The Capitals said goodbye to center Cody Eakin on Thursday, returning the 19-year-old and his awe-inspiring shock of red hair to his junior team, Swift Current, of the Western Hockey League.
Despite impressing team officials during training camp and even earning some playing time in the Calder Cup finals last year with AHL Hershey, Eakin is not old enough yet to play a full season in the AHL. So he’s that rare young player – not so good that he’s an instant impact player like Nicklas Backstrom or Alex Ovechkin were at 19, but certainly talented enough to test himself at the pro level. The age restriction just limited Washington’s options.
“[Eakin is] very close. If this was a different team and different circumstances he wouldn’t be gone,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “But we had other good centers here that are right in the mix and we think Cody is a shining beacon for our system in the future. We think he’s going to be a great NHL player.”
Eakin scored 47 goals and 44 assists for Swift Current last year so there’s not much left to prove at the junior level. But he’s a good bet to make Canada’s prestigious World Junior team, a great experience for any player. That’s how Caps defenseman John Carlson became an honest-to-goodness American hero, after all. But Boudreau believes that even if Eakin is ready physically for pro hockey, one more year with his friends and teammates in Swift Current will mean more to him in the long run.
“We probably in a selfish way wish he could be in Hershey,” Boudreau said. “But from my own experience I had a chance to go pro and they said ‘Play your last year junior’ and you’re captain and you win the Memorial Cup. That’s a memory that will last forever. He’s got such a great attitude that he’s going to have a very strong year.”
Training camp notes
» Goalie Braden Holtby and defenseman Lawrence Nycholat were both re-assigned to AHL Hershey on Thursday.
» Washington has 18 forwards left in camp, seven defensemen and three goalies.
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