Prospect rankings are necessarily subjective and by design no more than a snapshot in time. And yet January, delivering the pro and college hockey seasons’ midpoints, as well as the completion of the World Junior Championships, seems the right time to weigh in on the progress Caps’ prospects seemingly have made since the end of last season.
With today’s maiden OFB ranking of the organization’s 20 most promising prospects, we’re inaugurating what we expect to be a biannual contribution, and we welcome especially the first- or second-hand assessments our readers, scattered across the continent, can offer up.
Taken in total, the assets ought to suggest an overall depth of quality youth that really the Caps have never had. Management has suggested from the outset of its rebuild that the establishment and replenishment of a player development pipeline was central to lasting success. We agree. But notice, too, that the quality is culled not just from the cream of annual draft crops but, increasingly, deep into later rounds, when most teams are gathering merely warm bodies. When you scan the rosters of Stanley Cup champions past, you see a blend not only of first-round gems but savvy trade acquisitions and some late-round draft steals.
We urge you also to pay a visit to David Rathburn’s outstanding Top 20 ranking over at Hockeysfuture.
| Name | Acquired | Birthplace | 2006-07 Club | OFB Notes |
| Nicklas Backstrom | ‘06, 1st Rd. | Gavle, Sweden | Brynas (SEL) | The missing centerpiece |
| Eric Fehr | ‘03, 1st Rd. | Winkler, Man. | Hershey | Adding bulk to his big skills |
| Simeon Varlamov | ‘06, 1st Rd. | Samara, Russia | Locomotive | “Historic season” in RSL, brick wall at WJC |
| Tomas Fleischmann | ‘02, 2nd Rd. | Koprivinive, Czech Repub. | Hershey | pivotal 5 months ahead in pro career |
| Jeff Schultz | ‘04, 1st Rd. | Calgary, Alb. | Hershey | 2nd-year pro learning fast |
| Dave Steckel | ‘01, 1st Rd. | Westbend, Wis. | Hershey | steady gains under CoachB, offensive numbers in particular |
| Jamie Hunt | ‘06 Free agent | Calgary, Alb. | Hershey | early poise reminds of Mike Green |
| Chris Bourque | ‘04, 2nd Rd. | Boston, Mass. | Hershey | CoachB: “will play in NHL, a 3-year project” |
| Francois Bouchard | ‘06, 2nd Rd. | Sherbrooke, Que. | Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) | shredding the Q (97 pts. in 45 games) |
| Andrew Gordon | ‘04, 7th Rd. | Halifax, NS | St. Cloud St. (WCHA) | perhaps college hockey’s most underrated performer |
| Maxime Daigneault | ‘02, 2nd Rd. | St-Jacques-le-Mineur, Que. | Hershey | quantum development leap in play this season |
| Oskar Osala | ‘06, 4th Rd. | Vaasa, Finland | Mississauga (OHL) | breakout WJC showing |
| Travis Morin | ‘04, 9th Rd. | Minneapolis, Minn. | Minnesota St. (WCHA) | shouldering big burden, producing huge numbers - again |
| Mathieu Perreault | ‘06, 6th Rd. | Drummondville, Que. | Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) | making folks recall Denis Savard |
| Joe Finley | ‘05, 1st Rd. | Edina, Minn. | North Dakota (WCHA) | Mr. Mean; maybe a 4-year Sioux . . . maybe just 3 |
| Viktor Dovgan | ‘05, 7th Rd. | Moscow, Russia | South Carolina (ECHL) | will graduate to Hershey next season; a Rookie Camp standout in ‘06 |
| Andrew Joudrey | ‘03, 8th Rd. | Halifax, NS | Wisconsin (WCHA) | more character leadership in the pipeline |
| Sasha Pokulok | ‘05, 1st Rd. | Montreal, Que. | Hershey | big-bodied promise derailed by concussion early on |
| Michal Neuvirth | ‘06, 2nd Rd. | Usti Labern, Czech Rep. | Plymouth (OHL) | .928 save pct., back-to-back shoutouts for the Whalers this season |
| Daren Machesney | ‘05, 5th Rd. | Hamilton, Ont. | South Carolina (ECHL) | callup work in Hershey has impressed |
8 Comments
Great roundup of talent..
Only thing I ask is if you guys could add a column for “position”.. I’ve heard some of the names, just not sure what part of the ice they’ll be covering…
While I agree with some of the statements on the list (Backstrom as the missing link), I have to say I have a different opinion on the set of left wingers.
Chris Bourque - I don’t think he’ll ever see significant NHL action in a Caps uni. We have too much talent on the left side, and it’s far more likely we use him as trade bait.
On D, Schultz needs a year to add weight and log lots of ice time, just like the team did with Greener last year. I don’t see him having as much offensive upside as Green, but the team needs better D men so he will get his shot.
Fleischmann will have similar issues, but should be able to crack the lineup as a quality 3rd or 4th liner.
Great job on the breakdown, though.
Are we saying that local product Stephen Werner’s possibilities in a Caps uni is not looking promising?I remember the excitement of his being drafted and know he was demoted to SC for more playing time, so is he being given up on?
IMO in the nu-NHL the idea of static two scoring lines, a checker line, and an energy line doesn’t fit quite as neatly. Look at buffalo as an example. For Flash or Bourque if they can play average NHL defense and can chip in offensively then they could have a home on a 4th line. Bourque is still a couple of years away. Like a big dman it takes a while for small players to adjust. Take a look at Frodo from Tampa.
Tim Leone has a good article on Schultz here: http://www.pennlive.com/columns/patriotnews/leone/index.ssf?/base/columnists/1169603721176100.xml&coll=1
Hershey seems to like to field a calder cup challenging team each year so that is why there wasn’t room for Werner in his first year pro. It is good for him to be down in the ECHL along with Dovgan getting a bunch of ice time.
I’m really liking the capitals prospects..especially the last couple of years. Bouchard I think is going to surprise people.
There’s a lot to be excited about. People need to start getting on the bandwagon now.
Looks good. I hope you guys are right about the late round/NCAA players on this list.
Though I’d wonder if Lepisto’s past performances don’t at least give him still a consideration in the latter half. However, that is still just a nitpick on my part.
I agree with Chimaera about Lepistö. I’m little bit surprised about the hype of all Caps NCAA players too. I admit that I don’t know much of them, but it’s kind of hard to understand how one of the best offensive d-men of FEL and a player who already has played in national team can’t make the top20 prospect list? Yes, I know I’m bit biased because I’m a Finn, but IMO Lepistö is still one of the best prospects Caps have in their system. Let’s hope we’ll see him showing that next year in Hershey… or maybe in DC?
Lepisto seems to be playing well since his return. He is a bit under the radar. Caps still have his rights through 2008 however. I would think that the caps will have him over at the rookie camp and could likely make a decision based on his performance.
Could be a bit of a logjam at Hershey on the D side though. I would think Dovgan/Hunt/Pokulok/Schultz could be penciled in there already.
I wonder if the caps will sign McNeill…
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