In an effort to keep Caps fans up to date on what’s happening with the organization’s prospects, I’m going to do my best to get a prospects update going at the end of every month. There’s no guarantee it’s going to happen; as you can see there are a lot of names on the list, and not all of them are easy to find information on.

For the first update, I’ve divided the prospects into two categories, the 2008 draftees and all others, since I thought there would be a decent chance people would be most interested in seeing how the team’s newest members are doing.

2008 Draft Selections

Joel Broda (Center, Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL)– Broda’s off to a nice start with the Warriors with fifteen points in thirteen games played. What’s even more impressive is that nine of those points are goals.

Greg Burke (Left Wing, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL) – Burke has left the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs with whom he played last year for Cedar Rapids of the United States Hockey League. Not surprisingly, Burke isn’t putting up huge numbers (one goal in four games) as he adjusts to the bigger, faster league.

John Carlson (Defense, London Knights, OHL) – after impressing coaches, scouts, media, and fans in camp, Carlson is with Dale Hunter’s London Knights where he’s off to a fast start with two goals, seven assists, and a +6 rating in nine games. As good as Carlson’s been, it’s unlikely he’ll be in Washington in the 2009-10 season, especially now that John Erskine’s signed through 2011.

Stefan Della Rovere (Left Wing, Barrie Colts, OHL) – the good news just keeps rolling in about Della Rovere: he’s the captain of the Colts, he’s matched last year’s total just fourteen games (compared with sixty-eight last year), and he’s averaging 1.36 points per game. It’s too early to say with certainty yet, but it looks like the Capitals may have quite the steal in Della Rovere, who was selected 204th overall.

Anton Gustafsson (Center, Bofors IK, HockeyAllsvenskan) – after missing most of the Capitals’ preseason camps with a back injury, Gustafsson traveled back to Sweden to play in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-highest professional hockey league. According to eliteprospects.com, Gustafsson has played in five games with Boforks and has yet to register a point.

Braden Holtby (Goalie, Saskatoon Blades, WHL) – Holtby looks to be settling in for another season as Saskatoon’s workhorse – his 839 minutes played are the most the Western League so far this season. The workload doesn’t seem to be having too much of an effect on Holtby’s performance though: he’s fifth in the league in save percentage and fourth in goals against average amongst goalies with ten or more games played.

Dmitri Kugryshev (Right Wing, Quebec Remparts, QMJHL) – Kugryshev has come to the Quebec League for the 2008-09 season to get adjusted to the North American style of play. So far he seems to be faring just fine, with eight goals, four assists, and a +4 rating in 11 games.

Eric Mestery (Defense, Tri-City Americans, WHL) – the nature of Mestery’s game is such that it would be difficult to measure his performance in statistics alone. So, although we know Mestery has five assists in thirteen games for the Americans (and an unsightly -5 rating) it’s difficult to really gauge his performance.

Other Prospects

Karl Alzner (Defense, Hershey Bears) – many Capitals fans are cursing the salary cap while simultaneously pining for Alzner to be recalled to the Capitals to replace John Erskine, Milan Jurcina, or (this season at least) Shaone Morrisonn on the blue line. Alzner’s done nothing to temper that enthusiasm with five points (one goal, four assists) and a +7 rating in his first nine games for Hershey this season. Unless he’s injured, Alzner will play for the Capitals this season. The only question is when.

Francois Bouchard (Right Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) – Bouchard, a second round draft pick, finished up his junior career nicely, with ninety-two points in sixty-eight games (thirty-six goals, fifty-six assists) for Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the QMJHL before a brief stint with Hershey. This season Bouchard seems to be settling in nicely and has two goals and an assist in six games for the Bears.

Chris Bourque (Right Wing/Left Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) – Bourque is a victim of numbers more than anything else – he’s legitimately NHL-ready, the first guy to be recalled when injuries hit, and is tearing up the AHL (four goals, seven assists, +4 in seven games) but the Capitals are only carrying twenty-two players to reduce their cap number as much as possible. Bourque’s going to be the NHL as soon as the cap allows it. For 2008-09 Bourque will be a late season call-up at the very least; next season he’ll likely be skating a regular shift with the Capitals.

Joe Finley (Defense, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, WCHA) – Finley decided to return to the University of North Dakota for his season year rather than turn pro for the 2008-09 season. With the college hockey season just underway and Finley battling an undisclosed injury, the big defenseman has made it into just two games for the Fighting Sioux this year, and has one assist.

Josh Godfrey (Defense, South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL) – hopes were high for Godfrey after a solid camp with the Capitals but he had trouble cracking the lineup in Hershey, where he started the season. Godfrey only played in two games for the Bears, notching one assist and nineteen penalties minutes (seventeen of which were for instigating a fight with Radek Smolenak) before being sent to South Carolina. Godfrey’s only played one game, in which he had an assist, with the Stingrays.

