when that ice was sufficiently chewed up, and it was time for a natural break, they took a breath at center ice and marched across the hall to the Capitals rink for the second half of the session.
• Connor Carrick pulled on a white jersey and skated with the first group in the morning session. 
• It seemed like a bigger crowd at Kettler this morning than either of the first two days.  Here are some pics of what they saw…

Caphenge

 He SHOOTS!!!

Turned aside by Taran Kozun...

 At this point, fans would be screaming SHOOOOOOOOT!!!

 "Earned...Never Given"

Washington Capitals -- Development Camp 2014: Day Two

Day Two at Washington Capitals D-Camp 2014 was busy.  So busy they had to get work in before the scheduled activities began.  It started with goalie Philipp Grubauer getting some early alone time with coaches Olaf Kolzig and Scott Murray, who were snapping pucks at him from opposite faceoff circles as Coach Micth Korn looked on from the side. 

That was merely prelude to a busy morning session.  “Three-ring circus” busy, in fact.  Really.  After a false start on the Capitals rink, the coaches and players headed across the hallway to the public rink to begin the day.  At one end of the ice goalie coach Mitch Korn was working with goalies Rasmus Tirronen and Phoenix Copley, while at the other end of the ice the skaters were split into two groups, both working on different aspects of skating to start.  One looked to be repeating the exercises of Day One as the other was working on maneuvering among cones set up on the ice.

Insofar as Coach Korn and his goalies were working just beneath our perch in the balcony, we paid most attention to those drills.  It started with the goalies facing one another, about a stick length apart.  The object of the exercise was for one goalie to shuffle back and forth and to step forward and back, his opposite number trying to mirror his every move as quickly as possible.  After 10-12 seconds of this, the goalies switched roles, the other being the “initiator,” while his partner took on the role of the “mirror.”

Then it was to the front of the cage and another excuse to get the goalies working together in an odd sort of way (this would be a theme).  Goalie A stepped to the front of the crease where Coach Korn faced him.  Here, the object was for the goalie to track Korn’s movements with three quick shuffles to one side, then push hard in the opposite direction to the far post.  These nets being only loosely anchored, the other goalie was standing on the skirt of the net to keep the rig from shifting when the goalie performing the exercise jammed his skate hard to the post.

Working in pairs with the goalies was the common thread here, but the best was saved for last.  Coach Korn had the nets set up facing each other below the goal line, about 15 feet apart.  Each goalie took a net, and coach stood between them.  At the top of the crease stood another coach.  The object was this.  The coach at the top of the crease would start play by either shooting the puck at one or the other goalie, or passing it to the other coach standing between the netminders.  If the coach starting the play passed the puck down to the other coach, Coach 2 could shoot on either of the goalies, or he could pass it back up to Coach 1.  Ah, but here is the diabolical part.  Coach B, standing between the goalies, could shoot the puck by banking it off the end boards to try and slip it behind one or the other goalie.  The object appeared to be using familiar skills in unfamiliar ways with an emphasis on quickness and recovery…

Tomorrow is the last day of drill sessions, Thursday through Saturday limited to intrasquad scrimmages, according to the published schedule.  If you have a chance to visit, watch Korn and the goalies.  It really is quite entertaining.  And he hasn’t even broken out the toys yet.  We can’t wait to see what he has in store for Braden Holtby, Justin Peters, and Philipp Grubauer for training camp.

Other snippets…

Nathan Walker got to wear the helmet cam for the morning session...

Young Mr. Walker appears to prefer wearing the back of his jersey tucked into his pants.  It makes it difficult to see the entire number of his jersey (79), he being somewhat on the short side.

At the other end of the height scale is defenseman Eliot Antionetti who, at six-feet, six inches, towers over many of his teammates.  He also looks to have a playoff-ready beard going on, too.

The CSN folks were in to do some media type stuff.  No, we were not asked to do an interview segment.  We think they had their hearts set on Cheerless.

And, some more pics…

 Glee club is now in session

Working on D-to-D reversing the puck breakouts

One...step...in...front...of...the...oth...er

Student to teacher ratio is pretty good here

 

It's the same everywhere... Hurry up and wait

Washington Capitals -- Development Camp 2014: Day One

It was Day One of Development Camp 2014 for the Washington Capitals, the first of what one hopes will be many steps forward for a group of young men striving for a spot on a National Hockey League roster.  “Steps” would be the theme of the morning session of Day One.

After what might have been a lengthy hiatus for some from the rigors of skating since their respective seasons ended, the guys took to the ice for what looked like an advanced class in skating.  Two groups of ten split the morning session going through a series of skating drills that had the look of Coach Norman Dale’s first day of practice with his Hickory Huskers in the movie, “Hoosiers.”  No pucks, no nets, and sticks used only either as props or for the players to carry as they went through their drills.

It was a level of instruction that seemed a bit unusual, even for a development camp, but if you are going to be good at the basics, then drill in the basics, and nothing is more basic than skating (said the guy who hasn’t been on skates in twenty years).

That being the case, there wasn’t much by way of excitement, although there were some moments.  There was the occasional stumble, and what looked like some quizzical looks as drills were being laid out.   Did anyone stand out?  We're sure the coaches have an idea after consulting their tablets with which they were taking pictures and making notes.  Us?  Not so much.   

Meanwhile, as class was being held on the ice, there was head coach Barry Trotz holding forth with fans near the press area.  And there was Barry Trotz on the bench watching as class was being held on the ice.  And there was Barry Trotz at the other side of the ice manning the door for skaters coming to and from the locker room.  And there was Barry Trotz posing for pictures with a couple of young fans.  Barry Trotz might have put in as many miles as did the skaters on the ice.

As for the morning session, here are some pics…

30 minutes before D-Camp opens... it's quiet... very quiet...

 It's almost time...

 Nathan Walker is the first to step onto the ice for D-Camp 2014

 You, too, can "Learn to Skate" like an NHLer... well, they can. You probably can't.

  Advanced technology meets basic skating.

 And... GO!

Good job