Washington Capitals: 5 College Hockey Players They Should Sign
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Capitals have recently been quite active as far as signing NCAA free agents. Two years ago, they signed Nate Schmidt from Minnesota. Last year, the Washington Capitals signed goaltender Pheonix Copley from Michigan Tech. The Washington Capitals are expected to be aggressive again this year, and they ought to be.
Why Should The Washington Capitals Sign Undrafted College Players?
College hockey free agents can be a diamond in the rough for NHL teams. Here’s a list of some of the players who were undrafted free agents from college:
- Torey Krug
- Rene Bourque
- Dustin Penner
- Chris Kunitz
- Mike Weaver
- Jeff Halpern
- Andy McDonald
- Mark Eaton
- Brian Rafalski (though he spent a year in Europe after college)
- Dan Boyle
As you can see, good players can be found in the NCAA even if they go undrafted. The Washington Capitals should take advantage of that. They’re sort of like buying a lottery ticket. If they don’t pan out, oh well, you didn’t really lose that much anyway. If they pan out, they’re a blessing.
There are more talented undrafted college players coming out of the NCAA this year than in most years. As an avid watcher of college hockey, I’ve watched almost all of them. Here are five players who stood out to me and who I think the Washington Capitals should try to sign.
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