Andrew Gordon (Right Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) - one of last season’s most pleasant surprises, Gordon is again playing well for the Bears and has scored five goals in nine games for Hershey, while also adding four assists. It’d be nice to see what Gordon could do at the NHL level but it’s unlikely he’s going to be recalled this season, as the Capitals are having trouble finding ice time even for players who are ahead of Gordon on the depth chart. It’s also worth noting that Gordon is not actually listed on the Capitals website as one of their prospects, so it may be the case that Gordon is actually contracted to Hershey, not Washington

Sami Lepisto (Defense, Hershey Bears, AHL) – if I can borrow a cliché for a moment, Lepisto’s problem is that he has been consistently inconsistent. One shift he looks ready to be an NHL regular; the next he looks completely overwhelmed. Lepsito continues to produce in the AHL (one goal, five assists, +6 in nine games) and it’s unlikely Capitals fans have seen the last of him in Washington.

Michal Neuvirth (Goalie, Oshawa General, OHL) – the Capitals originally intended to loan Neuvirth out another AHL team in order to get him AHL playing time while letting fellow prospects Daren Machesney and Simeon Varlamov split time in Hershey. The team apparently had trouble doing so and Neuvirth has bounced around this season, first from the pressbox in Hershey, down to South Carolina for a game, then to the Czech Republic where he was supposed to play with Trinec Ocelari HC. That’s the last I’ve heard on Neuvirth, although hockeydb.com has him as “no longer on the active roster” of Trinec Ocelari.

Oskar Osala (Left Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) – like Finley, Osala is creating excitement amongst Capitals fans because he’s one of a dying breed – a true power forward. Osala’s been putting his 6’4’’, 220 pound frame to good use in Hershey where he has five goals and an assist in nine games for the Bears. Osala’s still rough around the edges, especially in the skating department, and it’s unlikely he would see time with the Capitals this season. He does have a shot at the 2009-10 roster, however.

Mathieu Perreault (Center, Hershey Bears) – if Osala and Finley represent dying breeds of players, Perreault is the new prototype for the NHL. Generously listed at 5’8’’, 166 pounds, Perreault is a great skater and stickhandler with solid offensive instincts. Given Washington’s depth at center and Perreault’s slight frame, he should spend all of this season in Hershey. However, the future is still bright for Perreault who could be a replacement for aging centers Sergei Fedorov and Michael Nylander down the road.

Sasha Pokulok (Defense, South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL) – my support for Pokulok has bordered on wishful thinking for years and although I’m not quite ready to give up on him entirely, I am starting to have serious doubts that Pokulok has any sort of future in this organization. On the one hand Pokulok is still only twenty-two, he’s 6’5’’ and 230 pounds, people still praise his talent, and although he’s playing in the East Coast League, this could be a reflection of the organizational depth, and his +5 rating does lead the Stingrays. On the other hand, Pokulok is still a former first round draft pick who, three years after being drafted, hasn’t been able to stick at the AHL level. It’s still possible Pokulok could become a decent sixth or seventh defenseman in the NHL, but it’s starting to look more like the Capitals have given up on him and will let him go after this season.

Keith Seabrook (Defense, Calgary Hitmen, WHL) – Seabrook is starting the season strong from an offensive standpoint with two goals and ten assists in sixteen games for the Hitmen. He continues to struggle with defense, the biggest knock on him: his -5 rating is the worst on the team.

Simeon Varlamov (Goalie, Hershey Bears, AHL) – the good news is that Varlamov is in North America and playing in the Capitals organization. The bad news is that he’s only appeared in two games for the Bears this season, has stopped only eighty-six percent of his shots and is allowing 3.36 goals per sixty minutes. Still, twenty is very young for goaltender and Varlamov should be fine. 2010 is likely the earliest Caps fans can expect to see Varlamov in Washington.

Kyle Wilson (Center, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Wilson’s play in the AHL continues to be strong: he had sixty-one points in eighty games last year and has six assists (though no goals) in his first nine games with Hershey this season.

Per the Capitals website:

The Washington Capitals have signed goaltender Braden Holtby, their fourth-round choice in the 2008 Entry Draft, to a three-year entry-level contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Holtby, 19, is a 6’1”, 202-pound native of Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, who is in his third season with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is 6-3-0 this season with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage and ranks in the top eight in the WHL in wins, GAA and save percentage. He has won six straight starts and not allowed more than two goals in any of those games.

Holtby posted 25 wins last season for the Blades, the same team that produced Capitals defenseman Mike Green. He ranked 15th in the WHL in save percentage in 2007-08 (.908) while facing the second-most shots of any goaltender in the league (1,875).

Holtby participated in the Capitals’ development camp this summer as well as the team’s rookie and training camps in September.

Quite frankly, this is a bit odd. It’s not too often you’ll see a fourth round draft pick signed in October of his draft year. The upside, and the reason I’m guessing the Capitals inked Holtby at this point, is that he can now play for the Bears or Stingrays once his season with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades is finished.

