Top Seven Reasons Washington Capitals Fans Should Be Excited For 2015-2016 Season
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Prospects Are Coming
While the Washington Capitals will have exciting young players like Nate Schmidt, Dmitry Orlov, Wilson, Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov, it’s important to remember that most of the Caps young players will be playing for the Hershey Bears. The Hershey Bears should have a stacked lineup led by some of the Caps best prospects. Those prospects hope to make an impression on the Washington Capitals this season.
The two biggest names on the Hershey Bears will be defenseman Madison Bowey and forward Jakub Vrana. Bowey was a second-round pick of the Washington Capitals back in 2013 while Vrana was the first round pick and the top prize of the Caps 2014 NHL Draft. After spending the last five seasons with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL (including the last two as a team captain), he looks to prove himself in the AHL.
Jakub Vrana has already impressed Washington Capitals fans with his impressive shootout moves during development camp. He had an impressive season in Sweden before joining the Hershey Bears. Vrana made a seamless transition to the AHL as he averaged nearly a point per game. He impressed at development camp this season and should form an exciting forward line with Chandler Stephenson and Riley Barber this season in Hershey. He could be on the fast track to the Washington Capitals.
Riley Barber provides a skillful two-way game that should mesh well with Vrana’s skill and speed. Though Barber doesn’t have nearly as high a ceiling as Vrana, Barber could be an important piece to the Washington Capitals in about a year. If needed, he could add some bottom six scoring depth this season.
Australian forward Nathan Walker is also worth keeping an eye on. The Capitals think quite highly of him, even after an ACL injury ended his AHL season prematurely. Defenseman Connor Carrick could add some offense to the Caps blue line though he still needs sheltered minutes. Stanislav Galiev could contribute as well.
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