Washington Capitals: Rookie Tournament Preview

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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The details are starting to emerge on the newly formatted annual September rookie camp for the Washington Capitals 2015 draft picks and existing prospects yet to go pro. Hockey fans in Estero, Florida will be treated to some of the world’s most premiere upcoming talent between September 12th through 15th as the NHL moves the usual rookie camp and single game scrimmage format to that of a four team round-robin style exhibition tournament featuring the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators inside the Germain Arena. Washington Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan explained at the announcement in June via Monumental Network.

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“This is a great opportunity for our prospects to compete against other team’s top young players and for us to evaluate our talent”.

He also hinted that we may see the venue move to the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in years to come. While fans will be basking in sunshine and the future NHL stars, the League’s professional talent evaluators will be offered something much more: an extended real-world contextual application of those that they’ve been monitoring around the globe in dimly-lit film rooms for years now.

Departing from the format of rookie camps, which usually comprised of a five-day practice intensive program topped off with a scrimmage finale against prospects from the Philadelphia Flyers, the new format breaks away from the isolated and sterile environment of repeated rink drills and opts for a more practical multiple-game tournament session where preachings can be practiced and applied. The early opportunity for coaches allows them to plant formations of strategy into developing hockey minds and recite mantras that will one day segue players into the professional realm. For the participating franchises, the additional benchmark comparisons must be an exciting part of their offseason. For players, the both-feet-in exposure could do much, much more. Washington Capitals forward prospect Nathan Walker explains further via his one-on-one with Mike Vogel:

It’s definitely going to be pretty cool. I’ve never been down that way before [Florida], so it’ll be good to see…having two NHL camps under my belt now kind of helps. I kind of know what to expect and I just need to make sure I come prepared. – Monumental Network.

When prompted for his observations thus far between the amateur rankings and the pros, the Washington Capitals prospect from Australia added his insight:

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Probably just the amount of games. I know in juniors they play a fair amount, but in college they don’t seem to play that many games so it’s kind of tough to compare them…[Taking] care of your body, coming in at the right shape and after the practices, [making] sure you’re stretching and all that type of stuff. The cold tubs. Making sure you’re getting it in. – Nathan Walker

While playing in tournaments is nothing new to the emerging roster potentials, playing in them at the NHL level, where speed and force undergo multipliers unlike they’ve seen in their respective leagues, certainly is. Making the jump up to the NHL level from the minors is incredibly difficult and many have struggled to make the transition.

The new rookie tournament, with its surplus of multi-team talent and back-to-back games endurance provides players an intermediary step up to the big time. A place to practice, play, review and start again in a very short window of time; similar to what they’ll expect at the NHL level. As Walker said, taking care of their bodies, training and conditioning and all of the tricks that seasoned veterans of the league have acquired throughout their careers and can embue on the emerging talents is vital for their development as well. All around, this is a phenomenal opportunity and an evolution for our development program.

Next: Rookie Tournament Roster

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Capitals Rookie Tournament Roster

The four-day tournament will be concluded into a Consolation and Championship game to be played between opponents on September 15th. While the event will certainly bring bragging rights to the victors and accolades among the coaches, it will provide players with a chance to distance themselves from their peer teammates and show coaches how they’re likely to perform on the big stage.

Florida Panthers

At the 11th overall pick in the draft, the Florida Panthers may have committed hockey draft larceny with the selection of OHL Kingston Frontenacs’ Lawson Crouse. He is built just like Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson except he’s more skilled and he’s even bigger. We’ll have to wait and see.

Projected early as a top-six forward on a very young, fast and sizeable roster in South Florida, Crouse has all the makings of an elite power forward in the league. At 6’4″, 215 lbs and quite fast, he could be a nightmare in front of the net, much like Wilson. The Frontenacs (Crouse’s junior team) worked a defense-first system of hockey not unlike the one that former Washington Capitals head coach Dale Hunter implemented during his short coaching stint. Also reminiscent of the former Washington Capitals captain, Crouse is unafraid to use his size to dish out hits and defend teammates when necessary.

He would be an excellent match up to watch with 2015 Washington Capitals draft choice Jonas Siegenthaler, who has played with grown men for quite a while now in Swiss National A League’s Zürich Schlittschuh Club Lions. At 6’3″, 220 lbs and likely still growing, Siegenthaler could grow into the type of defensive-defensemen that the Washington Capitals were hoping to land in Jeff Schultz back in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Jonas has wasted no time in impressing Washington Capitals brass and was spoken highly of by both Barry Trotz and MacLellan following this summer’s Development Camp and seems to have received a decent primer on the North American style of hockey from Zurich coach and former Stanley Cup champion Marc Crawford.

The Panthers certainly have a lot of question marks around their goaltending position. 2015 third-rounder Samual Montembeault and 2012 free agent signing Michael Houser appear to be the heirs apparent to 36-year old veteran Roberto Luongo, who returned close to All-Star form last year, but whose decline seems imminent. Washington Capitals 2014 first round pick Jakub Vrana could make that duo have nightmares. Vrana wowed us all last month with his blazing fast wrist shot speed, accuracy and hardened nose for the net and looks like a good investment of the 13th overall pick from 2014.

