Capitals Development Camp -- Day 6: Getaway Day

Day 6 – Saturday night’s alright for fightin’… get a little action in…

It was “getaway day” at Kettler Capitals Iceplex as the prospects treated a standing-room-only (as in standing outside, in the parking lot) crowd to a full scrimmage this morning.

What the scrimmage -- a 3-2 shootout win for Team White -- lacked in offensive fireworks, it made up for with tenacity (who would want to exit a loser for the week?) and a pair of bouts. Joe Finley and Anthony Pisano reprised their contest from earlier in the week, and after much spinning and many thrown (if unsuccessful) punches, we would have to score the bout a draw.

The second bout, taking place immediately after the first, got off to an odd start. Actually, it almost started before the first one was over. As Finley and Pisano were being separated, Cody Eakin and Trevor Bruess (yea, him again) were shoulder to shoulder, skating toward the bench and looking to be yapping at each oterh. Eakin took a half-hearted slash to Bruess’ ankles, and Bruess returned the favor. Then, Stefan Della Rovere skated toward Bruess and barked at him for a bit. Before the ensuing faceoff, Bruess dropped his gloves and paused as if he had an equipment problem, or he was going to tie his skates. That just gave Della Rovere the chance to ready himself for what was to unfold. This was the more energetic of the two bouts, with more punches thrown (and landing). Uppercuts seemed to be the preferred punch, and Della Rovere connected with one that appeared to bloody Bruess’ nose (we later saw messages that Bruess’ nose was broken, although he did return… hockey players, y’know). We would have to give SDR the nod in this one.

As for the scrimmage itself, it was a very different affair that the other two in that there was a lot less freewheeling (especially among the more gifted Russians – Evgeny Kuznetsov and Stanislav Galiev). This scrimmage featured a good deal moiré in terms of fighting for territorial advantage, and there was a lot more play in the neutral zone. Whereas the ice seemed tilted to the Team Red (Group A) side of the ice, owing to Team White’s (Group B) superior forechecking, in the first two scrimmages, things were much more even this morning. Although, we would still give Team White the edge on that score.

It was a morning for the grinders, in a way. Free agent invitees David deKastrozza (Red), Eric Alexander (White), and Andy Miele (White) each potted goals. Phil DeSimone (a third-round draft pick from 2007) completed the scoring in regulation. The shootout, being the “skills competition,” so to speak, could have ended up being a showcase for the more offensively gifted players. And, in fact, Stanislav Galiev and Cody Eakin, whose skills seem to trend that way, converted their chances. But it was left to Andy Miele one more time to break the tie, and break it he did by faking goalie Braden Holtby to the ice and tucking the puck safely around his right pad for the win.

It was a war of attrition, as it turned out, as several players sustained injuries. There was Bruess’ apparently broken nose, a concussion for Jake Hauswirth, a leg injury for Anton Gustafsson, Eric Alexander going face first into the boards (but did return), as well as Della Rovere (who also returned).

If Miele gets the first star of the game among the skaters, we thought Dan Dunn (White) had a fine game in goal. He played the third period, overtime, and the shootout, and the only puck he allowed to pass was off the stick of Cody Eakin in the Gimmick. He faced much more difficult chances than did his counterpart Braden Holtby in the third, and was adept at controlling rebounds and steering pucks into the corners.

Among the draftees and other players under contract, for the week, we took notice of Stefan Della Rovere and Trevor Bruess for being as advertised – a royal pain to play against. We think Della Rovere is further along the development curve than Bruess, but we could not help but think he is going to have to improve his game within the rules quite a bit to have a legitimate shot at making the big club down the road.

Cody Eakin had what looked to us a good week. He is a tricky little cuss in the offensive end and looks to be a good skater.

Marcus Johansson looked to have a somewhat uneven week to us and for many of the same reasons Nicklas Backstrom had one a few years ago. His unfamiliarity with the smaller ice surface seemed to affect him, as did his uncertain approach to positioning as he gets used to a somewhat different set of responsibilities as a center on this side of he pond.

Evgeni Kuznetsov and Stanislav Galiev both impressed with their skating and stick-handling. We think that overall, Galiev might have had the stronger week in the end. Kuznetsov seemed to lose some focus at the end of the week, and he had a very average scrimmage this morning.

