24 July, 2008

Category Archives: WJC

World Junior Championships

Ten Top Storylines for Development Camp 2008

By pucksandbooks
Monday, July 7, 2008

This morning the Capitals welcome 21 skaters and 4 goaltenders to their 2008 Development Camp. Almost all of the campers are recent Caps’ draft picks, and first-rounders from each of the the team’s past four drafts are present (Alzner, Varlamov, Carlson, Pokulok).

Camp will culminate with a 10:00 scrimmage on Saturday. Hockey is back! Herewith, 10 top storylines to follow at this July’s camp:

(10) All Eyes on Alzner. 2007 first round pick Karl Alzner impressed observers of Development Camp last July, and then he went on to captain the gold medal winning Canadians at the World Junior Championships in December and earn WHL Defenseman of the Year and Player of the Year honors with the Calgary Hitmen. Not a bad season, huh? As soon as his season in Calgary was completed he was called up by Hershey, but the Bears didn’t advance out of the American League postseason’s first round, so he’s yet to get a taste of pro hockey. He’ll get a chance at training camp in September to crack the Caps’ opening night roster, but he can make a real strong impression on and off the ice this week.

(9) Souring on Sasha? No team got screwed more by Gary Bettman’s inane Entry Draft scheme during the summer lockout of 2005 than the Caps. The league all but came out and said that by virtue of having had the first pick in 2004, the Caps shouldn’t have a reasonable shot at it again. But outside the top 10? A pre-lockout cellar dwellar, the Caps drew the 14th pick in the first round in the ‘05 draft. A lot of quality was already off the table by then, including Sidney Crosby, Carey Price, Anze Kopitar, and Jack Johnson. The Caps took a gamble on Cornell defenseman Sasha Pokulok. He hasn’t impressed. This could be a make-or-break year for him. He’d do well to have a solid week.

(8) College Hockey’s Biggest Weekend Isn’t that Far Away. Washington will host its first-ever Frozen Four next spring, and the Frozen Four Organizing Committee will visit Kettler on Wednesday, conduct a meeting there, and take in that day’s scrimmage. I have plenty of questions I’d like to put to them.

(7) The Big Finn with the Big Game. Oskar Osala had a big year in 2007-08 with 18 goals and 35 points in 53 games with the Espoo Blues in Finland’s top pro league. The 6 ‘4, 217-lb. left wing was named the Finnish League’s Rookie of the Year. He also shined at the 2007 World Junior Championships, where he shared the lead in goal scoring with 5 goals in 6 games. A lot of folks from Hershey are excited to see him.

(6) Not that Carlson, but John’s Big and Physical Too. No relation to Jack, but John Carlson may well make a name for himself in pro hockey, too. The Caps may have landed another late first-round blueline gem last month with Carlson, who’s already blessed with a pro physique. His coach with the Indiana Ice of the USHL said of his defenseman, “without a doubt, he’s going to be a star in the NHL.”

(5) Media Matters. All of HockeyWashington was stunned by the breadth, depth, and overall quality of media coverage of the Caps this past spring. This week at Kettler — where there will be stories to tell — is an opportunity to see if that was anomalous. After all, the Redskins don’t report to training camp for another two weeks. Bloggers will be out at Kettler covering, and we hope to reprise our coalition from Entry Draft Friday and live blog this Saturday’s camp-concluding scrimmage.

(4) Where’s Big Joe? Joe Finley, Hurting Force, isn’t in town this week. The 2005 first-rounder showed a lot of promise at last summer’s Development Camp, and he also shook a lot of plexiglass with his corner work. The Capitals are going to great lengths to make this week appealing to Washington youths, and Finley’s instincts for violence may not have been a good fit for that agenda. He’ll be returning to North Dakota for his senior season with the Fighting Sioux this fall.

(3) They Harken from a Scorer’s League. The leading scorers from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League each of the past two seasons, Francois Bouchard and Mathieu Perreault, will be present. Perreault in particular, with his dazzling stickwork-in-a-phone-booth and world-class agility and hockey sense, ought to be a fan favorite this week.

(2) Prior a Priority. Capitals’ Goaltender Coach Dave Prior has spent 11 seasons in Washington. He may not have a more important one than the one ahead. He will break in yet another no. 1 goalie in Jose Theodore — the team’s third in just the last six months — and perhaps just as importantly, in Simeon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth tutor two of the organization’s finest goaltending prospects in 15 years. That work begins this week.

(1) Speaking of Goalies . . . It would be comforting for Capitals’ fans to see both Varlamov and Neuvirth stop every shot that each faces the entirety of this week.

Filed in American Hockey League, College Hockey, Development Camp, Francois Bouchard, Frozen Four, Hardcore Hockey Fans, Hershey Bears, Hockey Rituals, Joe Finley, John Carlson, Karl Alzner, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Mathieu Perreault, Michal Neuvirth, Prospects, Sasha Pokulok, Simeon Varlamov, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (10)

U.S. Youth Not Yet Serving up Medals at the Worlds

By pucksandbooks
Saturday, May 17, 2008

Since the American entry in the 2004 World Hockey Championships finished with a bronze medal, the U.S. has finished 6th, 7th, 5th, and, most recently this past week, 5th in the tourney. Not so good.

