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.

Well, the season’s over, so it’s only natural to look ahead to next year. In that spirit, here’s how some of the Capitals’ best prospects fared in 2007-08.

Karl Alzner (Defense, Calgary Hitmen, WHL)- The statistics for Alzner were impressive: 36 points in 60 regular season games, a +26 rating in the regular season and six goals in the 16 playoffs games the Hitmen played before being swept out of the playoffs in the WHL’s semi-final round. But Alzner’s talens go beyond what can represented via statistics: he captained both the WHL’s Eastern Conference Hitmen and the gold medal winning Canadian team at the World Juniors. Nothing is set in stone, but there’s a very good chance that Alzner could break camp with the Capitals next season.

Francois Bouchard (Right Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Bouchard finished up his QMJHL career with Baie-Comeau Drakkar quite well, finishing eight in the ‘Q’ with 92 points and sixth in assists with 56, and has since joined the Bears for their playoff run. Although the Capitals are a little unsettled on the right wing after Viktor Kozlov and Chris Clark, the organization is likely going to want Bouchard to get at least one season of professional experience under his belt before they call him up for any extended period of time.

Chris Bourque (Right Wing/Left Wing, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Bourque had a solid season in 2007-08, highlighted by his NHL debut in Atlanta and a four goal night in Hershey. Like Bouchard, Bourque will probably get a look because the Capitals depth chart gets muddled on the wing after the first couple lines. Unlike Bouchard, Bourque has the attitude and experience to be a legitimate option as a depth player for the Capitals. His odds are probably largely dependent on whether or not Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke re-sign.

Joe Finley (Defense, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, WCHA) - In between a couple controversial incidents, Finley picked up 15 points (including four goals) for the Fighting Sioux while leading the team with a +24 rating. Finley hasn’t said whether or not he plans to forgo his final season at North Dakota and turn pro, but even if he does the towering defenseman is likely to need 50-100 games of NHL experience before he’s NHL ready.

Josh Godfrey (Defense, Hershey Bears) - The 2007 second rounder with the big shot lit the lamp 17 times this season for his OHL Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, and scored 41 goals over his last two years in the league, a span of 128 games. Like Alzner, Godfrey was a member of Canada’s gold medal winning team at the World Juniors. It’s very unlikely Godfrey would make the Capitals out of camp, but it’s possible he could get a callup at some point in 2008-09, if for nothing other than to primarily man the point on the second powerplay unit.

Sami Lepisto (Defense, Hershey Bears, AHL) - Lepisto got his first taste of NHL action this year, playing in seven games for the Capitals. The callup was well deserved: Lepisto had four goals and 41 assists in 55 games for the Bears and his +29 rating led the Bears and was third in the AHL. Lepisto’s future depends in large part on Brian Pothier. If Pothier ends up having to retire due to his concussion-related issues, there’s a good chance the Capitals will keep Lepisto on their roster to fill his spot. If Pothier is able to come back, Lepisto still stands a very good chance at making the Caps, but it’s likely his playing time won’t be as significant.

Michal Neuvirth (Goalie, Oshawa General, OHL) - Neuvirth played for three OHL teams this season, compiling an aggregate 17-7-5 record with a 3.11 GAA and a .910 save percentage. Barring some unforeseen set of circumstances, Neuvirth will start next season in either South Carolina (ECHL) or Hershey (AHL).

Mathieu Perreault (Center, Hershey Bears) - Perreault led the QMJHL in points (114) and assists (80) in 2007-08. The 2006 sixth rounder joined the Bears at the end of their playoff run, playing three games without registering a point. With Nicklas Backstrom, Michael Nylander, David Steckel and Boyd Gordon already firmly entrenched in D.C. (along with the fact the Capitals probably want to see Perreault add some bulk to his 166 pound frame), Perreault will likely spend 2008-09 in Hershey.

Sasha Pokulok (Defense, South Carolina Stingrays, ECHL) - Pokulok hasn’t progressed the way the Capitals would have liked and he was sent down to South Carolina (ECHL) after 44 games with the Bears. Pokulok performed well in the East Coast League, notching six assists in five regular season games and four assists in ten playoff games. Still, questions remain about Pokulok’s durability and mobility. Pokulok will most likely start next year with Hershey.

Keith Seabrook (Defense, Calgary Hitmen, WHL) - Seabrook struggled through a disappointing season for the Hitmen in 2007-08, notching only four goals and 13 assists in 59 games. On the plus side, Seabrook was a +4 on the season, although that number might not be where Caps fans would want to see it either, considering that the regular season Eastern Conference winning Hitmen had 15 player with better ratings.