It seems inevitable that Mike Matheson, who recently signed his NHL entry level contract with the Panthers and spent the remnants of last season in AHL San Antonio, will become a household name soon. What makes him special is his ability to find open ice while pinching up and releasing a deceptively quick and accurate shot. Playing opposite from him could be another household name in Washington Capitals prospect Madison Bowey. Bowey, who admittedly models his game after former WHL and Kelowna Rockets great Shea Weber, is another offensive-defenseman with a knack for scoring points. A clutch performer during big moments, Bowey thrives on the big stage and could be a tremendous asset for the Washington Capitals franchise for years to come. Both will be ones to watch in the tournament and could have their numbers called early and often.

Next: The neophytes in Nashville

Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are building an incredibly fast team under Peter Laviolette who is entering his second year as Nashville’s head coach. With an emerging group of fast forwards who are able to attack with speed and close in on defenders on the rush, they could be a handful for opponents. I’m not surprised that Nashville and the Washington Capitals are working together since Barry Trotz used to be Nashville’s head coach and is still revered in Nashville.

Last year’s #11 overall pick Kevin Fiala has eluded defenders with his shifty and agile skating and can burst into the zone on a dime. He’s been praised for his stick-dangling skills and penchant for flair and could mold into a player similar to former Washington Capitals forward and current Nashville teammate Mike Ribiero. Fiala is a threat to make the Predators opening night roster.

The Washington Capitals and their emerging staunch defensive corps of Djoos, Lewington, Hobbs and Colby Williams will look to dampen the festivities for the Predators and their forwards. While Nashville’s forwards will try to crank up the game’s metronome, Connor Hobbs will try to break it with his bruising physicality and hard up-ice passes. As the current top pairing in Barry Trotz’ former WHL alum, Hobbs and Williams brought a style of play that resembles the current Washington Capitals defensive system.

Like Lewington, Hobbs uses his strength as an asset and while his skating is reportedly impoving, the ability to turn and burn on opposing defenses is still present. Christian Djoos should be able to bring the stability and consistency he’s shown on the blue line in previous camps as well as his forte for jumping up into the play.

Despite Nashville’s deep bench of talented forwards, hockey-intelligent prospect defensemen like Jack Dougherty and their well regarded goaltenders like Juuse Saros (who has a phenomenal name), I think the size, skill, speed and physical play of the Washington Capitals defense allows us to reverse the flow on Nashville. Much like what we saw during the playoffs series with the speedy New York Rangers, where we used sound positioning and quick outlet passes to stretch the ice and gain positive zone possession time, I think we keep these speedsters parked and scrambling after loose pucks.

What’s terrific about these types of tournaments is that the coaching strategy could look entirely different from game to game and everyone stands to benefit from the various system exposures. That will be important with their last opponent: the Tampa Bay Lightning.

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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Cooper’s Tampa Bay Lightning have strength between the pipes. Top NHL goaltending propsect Andrey Vasilevskiy, the 19th overall pick from the 2012 draft who made his debut last season to back up arguably elite starter Ben Bishop, will be backed up even further by impressive goalie prospect Kristers Gudlevskis. Each of the trio are tall and athletic. Each of them play a confident game in the crease, using technical prowess to cut off geometry for opposing shooters.

With the speculated and probable top line of Vrana, Stephenson and Barber receiving shutdown treatment from CHL Defenseman of the Year Anthony DeAngelo and company, it will be up depth players on our second, third and fourth lines to create scoring chances. Thankfully, we’ve got quite a few of those on hand already.

Zach Sanford is a likely candidate to get it started. A second round pick for the Washington Capitals (61st overall) in 2013, the Boston College product impressed coaches during this most recent Development Camp with his ability to elevate the play of those around him. While he’s still a bit of a raw project for coaches, his size and speed combined with his sense of locating nearby players on the rush bring a nice upside. Another savvy passer can be found in Travis Boyd who has ironed some of the wrinkles out of his pro game and has earned a reputation in amateur ranks as being a big-time scorer that would benefit from the additional exposure to the NHL level.

Thomas Di Pauli could make further impressions in the tourney by continuing to run his high motor into the corners to win puck battles and create offensive looks for awaiting shooters. While stories like Liam O’Brien, the un-drafted free agent training camp invitee in 2014 that signed an entry level contract with the Washington Capitals last October, are inspirational, what seem more valuable to prospects are opportunities to shine and impress coaches by their continuing efforts.

While training camp will give these opportunities to all of those invited every year, tournaments like the one coming next month provide a spot light that’s a little larger and a little brighter. These will be only prospects and rookies playing, not the whole club battling for spots. The exposure will be intense and may be the last for some who will attend, but the divergence of attention in the hockey world, even if only for a few days, onto those who are stand to benefit the most is a win-win for every team, coach, player and fan and should be applauded on the whole.

I’m eager to see how the cards land in this round of show-all hockey. I’m wagering that it’s not too bad at all.

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