Anton Gusfasson looked better than in any previous camp setting. He looked quicker, and he looked more energized for the most part. But he needs to be a better finisher and disappear less.

We thought Dmitri Orlov took a step back in this camp. He looked a lot more promising last summer. He still demonstrates skill, but he didn’t seem to have the same sense of urgency about his effort this year. We could say the same about Jake Hauswirth. Neither stood out the way they had in the past.

Dustin Stevenson had an interesting week in a “Jeff Schultz” kind of way. He’s a big fellow – 6’5”, 220 – but he played a relatively quiet game, depending on positioning and his reach more than the big hit. We thought he had a nice week all around.

Among the goalies, Braden Hotlby looked alternately tired and off his game. He has, by quite a margin, the best skill set in this camp among the netminders. That is a product of his experience, having played significant minutes in Hershey this season (which probably accounts for the tired part). But he didn’t sparkle the way one might have expected him to in this setting.

We thought Dan Dunn looked very good. He seemed to use his size better than we remember seeing him in previous camps, and his glove hand was very good as well.

Among the free agents in camp, one could not help but see a different kind of effort among them, the sort in which they try to set themselves apart, get noticed, and perhaps end up with a contract of their own. Wade MacLeod, Andy Miele, Eric Alexander, Cameron Burt, Sean Wiles (who missed a breakaway and hit the post twice in today’s scrimmage), Patrick Cullen, and Chris Bond all had their moments.

But in the end, it was quite the entertaining week. And we appreciate the chance to watch such talented young men chasing their ambitions. To all of them, thanks guys and the best of luck to each and every one of you.

Some final pics from today’s festivities…

Capitals Development Camp -- Day 5

Day 5 – “Psychology” Day

Today’s sessions were an object lesson in the psychology of having a lot of competitive young men in the fifth day of working in confined spaces. Break things up with a couple of scrimmages or a paint ball field trip, but it’s still the same guys seeing one another and competing with the aid of sticks. Today, the irritables set in.

First, there was Coach Bruce Boudreau, whose patience appeared to be tested in the first session with the level of intensity being displayed on the ice. When he had a chance to get everyone together at the bench to go over the next drill, he let them know it, too. Not particularly harshly, from what we could hear, but the message was delivered. On Day 5 of drills, testing, scrimmages, more testing, more drills, another scrimmage, paintball in 100-degree weather, well… one might expect the level of intensity to waver, even among healthy young fellows such as these. Shoot, even Evgeny Kuznetsov wasn’t smiling as much as he had been earlier in the week.

Then in the second session, there was that guy again – Trevor Bruess – making things difficult for goalie Taylor Nelson by getting right up in his mask to screen him from the shooter during a drill in the second session. After some jostling, Nelson had enough and let Bruess know it with a shove. Gotta admire the kid’s spunk, especially given that Bruess responded by shoving Nelson off his feet and right back into his own net. It didn’t end there, either. Bruess skated off while barking back at Nelson, and as the players gathered back at the bench to get their instructions for the next drill, Bruess was still barking and casting daggers with his eyes at Nelson. As the players broke out for their next drill, Bruess looked as if he wanted to continue the conversation, but the drills went on.

As for the object of the exercise – conducting drills and teaching the boys the finer points of Caps hockey – today's ice time was very much devoted to running the power play. Positioning, proper separation, rotation, puck movement. It went from 5-on-none drills (to instill a sense of where players should be and where they should go) to 5-on-4 drills. In the second group, Marcus Johansson looked to get some special attention concerning where he should be positioning himself (his first instinct still seems to go out high in a defensive posture).

Each session ended with a staple of D-Camp. Thirteen pucks were lined up and the blue line for each team, and players took their turns in skating in on a penalty shot/breakaway in a scramble format. Rush in, shoot – if you score, the puck comes off the ice; if you miss, you have to collect the puck and bring it back to the blue line before the next shooter takes the ice. And goalies, after making the save, can shoot the puck away from the shooter into one or the other corner. The one thing we took away from this is that Kuznetsov has a future in the Gimmick. Losers had the privilege of doing a bag skate.

