19 March, 2010


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Bears with Near-Term Promise

By pucksandbooks 15 April, 2008

Hershey Bears in Capitals Colors - photo by Sean Simmers of the Patriot NewsI surveyed some keen hockey observers in the Hershey community the past couple of days to see if they could help me identify the names of two or three Bears whose regular season performances in 2007-08 ought to have Caps’ fans excited about their arrival at fall training camp, as contenders for roster spots with the parent club. I found them all right.
Chris Bourque was recently named Hershey’s team MVP. In what may have been a make-or-break season for him, CBourque put an exclamation point on his prospect candidacy with a late-season explosion: 8 goals and 7 assists in his final eight games. On the season, CBourque tallied 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in 73 games –nearly a point a game in an exceptionally patchwork Bears’ lineup. Line chemistry was not a storyline in this Hershey season: another week or two of regular season and about 50 hockey players would have donned maroon sweaters. CBourque is a left-shooting left wing, but with Matt Pettinger’s departure and some uncertainty on left side after the Alexes heading into the summer, the 2004 second-rounder should be a contender for the left side of the third line come fall.
Caps’ fans by now know a bit of the promise packaged in rearguard Sami Lepisto. Injuries and recalls to D.C. limited Lepisto to 55 games in Hershey, but he made an impact in just about every one of them: 4 goals and 41 assists to lead all Bears’ blueliners in scoring. At the time of his April 9 recall, Lepisto was lodged in the top 5 of AHL defensemen in scoring and finished his American League rookie season a stellar +29. In 2004 Lepisto was named the IIHF World Junior Championship’s Outstanding Defenseman and was selected to the All Tournament team. He’s modest in size ( 5′11, 180) but heady and mobile and a superb passer. A third-round selection by the Caps in the team’s remarkable 2004 draft, Lepisto’s stint in the A may be but a single season.
Last spring Caps’ General Manager George McPhee told me that he thought newly signed center/winger Andrew Gordon’s stay in the American League might also be a brief one. A year later, that forecast appears accurate. Early in the season Gordon struggled with the transition from college hockey straight into the American League, but his demotion to South Carolina didn’t last long. In his first pro season he recorded a pair of hat tricks in Hershey en route to 16 goals and 35 assists in 58 games, skating a +22 in the process. A right-handed shot, Gordon seemed to settle in on the right side, often alongside another NCAA draftee, 2003 8th-rounder Andrew Joudrey. Gordon is a brilliant skater with excellent vision, a scorer’s hands, and a nose for the net.
I asked my American Hockey League experts up north to identify a bit of a darkhorse prospect for Caps’ training camp come fall, and center Jay Beagle was a consensus selection. The Caps inked Beagle to a two-year contract just last month, so it’s clear that management sees potential in him. The 6′3, 200-lb. Calgary native spent two seasons skating with Alaska-Anchorage in the WCHA, got a cup of coffee with Idaho in the ECHL, and was an invitee to the Caps’ development camp last July, where he impressed. Beagle scored 19 goals and 18 assists in 64 games with the Bears this season and was lauded for his physical presence and all-around game.
Another Bear most worth regular season ending praise is Head Coach Bob Woods, who took over for the promoted-to-the-parent-club-Caps Bruce Boudreau at Thanksgiving. Woods won 33 games behind the bench after Thanksgiving and did so presiding over a veritable M*A*S*H unit in the process. I highly recommend the overview of Woodsie’s bench work authored this week by Bears’ radio voice John Walton, who makes the case for Woods’ winning the A’s Coach of the Year award.

This was written by pucksandbooks. Posted on at 11:05 am. Filed under American Hockey League, Andrew Gordon, Chris Bourque, Hershey Bears, Jay Beagle, Prospects, Sami Lepisto, Washington Capitals.
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11 Comments

  1. uncatim wrote:

    I thought Beagle looked great at Kettler last summer, he was big (compared to most of the young guys there), aggressive, and scored one of the few goals in the scrimmage I saw. Didn’t he have some injury issues in Hershey this season?

    15 April, 2008 at 1:01 pm | Permalink
  2. pucksandbooks wrote:

    uncatim – in Hershey this season, I think even the public address guy and the mascot spent time on IR.

