Prospect Info: Capitals Prospects and Minor League Affiliates (Hershey Bears, SC Stingrays) - 2014-18

[NHL RankKing]

I've been working through some stats and noticed what a breakout season C. Djoos had in Hershey.
What are the long term plans for him? Is he a legitimate NHLer down the road?

 

[Sam Spade]

I've been working through some stats and noticed what a breakout season C. Djoos had in Hershey.
What are the long term plans for him? Is he a legitimate NHLer down the road?

I watched him in Hershey a lot and like his game but I doubt he ever gets a legit shot in the NHL, he's a dwarf for a d-man. Probably ends up going home to play.

No way Bowey and Siegenthaler (and soon Hobbs and Johansen) aren't ahead of him on the depth chart.

 

[twabby]

I think Djoos might get a shot this season if Schmidt is selected by Vegas. Their LHD depth would be Orlov, Orpik, and a Hershey guy at that point, no? Of course Washington could always pursue a LHD in a trade or UFA acquisition, but if not I think Djoos would have a good shot in training camp to earn a spot.

 

[Langway]

If they lose Schmidt then they should probably sign someone like Hunwick. I wouldn't think that they'd just roll with Djoos, Bowey and Chorney as the 5-7 next fall. Those two are the main competition for Djoos. He's going to need to at least beat out Chorney for the #7 spot and prove that his upside makes it worth holding on to him as an asset. But even then it seems unlikely that he'd ever really be much of a part of their PP and it's really hard to say whether they'd truly invest in trying to make it work overall. He likely would need to flash in a big way in camp to force them to keep him around.

I could see him being moved at the draft if they're not confident in his frame holding up and don't see the value of keeping him on the roster next fall due to waiver status. I really tend to doubt that Siegenthaler is more NHL-ready at this point but Johansen may not be terribly far off and perhaps Djoos could net them a mid-rounder. I think his hockey sense can play in the league but he does still need to seriously bulk up and I don't know that he has the defensive positional brilliance to fully overcome that if he's not playing more to his strengths.

 

[Hivemind]

I think they either stash Djoos like they did with Galiev or unload him cheap like they did with Lepisto.

 

[um]

what side does Djoos play? We should give him a shot before giving him away, it's not like Bowey has really impressed in Hershey anyways.

 

[Sam Spade]

what side does Djoos play? We should give him a shot before giving him away, it's not like Bowey has really impressed in Hershey anyways.

Djoos plays the left side.

Bowey was playing really well before he was hurt.

Caps took their time with Bowey and based on GMBM's comments today he will get a legit shot to make the team this season.

 

[um]

Djoos plays the left side.

Bowey was playing really well before he was hurt.

Caps took their time with Bowey and based on GMBM's comments today he will get a legit shot to make the team this season.

then I hope they both get a chance, if we can keep a top 4 of Orlov-Niskanen and Schmidt-Carlson then we can take risk on the third pairing.

 

[twabby]

It would be a shame if Djoos never even gets a legit shot given that the tools seem to be there. Size is probably the most overrated part of evaluating prospects and there are plenty of so-called undersized defensemen who have thrived in the league for years now.

 

[Sam Spade]

It would be a shame if Djoos never even gets a legit shot given that the tools seem to be there. Size is probably the most overrated part of evaluating prospects and there are plenty of so-called undersized defensemen who have thrived in the league for years now.

As I said I really like Djoos, his problem is he has no standout skills he just does everything "competently". To make the NHL as an undersized player you have to something to separate you.

Rooting for him though for sure.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

Ross Mahoney comments on Samsonov, still a year away from the NHL. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/washington-capitals

 

[Hivemind]

Ross Mahoney comments on Samsonov, still a year away from the NHL. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/washington-capitals

Still a year away from North America. The distinction implies he could spend time in the AHL even after he hops the Atlantic.

 

[Marshall]

Siegenthaler's an interesting case - he played in Europe last year for family reasons, so it's hard to say what level his play is at. The club loves him, though, and I'd not be surprised if he got some games this season.

 

[NHL RankKing]

The reason I asked about Djoos is that I've been building an advanced stats model - mostly for fantasy hockey but it does interestingly well for predicting NHL success, when looking back at past years.
It's kind of like NHLe only it incorporates other things like age and a player's point production for their position and how much they contribute to their overall team's goals.

Long story short, this year C. Djoos was the highest rated defenseman in the AHL with a rating of 49.7
Here are the next players:
B. Montour 48.4
Pulock 48.1
Theodore 48
V. Dunn 42.9
K. Wood 41.9
A. DeAngelo 40.7
J. Honka 39.8

Every guy on that list seems like a sure-fire NHLer with maybe the exception of Dunn who is still a question mark.