The NHL’s 2008 Entry Draft is complete, and the Capitals have added a total of eight prospects to their organization. In the order they were drafted, they are:

(1) Anton Gustafsson (center) - selected 21st in the first round, 21st overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded the 23rd and 54th overall picks to New Jersey for the 21st overall pick in order to be able to make this selection. Gustafsson is the son of former Capital Bengt Gustafsson, and like his father is a natural center. Played most of 2007-08 in Sweden for Frolunda’s under-20 team, where he had 10 goals, 13 assists, 43 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating in 23 games. Anton played one game with the senior squad last year but didn’t register a point.
The good: Gustafsson has been described as having a mid-first round overall skill set. This selection addresses a number of needs simultaneously for the Capitals: Gustafsson provides both size and two-way play at forward, as well as depth at the center position. He has been described as a mature player both on and off the ice.
The bad: Gustafsson has had significant injury trouble, most notably with a slipped disc in his back and doesn’t have all that much experience against high-level competition. It may have been unnecessary to trade up in order to take Gustafsson.
Initial Reaction: “What?! They traded up to take him?”
More Thought-out Reaction: The only serious issue preventing Gustafsson from being a projected mid-first round pick was his health, and given the Capitals’ meticulous nature, fans should rest assured that he is, or will be able to, recover completely. If that’s the case, Gustafsson looks like he could be a very solid second line center, and being drafted by the same team his father played for could prove to be a source of motivation.
Grade: B-

(2) John Carlson (defense) - selected 27th in the first round, 27th overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded Steve Eminger and the 84th overall pick to Philadelphia for the 27th overall pick in order to make this selection. Carlson is a big, physical, stay-at-home defenseman with the potential to be a shutdown defenseman in the NHL. He played for the Indiana Ice in the USHL this past season, where he had 12 goals, 31 assists, 72 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating in 59 games. He’s slated to play next season for the London Knights, Dale Hunter’s OHL team, and alumni to Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner.
The good: TSN compared Carlson to Mike Komisarek in their draft preview and he has the potential to be that kind of player: a mean, physical defender who can go against the NHL’s best forwards. Going to London helps to assure he will be well coached and develop at a steady pace. In trading Eminger as part of the package to get this pick, George McPhee got a very good return on a player who had fallen out of the Capitals’ long-term plans.
The bad: According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Carlson needs to work on his conditioning. Playing in the USHL means he has yet to have significant experience against elite competition.
Initial Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room.
More Thought-out Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room. Carlson is exactly the type of player the Capitals need on their blue line (and who I wanted them to take with the 21st overall pick) and although the team has Joe Finley and Viktor Dovgan in the system, each is far from a sure thing.
Grade: A

(3) Eric Mestery (defense) - selected with the 27th pick in the second round, 57th overall
The skinny: Mestery is a tall (6′5”) defender who currently plays for Olaf Kolzig’s Tri-City American of the Western Hockey League. He’s fairly thin for his height (195 pounds), but you’d have to think he’ll fill out a little. The word on Mestery is that he could develop into a solid, but not spectacular, NHL defender. Before you go thinking Mestery is Version 2.0 of Jeff Schultz, consider that Mestery had three fights in the WHL last year, which is three more than Schultz has had in his life as far as I can tell.

(4) Dmitri Kugryshev (right wing) - selected with the 28th pick in the second round, 58th overall.
The skinny: Kugryshev spent this season with CSKA Moscow’s developmental team, playing in the Russian third league, where he had 29 goals and 29 assists in 35 games. Kugryshev has also represented Russia at the under-18 and under-20 levels; in the past World Juniors he scored a goal and three assists in seven games. Kugryshev is supposed to have good offensive instincts, but is in need of work in terms of his skating. He’s reported to have a strong work ethic and be a player who’s willing to go into corners and engage in board play, so it seems that his attitude is a plus.

(5) Braden Holtby (goalie) - selected with the 2nd pick in the fourth round, 93rd overall.
The skinny: It would appear the jury is out on Holtby: he was ranked as the fourth best North American goalie by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau and 56th overall by the TSN, but 80th by Bob McKenzie and was left unranked by The Hockey News. Overall, a pretty good pick for the Capitals since if Holtby fulfills the promise some think he has, he should be a solid NHL goaltender and if he doesn’t…well, once you get to the fourth round, you’re inherently gambling anyway. Holtby was 25-29-8 with a 2.84 GAA and .908 save percentage for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL in 2007-08.

(6) Joel Broda (center) - selected with the 23rd pick of the fifth round, 144th overall.
The skinny: Broda has pretty good size, especially for a center (6′0”, 196 pounds) and potted 28 goals in 70 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL last season. The only scouting opinions I could find came via The Peerless Prognosticator, whose sources suggest Broda has the potential to be a solid depth player at the NHL level if he manages to put it all together.

(7) Greg Burke (left wing) - selected with the 23rd pick in round six, 174th overall.
The skinny: The extent of the information I have on Burke is this: he’s a 6′0”, 185 pound left wing who scored 21 goals and 25 assists in 40 games for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (who praise his work ethic on their website) in 2007-08 and has committed to the University of New Hampshire.

(8) Stefan Della Rovere (left wing) - selected with the 23rd pick in round seven, 204th overall.
Della Rovere is 5′10”, 196 pounds and had 171 penalty minutes and 14 fights in 68 fights for the Barrie Colts of the OHL last year, so I think it’d be fair to make a guess as to what type of player he is. It’s worth nothing, however, that Della Rovere does have some offensive talent though: he also had 32 points in 07-08.

Welcome to the Washington Capitals, gentlemen.