If you’re into who played with whom on what lines/pairs, here is what we saw (largely unchanged from the week's norm):

Group A

Red: Kuznetsov/Cullen/Forfar
Green: Della Rovere/Hauswirth/de Kastrozza
Gray: Eakin/DeSimone/Wiles
White: Woods/Gustafsson/de Kastrozza
D-Pairs: Orlov/Finley, Jank/Carrier, Bond/Ruel, Yadlowski/Flemming
Goalies: Holtby/Dunn

Group B

Red: Burke/Hebert/Lefrancois
Green: Mitchell/MacLeod/Bruess
Gray: Galiev/Johansson/Burt
White: Alexander/Miele/Pisano
D-Pairs: Lowery/Stevenson, Spinell/Cullity, Davis/Wey, Sotnieks (rotating)
Goalies: Grubauer/Enzukens/Nelson

And so ends the drills portion of the week, the festivities coming to a close tomorrow with a 10:00 am scrimmage. In the meantime, some more pics (including getting ready for the equipment sale)…

Capitals Development Camp -- Day 4

We’re going to go out on a limb here and guess that Braden Holtby is not much of a morning person. Or Trevor Bruess, for that matter.

The boys went at it again, a scant 18 hours after the start of Scrimmage 1, held yesterday afternoon. And in the tried and true tradition of hockey played everywhere, familiarity with an opponent – even if they share the same employer for the week – breeds contempt.

Team White defeated Team Red, 6-5 in a shootout, to take a win and a tie into the final scrimmage of the week, to be played on Saturday at 10 am. What did we notice?

-- First, it was a nice crowd for a 9:00 am start and it being a workday.  The rink looked to be about three-fourths full from our spot.

-- Braden Holtby might need his vision checked. That guy whose legs he took a one-handed slash at (and connected) happened to be the Caps first round draft pick this past June. Kuznetsov is his name. Seems the young forward got a bit too close to Holtby as the goalie was trying to play a puck (well outside the crease, it should be noted), got tangled up with him (leading to a goal when Holtby could not retreat to his crease in time), and as he was starting to head back up ice after the score took the business end of Holtby’s stick in the back of the legs, causing him to turn in wonder before limping to the bench. This prompted a few comments from the upstairs crowd directed at Holtby, although those folks might not to have the term “heat of the moment” in their lexicon. Was it the smartest thing Holtby’s done this week? We’re going to bet on “no,” but it’s hardly an unprecedented reaction from a goalie, even on one of his clubmates.

-- Holtby was not the same after that incident. He got caught wandering a bit too far from his crease on one other occasion -- also resulting in a goal -- and all told allowed four goals in two periods after his teammates staked him to a 3-0 lead in the first period.

-- Trevor Bruess, on the other hand, packed a whole game’s worth of aggravating behavior into one period – the third. With Team Red already starting the period on the penalty kill, Bruess – representing Team White – egged Joe Finley into taking a slashing penalty right off the opening draw to give his team a 5-on-3 advantage. Bruess also mixed it up with Cody Eakin as the two were headed to their respective benches, and there might have been a kerfuffle had Stefan Della Rovere of Team Red not stepped between the two (no doubt to deprive Bruess of having all the fun). Frankly, we smile at the thought of a Della Rovere and a Bruess playing on the same team. They sure would be a pain in the ass to play against.

-- Eakin had the goal of the morning, though. Working to get position in front of Holtby’s crease, he was knocked to the ice. But lying on his side just outside the paint, he still managed to deflect an incoming puck around Holtby for a goal. Some goals are wristers, others are slappers. This was more a “Tempur-Pedic.”

-- But while Eakin had the goal of the day, Della Rovere was potting a pair of his own. So did Jake Hauswirth for Team Red, but the curious thing about his goals was that neither involved a goaltender actually defending his net. His first was on the Holtby-Kuznetsov scramble, and the second was when Holtby was just too far east of his crease when Hauswirth got the puck.

-- Team Red (Group A on your scorecards) has the talent, Team White (Group B) has the grit. For the first period, Team Grit didn’t let Team Talent get a sniff of the offensive zone. Team Red just couldn’t find a clean way to get out of its own end. But as the game wore on, the superior firepower that Team Red possessed more than nullified the territorial advantage Team White enjoyed.

-- Wade McLeod just completed his third year at Northeastern University and is a free agent invitee to this camp. He’s not a big fellow, but he does go in among the trees, and he was rewarded for his effort with a couple of goals. That is the kind of thing that might get a player noticed.

