Russian defenseman still showing promise The initial reports on Capitals prospect Dmitry Orlov were glowing when he took the ice with American Hockey League affiliate Hershey in February. But it takes more than a strong first impression to crack one of the NHL’s top lineups.
Orlov, a 20-year-old Russian defenseman, is taking part in Washington’s rookie camp this week and almost certainly will earn an invite to the main training camp, which begins Saturday. From there, his work becomes tougher. The Caps have seven NHL-caliber defensemen under contract and an eighth blueliner, veteran Tom Poti, fighting to return from a career-threatening groin injury. There just isn’t enough room for Orlov yet.
So barring a dominant camp, he will head back to Hershey to continue his development. Orlov is an offensive defenseman, according to Hershey coach Mark French. That likely will always be his strength. But few defensemen in the NHL survive as one-dimensional players.
| The Orlov file |
| » Dmitry Orlov helped Russia win a gold medal at the 2011 world juniors tournament in Buffalo. Russia hadn’t won the event since 2003. |
| » Orlov played alongside veteran NHL defenseman Sheldon Souray during the final weeks of the American Hockey League season. Souray, buried in the minors thanks to a contract dispute with Edmonton, is back in the NHL with Dallas. |
“I think to play at the next level [Orlov] has to get more comfortable defending in a number of areas,” French said.
That development process will get easier as Orlov continues to improve his English. He lost his translator — and teammate — when fellow Russian Dmitri Kugryshev decided to leave North America for a Kontinental Hockey League club in Russia. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for Orlov, who will be forced to fend for himself in the communications department this season. Washington was concerned enough that it provided Orlov with English classes this summer. Those will continue into the fall, but it’s still a difficult task for a player who eight months ago couldn’t speak the language at all.
French likes the swagger Orlov possesses, a trait similar to Caps defenseman John Carlson, who also was a revelation in the AHL at age 19 and is now an established NHL player at 21. Orlov provides an even stronger physical presence. He certainly didn’t back down from that side of the game after joining the Bears. But he will have to learn when to deliver a big hit and when doing so simply pulls himself out of position and allows a scoring chance. That’s one of several adjustments needed before the front office is willing to deem Orlov NHL ready.
“You think about a Russian kid coming over to play in North America for the first time, and you thought there’d be a bit of a grace period where he’d take his time getting into it,” French said. “But he was an impact player right off. I think that caught a lot of people by surprise.”