Semen Varlamov (Goalie, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl , RSL) - Varlamov gained a great deal of valuable experience this past season, playing in 44 games for his Russian team, going 27-15-0 and posting a 2.45 GAA.

Capitals 3, Lightning 2

After losing in Florida and falling to Atlanta in a shootout, the Capitals were desperate to pull out a win in Tampa Bay to finish their swing through the Southeast and they were able to do so behind a resilient team effort and a rock-solid Olie Kolzig. Since there are a number of important issues to touch on from this game, so I’ve given each its own mini-section.

Olaf Kolzig. Clearly the game’s best player (and the difference between a win and a loss) with 39 saves on 41 shots (.951 save %), Kolzig played like he did when he was an all-star and a Vezina Trophy winner. Since going to the more-or-less 60/split in playing time with Brent Johnson, Kolzig’s play has vastly improved. It’s nice as a Caps fan to see that Olie still has some very good minutes left in him….even if there aren’t quite as many as we may have hoped.

Sami Lepisto’s NHL debut. He didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first NHL game, but the 23-year-old Finn registered a shot, a hit, a blocked shot and some powerplay time. What struck me the most about Lepisto were his poise and calmness with the puck and his skating ability - attributes the Capitals are in dire need of along the blue line right now. Jeff Schultz, John Erskine and Milan Jurcina are all big bodies but they’re also all mediocre skaters and both Erskine and Jurcina are butchers with the puck. The Capitals defense is more balanced, and probably better overall, with Lepisto or Eminger in the lineup every night until Brian Pothier and/or Tom Poti return. Which brings me to…

John Erskine. Okay, I don’t have any objective analysis to prove anything but it seems to me that there is a very high correlation between the Capitals opponents’ getting quality scoring chances and Erskine being on the ice, which seemed to especially be true during last night’s game. I like Erskine’s attitude and style of play, but he is such a poor skater and is so bad with the puck that he is a liability against most NHL caliber forwards. While I think he’s an okay depth guy, I don’t think Erskine should be getting playing time ahead of any of the Capitals other current defensemen.

Secondary scoring. The Capitals scored three goals, which isn’t an offensive explosion by any means. But the fact that they potted three from players not named Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov or Mike Green was nice. It’s even better that Alexander Semin and Tomas Fleischmann each seem to be finding a groove offensively.

Horrible television announcers. I think that fans of teams in Southern locales are too often unfairly dismissed as ignorant about the game of hockey, but if there is any truth to this stereotype I’m pretty sure it’s a result of the guys doing the games on TV in these markets. In the past I’ve detailed the follies of the Atlanta Thrashers’ announcers and in the Capitals game on the other night against Florida the Panthers commentators were not too impressive either. But I think Bobby “The Chief” Taylor takes the cake with his comment during last night’s game. With about two minutes left their was a brief scrum that start in front of the Capitals net. Taylor blamed this on David Steckel, saying “What is that? I never understood that. If you’re going to fight, then fight, but if you’re not then just turn around and skate away. What is that? That’s a bunch of crap!” There are a lot of thing wrong with that assessment including (1) if you don’t know why that happens, you really probably don’t know much about hockey and (2) Steckel gave a pretty innocent little push on a Tampa player’s arm and the Tampa player then cross-checked him. But really that’s irrelevant. What really matters is that Taylor demonstrated a complete lack of maturity and professionalism and if the person who is supposed to provide insightful commentary on hockey is pouting like a twelve-year-old fan of the team, it’s no wonder that Southern hockey fans aren’t schooled in the game’s finer points.

DMG’s 3 Stars
(1) Olaf Kolzig - 39 saves on 41 shots (95.1 save %) and clearly the best player on either team
(2) Alexander Semin - 1 goal (game winner), 1 assists, +1, 6 shots,
(3) Tomas Fleischmann - 1 goal

Quotable

“He didn’t seemed fazed at all. He was making great plays and he played within himself.”

-Bruce Boudreau on Sami Lepisto

“Kolzig gets credit the whole game. He’s the difference.”

-Lightning coach John Tortorella

Quick Hits

• Another rough night on the faceoff dot for Viktor Kozlov - he won just two of nine draws.
• Someone should just tell Dave Steckel to imagine Lightning uniforms on every opponent. Steckel now has five NHL goals, four of which have come against Tampa Bay.
• On the official scoresheet the Capitals were outhit 27-19
• How nice was it to see how excited Semin was after his goal?
  

Around the (Inter)net
A New York Times intensive version today: the seven best trades the NYT could come up with and why the Southeast’s big time scorers aren’t on winning teams…now that he’s been fired, everyone cares what John Ferguson Jr. thinks of the Leafs…Celebrating the Top 10 U.S.-Born Fighters

All photos AP/Getty by way of Yahoo!