-- Camp Gimmick followed the 5-5 regulation tie, and while the fancy stuff missed (Evgeny Kuznetsov taking the great polar route – almost behind the players’ benches – before trying to pull Dan Dunn out of position, Phil DeSimone’s trying to deke Dunn to the ice, Johansson trying to show the puck to Phillip Grubauer before pulling it back to slip between his legs) it was Stanislav Galiev using just the ol’ meat and potatoes skate in, cut across, and slip the puck five-hole that sealed the win for Team White.

Today, score one for grit.

And now, pics…

Capitals Development Camp -- Day 3

Day 3 – They wowed me…with science!

No pucks today at Kettler; it was a day for some high-tech prodding and evaluating. The boys went through a series of time and maneuverability tests involving Star Wars-y looking little things on tripods, pieces of tape tacked on the boards at precise spots, and a bucket of water.

Seriously.

We caught the Group A boys in the first session, who were put through a variety of skating tests – things like a down and around the end boards and up the wall to time their blue line-to-blue line times, a sprint from a standing start at one blue line to the other blue line, an “S-curve” test to assess speed at making turns (not to mention an ability to stay on one’s feet), and a sprint-stop-back-sprint mini-herbie that tested one’s ability to stop and start (and again, stay on one’s feet). It was vaguely reminiscent of watching time trials at Indianapolis in its devotion to measuring times and the sheer repetitiveness of it. But there were other things we took away from the Group A session that weren’t necessarily subject to, well, subjective measurement…

-- The Odd Couple: Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitri Orlov. These two are the “Mathieu Perreault and Francois Bouchard” of this year’s camp – almost inseparable. Sharing a homeland and a language helps, but in an odd way they reminded us a little of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison, too. Not the sloppy versus fastidious comparison, but rather in Kuznetsov’s exuberance and Orlov’s comparatively quiet demeanor. Although it was Kuznetsov who would go off looking for Orlov, following him around and exchanging banter with him until the next drill.

-- Joe Finley… What impressed us from a distance was more an attitude he seemed to have that players in Group A were “his guys.” His body language and seeking out other players to chat them up just looked to us like he was a “leader” out there.

-- High-tech, low-tech… The timers are probably the cutting edge of speed-assessment devices, but we were a bit surprised at the preparations for the “S-turn” drill. Pour water out of a bucket to trace an “S” skating path, and wipe the water with the blade of a stick? Uh, guys? Go to Home Depot and spend ten bucks for a watering can.

-- Joe Finley II… Speaking of that “S-turn” drill, Joe showed ‘em how it is done. Some guys took the turns tentatively and ended up stumbling to the ice. Not Joe. He took the second turn of the “S aggressively, went skates over helmet and hit the boards with malice and purpose, as if they shot his dog. They probably heard the crash in Upper Marlboro.

-- Kuznetsov II… We are convinced that the last thing this kid does before taking the ice is paint a smile on his face. He started the day with one, and he ended it with one. He had it on all the while in-between, too. No one could be having more fun than this kid at this camp. Chatting up Orlov, Finley, Anton Gustafsson… just about anyone who skates by. Going through his drill purposefully, but without the dour expression of others, then staying long after the session ended to play an extended game of puck keep-away with one of the coaches of the session. You get the impression that Kuznetsov really likes the idea of playing hockey in North America and in Washington. And if this is true, then a dozen or so general managers might have bet wrong that he was too much of a risk to draft because of perceived problems in getting a Russian on this side of the pond.

-- Smile Gus… Another case of body language has to do with Anton Gustafsson. He just looked a bit frustrated with his results in the drills this morning. Not stick-smackingly frustrated, but more like “dammit, I almost nailed that” kind of frustrated. He still looks to be significantly ahead of where he was in earlier camp participation.

-- Stefan Della Rovere… SDR has the look of a guy who isn’t necessarily going to impress guys holding stop watches (or their electronic equivalent). And it showed a bit this morning. Not that he was stumbling over himself or anything as dramatic as that, but he didn’t look sharp. His contributions, though, are as likely to come from the intangible – an ability to aggravate an opponent, the ability to deliver the timely hit, a willingness to take a hit to make a play – as from the tangible sorts of measures on display today.

Later today the boys go at it in a scrimmage. We can’t make it for that one, but there won’t be any lack of coverage from our fellow wizards. If you can’t get out to see it yourself, you’ll still have lots to read. Meanwhile, here are some pics from this morning’s session…