Prospect Info: Development Camp July 7-12 - Washington Capitals

[hb12xchamps]

Really enjoyed Fan Fest today. It was my first time attending and there was a good amount of stuff to do.

I only watched the first two periods, but from what I saw outside of the notable guys (Barber, Bura, Vrana, Stephenson, etc.) I really liked Koules, Pinho, Elgestal and Saar. I tried to pay attention to the FA invites more to get an idea on who could possibly earn a contract or be a future player in the AHL/ECHL.

Koules really flew around the ice and made some really nice passes. Pinho was the most notable player for me the first two periods. He seemed to have a nice hockey IQ and made some great plays on both sides of the ice. Elgestal is going to be a pest. You could tell he was under the oppositions skin constantly. Saar was a big boy but he can use his body effectively and drove the net a lot.

Burakovsky needs to add muscle to his frame. He lost a lot of board battles one notably to Stephenson who manhandled him at one point and walked away with the puck

 

[Dream Big]

Michal Cajkovsky (47) Let us know how he looks. I don't know why I am obsessing over this player.

Thanks to RandyHolt and Sk8, NBTW and anyone else for posting updates on Cajkovsky aka Slovakia

Sounds like he's not quite NHL ready but is willing to work towards that goal.

I look forward to his development.

 

[RandyHolt]

Thanks to RandyHolt and Sk8, NBTW and anyone else for posting updates on Cajkovsky aka Slovakia

Sounds like he's not quite NHL ready but is willing to work towards that goal.

I look forward to his development.

You're welcome and not the only one obsessing about Big Mike aka The Slovak. I assume you saw he signed a contract with Hershey. Hershey is crowded and it will be interesting to see if he can steal a spot. After seeing his stats in the ECHL it appears he is ready for a new challenge.

 

[ryan519*]

any possibility that bura cracks the nhl roster this year? i really want to see the kid play

 

[hb12xchamps]

any possibility that bura cracks the nhl roster this year? i really want to see the kid play

My personal opinion is no. He has the skills from what I witnessed and the hockey IQ, but he needs to mature physically. Like I said in my previous post above, he was getting pushed around by kids his age at development camp, imagine what will happen when he is playing with the big boys.

I also don't support the decision to make him play C. He's a winger and that's where he has found success. Why force a guy to move to center because we have a really weak system at center?

 

[Coldplay619]

My personal opinion is no. He has the skills from what I witnessed and the hockey IQ, but he needs to mature physically. Like I said in my previous post above, he was getting pushed around by kids his age at development camp, imagine what will happen when he is playing with the big boys.

I also don't support the decision to make him play C. He's a winger and that's where he has found success. Why force a guy to move to center because we have a really weak system at center?

Yep, totally agree.

Watch us stunt and ruin his development because we can't draft centres for ****.

 

[RandyHolt]

It's development camp. Dare I think Bura is quite well developed to play wing. What he needs, cannot be taught at camp. Girth, size, and strength.

I am not sure how easy it is to screw up a high scoring winger by asking him to try centre... I see no downside at all by him at C in camp. Maybe he loved it, and embraces the move.

And maybe just maybe learns the positioning needed, and works better with their centre in the future, or, develops a better appreciation of the defensive sides of things. He should become a better faceoff guy from it. We know wingers are forced to take faceoffs quite often.

When an organization overloads at RW or RD, or simply does not draft centre's nor acquires any, there is no one left to play at C except for the wingers. Enter Fehr, Laich, MJ, etc. Those players are not damaged goods from their time at centre.

 

[strungout]

Pretty sure the plan is the play him at center in Hershey if he doesn't make the Caps roster. At least that was the vibe I got from the week.

 

[Hivemind]

You all are reading way too much into development camp lines.

 

[ryan519*]

eliot antonietti could be our own version of chara

 

[Hivemind]

eliot antonietti could be our own version of chara

 

[ChibiPooky]

eliot antonietti could be our own version of chara

Right now he's not even Jeff Schultz.

 

[Hivemind]

Right now he's not even Jeff Schultz.

Nor do we hold his North American rights.

 

[Langway]

You all are reading way too much into development camp lines.

When it comes to Burakovsky? It was 'an organizational decision' and one that mirrors their reasons for wanting to try Johansson & Kuznetsov at center (to utilize their speed and enable them to have the puck more). Maybe it doesn't stick but it's increasingly an option and could continue particularly if they're underwhelmed by 21/90/92 as options. It does make it harder to fast-track Burakovsky and could potentially subtract a winger competition that probably should exist given his offensive skill set.

Pretty much any skilled forward would do fine at center at a development camp so it's a soft launch but given some of the reasoning behind it (and MacLellan's desire to really attempt to find an internal answer eventually) it may not just be a one-off type thing.

 

[Hivemind]

When it comes to Burakovsky? It was 'an organizational decision' and one that mirrors their reasons for wanting to try Johansson & Kuznetsov at center (to utilize their speed and enable them to have the puck more). Maybe it doesn't stick but it's increasingly an option and could continue particularly if they're underwhelmed by 21/90/92 as options. It does make it harder to fast-track Burakovsky and could potentially subtract a winger competition that probably should exist given his offensive skill set.

Pretty much any skilled forward would do fine at center at a development camp so it's a soft launch but given some of the reasoning behind it (and MacLellan's desire to really attempt to find an internal answer eventually) it may not just be a one-off type thing.

Bolded is part of my thinking. If it continues past rookie camp and into training camp, then I'll start to read something into it.

 

[CapsJunkie]

eliot antonietti could be our own version of chara

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=85315