    15 April, 2008 at 1:07 pm | Permalink
  3. Capital Fanatic wrote:

    There is no doubt the competition for a roster spot this fall is going to be fierce. Besides the names you have mentioned we will also have Karl Alzner, Semeon Varlamov, Michael Neuvirth, Daren Machesney, Francois Bouchard, and possibly Jeff Finley all with an opportunity to secure a spot with the big club. It’s going to great to see all of these guys in summer camp again before training camp opens in Sept. Next year’s roster is looking stronger than ever.

    15 April, 2008 at 1:30 pm | Permalink
  4. odessasteps magazine wrote:

    Bourque really was great this year, well-deserving of the MVP award. I’d gather to say he is the most popular Bear (if you discount the cult of personality for Louis Robitaille). My only concern for him at the next level is his size, but maybe in the new NHL, it’s not so much of a big deal.

    15 April, 2008 at 2:53 pm | Permalink
  5. b.orr4 wrote:

    If the Caps were to resign Federov and Cooke, there wouldn’t be any room for any of the Bears’ forwards to make the jump to the big club. And based on what you’re reporting, it doesn’t sound like Bourque needs any more time in the AHL. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with Sergei and Matt in the off-season.

    15 April, 2008 at 4:36 pm | Permalink
  6. MulletMan wrote:

    But, the Caps are still so young and inexperienced, do we really want to feed more rookies into the mix? I really haven’t been that dazzled by Flash this year and thought that Steckel, Laing, and Fehr were a better fit because of their play and aggression.
    Yeah, they were all injured for a time but I just didn’t see the big spark from flash.
    The teams that I have seen that make it deep in the playoffs have maybe 2 or 3 rookies and maybe 2 2nd year players. I know it’s going to be a tough decision but I really don’t think we need to get younger.

    15 April, 2008 at 10:46 pm | Permalink
  7. Doug wrote:

    Mullet man, there is another tangible piece in favor of getting younger. Cost per player. Cooke will want close to 3 times minimum NHL salary. If we can get a young, hungry guy for $500K, we will probablay go that route. We probably need more toughness as well. Personally, I predict that both Cooke and Gordon are replaced with guys from the Hershey roster. We might also go with a 20 year old goalie next year as well. You can’t have everything, and the owner says he will lose $10M next year. Salary for next year will be at least $15M more than this year. Get my drift?

    16 April, 2008 at 5:19 am | Permalink
  8. Geo wrote:

    This is all great, but I wish they’d find one big defenseman who plays like a big defenseman (clears the crease, defends his goaltender when he gets run over etc.). I know you can’t just pluck Rod Langway Jr. and Scott Stevens Jr. from trees, but it doesn’t sound like anyone at Hershey is shaping up to be that kind of defenseman.

    16 April, 2008 at 9:06 am | Permalink
  9. greg wrote:

    There is another in Hershey that could make the Caps potentially. he isn’t a youngster either, Josef Boumedienne is a strong D-man that plays big and plays well. He has had some injuries this year but he is a solid defenseman that might be able to play at the next level.
    I think Beagle needs one more year and Bourque would be curious on the next level. he is very talented and tough but obviously small. I don’t know if he will be able to find enough space in the NHL though. Gordon isn’t very big yet either. He is taller than Bourque but not very strong.
    The young guys Mathieu Perrault and Francois Bouchard are also two to watch. Bouchard has looked good in his first couple games in Hershey and Perrault might play tonight. With a summer of work and good camps they could be potential Caps next season. Perrault is a little small but Bouchard has the size right now to play in the NHL.
    I know everyone is tired of Flash but I still think he can be successful in the NHL. But I have a theory on that. Jagr wasn’t as successful when he didn’t have other Czechs on his line. Flash was much better when Jakub Klepis was his center in Hershey, a fellow Czech. I think if Flash goes somewhere else and plays with another Czech or two we will regret seeing him leave. Jagr also had success with Nylander though, but Flash didn’t have much of a chance to work with him this year. So next year, if he is back, he should get a chance to play on Nylander’s line.

    16 April, 2008 at 5:14 pm | Permalink
  10. usiel wrote:

    Finley is the only D prospect in the pipeline who would likely bring a physical presence on the D-side but he’s years away at this point and not even there yet.
    This is off season speculation but I would imagine that GMGM will try to find a veteran dman who is a notch up from Erksine.

    16 April, 2008 at 5:28 pm | Permalink
  11. Interview with Andrew Gordon « the red skate wrote:

    10 July, 2008 at 10:05 pm | Permalink

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