Other than knowing that his dad was a gifted offensive defenseman, I don't know a lot about Djoos and whether this year is just an anomaly?
So, I appreciate your insight.

For reference here is a list from:
2015-16: Montour 50.8, Theodore, DeAngelo, Honka, R. Murphy, Carrick, Zadarov
2014-15: Klingberg, Pouliot, Dumba, Montour, C. Miller, R. Murphy

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

^^ Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing. I would like to see Djoos get a shot, but he's listed at 163 pounds and I think that's generous. The deck is certainly stacked against him size-wise so he'll really need to prove that it won't be too much of a hinderance in order for him to get a realistic look.

 

[Hivemind]

I'm a big believer that smaller defensemen can be useful in the NHL ranks, but I'm skeptical about Djoos. I'm not sure if his skating or his shot are of high enough caliber to give him the dynamic qualities he'd require to succeed at the highest level. If I had to guess, I think he's going to have an awesome professional career in Europe.

That being said, his play in Hershey last year has done more than enough to warrant a shot in the NHL. The difficulty comes from the fact he's no longer waiver exempt, so 2017-18 is almost a "now or never" moment for Djoos' future with the Capitals organization.

 

[Sam Spade]

Siegenthaler's an interesting case - he played in Europe last year for family reasons, so it's hard to say what level his play is at. The club loves him, though, and I'd not be surprised if he got some games this season.

FYI, Siegenthaler did come back over at the end of this season. Played 7 ref season games and 5 playoff games for the Bears.

 

[New York RKY]

Hi everyone!

I was hoping that you'd be able to help me out. I am currently running a fantasy game on the Rangers board. Based on how a prospect is described on HF (i.e. you need to play a certain number of games in the NHL to be considered graduated) I need a list of your teams top 10 prospects if you don't include players drafted in the entry draft this year.

Would you be able to provide me a list of your top prospects prior to this years entry draft, I would really help me out for my game.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Hivemind]

Don't worry, the list of our top prospects didn't change before or after the entry draft \


My list (spitballed off the top of my head, spots 7-10 pretty up in the air):

1. Samsonov
2. Vrana
3. Bowey
4. Gersich
5. Johansen
6. Siegenthaler
7. Djoos
8. Barber
9. Boyd
10. Stephenson

 

[New York RKY]

Don't worry, the list of our top prospects didn't change before or after the entry draft \


My list (spitballed off the top of my head, spots 7-10 pretty up in the air):

1. Samsonov
2. Vrana
3. Bowey
4. Gersich
5. Johansen
6. Siegenthaler
7. Djoos
8. Barber
9. Boyd
10. Stephenson

Thank you very much!

 

[Langway]

Hobbs at 7 and Vanecek after Barber. The rest lines up pretty well IMO.

 

[Hivemind]

Forgot about Hobbs, he should probably be in there at 7 or 8.

I would probably have Copley over Vanecek if I'm putting another goalie in the top 10.

 

[Sam Spade]

Bummed about Gersich but as long as he inevitably signs with the Caps I can live with it.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Can someone give me a quick rundown on the potential/expectations of these players who made their NHL debut last season?

Riley Barber
Garrett Mitchell

 

[Hivemind]

Can someone give me a quick rundown on the potential/expectations of these players who made their NHL debut last season?

Riley Barber
Garrett Mitchell

Garrett Mitchell is a career AHLer who got a call up for the final game of the regular season (meaningless game in terms of the standings) as a reward for his service to the organization as a whole. Captain of the Hershey Bears (although currently unsigned), but no NHL future.

Riley Barber is harder to peg. His toolset isn't particularly impressive in terms of NHL forwards, but he's found success at lower levels thanks to his hockey IQ. Was injured for a good chunk of last year, so his AHL numbers weren't overly impressive. The best streak of the season before is when he was on Scott Gomez's wing, so it's possibly that having a NHL playmaking talent buoyed him. That being said, he could potentially fill a similar complimentary role with a playmaker like Backstrom or Kuznetsov, assuming he can keep up. This will be a make or break year for Barber. With all the openings on the Caps for AHL talent to step in, he's going to get his chance. He just has to outplay the competition to get on the roster at all, and possibly outplay Vrana to get into a role that's more fitting of his style of play. He's a questionable fit at a 4th liner, so I'd expect him to be at a disadvantage for a 4th line gig when compared to DSP or Stephenson.