The Capitals have announced the schedule and rosters for their annual development camp. The six-day event begins Monday and is a chance for the organization’s top prospects to get a week of practices, scrimmages and off-ice coaching in front of NHL coaches and staff. It’s the fifth year in a row Washington will host the event at its Kettler Capitals Iceplex headquarters in Arlington.
There will be intrasquad scrimmages on Wednesday at 3 p.m. and Thursday at 9 a.m. Saturday is FanFest, featuring an equipment sale, autograph sessions, interactive games and public skating sessions. Let’s just say it was kind of popular last summer. The final intrasquad scrimmage highlights Saturday’s closing activities. That final game gets underway at 10 a.m. on July 16.
Washington’s top prospect won’t attend this season. Evgeny Kuznetsov, the No. 26 pick in the 2010 draft, is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery back home in Russia. But the rest of the big names will be there. You could see a handful of them in the NHL as soon as this coming season. Participants last summer included center Marcus Johansson and goalie Braden Holtby, who both played for the Caps in 2010-11. All four 2011 draft picks – goalie Steffen Soberg, defenseman Patrick Koudys, forward Travis Boyd and defenseman Garrett Haar – will be at Kettler.
Cody Eakin – third-round pick in 2009 who is coming off a dominant season in juniors. Following a mid-season trade from Swift Current, the 20-year-old forward led Kootenay to the Memorial Cup finals and finished with 36 goals and 47 assists.
Mattias Sjogren – signed in May from the Swedish Elite League. Before the flurry of free-agent additions last week, general manager George McPhee said Sjogren had a good shot at competing for an NHL roster spot this season. The 23-year-old was a fine two-way player for Farjestad and played for Sweden at the World Championships in the spring.
Dmitri Orlov – Russian defenseman built off a strong World Juniors performance last winter and excelled at AHL Hershey with two goals and seven assists. Still just 20 and expected to get a full season with the Bears in 2011-12. Also played a full season in the KHL last year with Metallurg. Caps second-round pick in 2009.
Stanislav Galiev – Another young Russian. Galiev, 19, also reached the Memorial Cup finals, winning the title with Saint John when he had a goal and two assists in four games. Had 37 goals and 28 assists during the QMJHL regular season and another 10 goals in 19 playoff games.
Brett Flemming – Did every Caps prospect reach the Memorial Cup finals? Apparently. Flemming, a fifth-round pick in 2009, had a strong showing on the blueline for Mississauga. The Caps like his instincts and think he can be an NHL player even at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds as a 20-year-old.
Patrick Wey – American defenseman played the past two years at Boston College. Helped Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Juniors tournament last winter. He was Washington’s fourth-round pick in 2009. Good size at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds and played with an edge at BC.
Phillip Grubauer – With Semyon Varlamov traded to Colorado, the Caps are trying to add to their pipeline of young goalies behind Holtby and Michal Neuvirth. Grubauer, a fourth-round pick in 2010, played in four games for Germany at last year’s World Juniors. The 19-year-old played junior hockey for Kingston of the OHL last year, missing time late in the season with an illness.
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