“Young” seems to be the springtime flavor of excuse for middling showings by the Americans in this tournament. Yes the Americans are comparatively young in the tourney, but they are also highly skilled, annually one of the fastest teams, and always carefully assembled by a blue ribbon advisory group. And even with their youth most of the American roster each spring possesses notable international hockey experience, gained particularly from the World Juniors tourneys. They are losing games in elimination play in excruciating fashion: in overtime.

Beginning with 2009, it’s time to begin expecting better.

USA Hockey has made it abundantly clear that it wants to compete for championships in this event every bit as much as with the World Junior Championships and the Olympics. Of the three most prestigious international competitions, year in and year out this will always be the toughest for the Americans to contend in. The Americans with the National Development Team Program have a rigorous and committed program priming young hockey talent for the World Juniors. It’s a built-in advantage, I think. Additionally, the Junior team rarely has significant injuries to deal with, as that tournament is contested relatively early in the hockey season. The Olympic teams, too, also benefit from the calendar, and never have to worry about the best American players still competing in the NHL palyoffs.

To be fair, with very limited depth in terms of impact players, the U.S. cannot endure injuries like say Canada can and compete seriously at either the Olympics or the Worlds. This year’s American Worlds entry would have had a decidedly different look to it in terms of skill and experience had it been able to roster just say Eric Cole, Chris Clark, and Rick DiPietro and or Ryan Miller.

Indeed, if there’s anything particularly promising as American hockey fans look ahead to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, it’s that that American team will not have Tim Thomas, Robert Esche, or Craig Anderson between the pipes but most likely rather the tandem of Miller and DiPietro. Esche actually had moments of surreal brilliance at this year’s World’s — most especially in games against the Finns — but neither he nor his 2008 netminder teammates are a trio with which a nation pins medal hopes on.

There were also huge American names absent from this Worlds’ rsoter because of the NHL playoffs: Drury and Gomez, Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins in Montreal, perhaps Dallas’ Matt Niskanen, certainly Paul Stastny. You have to think Higgins is a prime candidate for the 2010 team. I was especially disappointed to see neither of Erik or Jack Johnson rostered for the Americans this spring — both competed for the Americans in Moscow last year. Those two, along with Komisarek and Niskanen, you have to think would play important roles on the Olympic team in two years. After goaltending, the biggest difference we may well see between this year’s Worlds team and the Olympic one in Vancouver likely will be on the blueline. An entirely different top 4, for instance.

Up front, there appears to be greater certainty. Peter Mueller, Patrick Kane, Zach Parise, Phil Kessel — the latter distinguishing himself now in consecutive World Championships — along with Stastny and perhaps Cole and Higgins, that’s a lot of skilled MoJo seriously on the move. And I began getting excited about David Booth’s game very early his past season with the Panthers. He’s likely to be a super quick skilled pest on the Americans’ third or fourth line in Vancouver. One very young American player I’m eager to watch next season with an eye on the 2010 Games is the Islander’s Kyle Okposo.

The Americans almost certainly won’t enter the 2010 Olympics on hockey folks’ list of medal contenders, but as with the Worlds, you need win only one game against a great team on a given night, and that’s where someone like Ryan Miller can elevate American hockey dreams. Next year’s American Worlds roster, to the extent that the NHL playoffs and injuries allow, ought to be assembled as a test run for 2010. This year’s simply couldn’t be.

But looming large as a challenge for USA Hockey is finding the right guy behind the American bench. It’s fair to say, I think, that a new name needs to be considered. The last three years American Worlds teams have been led by Mike Eaves, Mike Sullivan, and John Tortorella. Shouldn’t USA Hockey name a coach for next year’s Worlds with an eye on having that man guide the Americans in Vancouver as well? If so, I have an outside-the-box pick. A man with significant ties to USA Hockey, a man with an unrivaled record in winning with young hockey players and one who may just well be the best hockey coach outside of the NHL right now.

Jeff Jackson.

Filed in American Hockey, College Hockey, IIHF, Jeff Jackson, Olympic hockey, USA Hockey, WJC, Washington Capitals, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (0)

Young Guns to the North Are Golden Again

By pucksandbooks
Sunday, January 6, 2008

9eba7a1f63.jpgFor the fourth consecutive year, Canada’s Under-20s claimed gold at the World Junior Championships. Two of them — Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey — are Caps’ prospects. Ten players from Canada’s roster this year will be eligible for the next WJC, to be contested this December on Canadian soil.

Godfrey finished third in scoring among all defensemen with 5 points (all assists). Alzner had a goal and an assist in his seven games. Both blueliners finished a +2.

Canada’s Steve Mason was named not only the tournament’s best goalie — a .951 save percentage will often fetch that — but the Most Valuable Player as well. He’ll return to North America today to a new home, too: on Friday he was dealt by the London Knights to the Kitchener Rangers. Michal Neuvirth of the Czech Republic, also Caps’ property, had the 4th-best save percentage (.910); he stopped 101 of the 111 shots he faced, and four that got by him came on the oppositions’ power play.

American James vanRiemsdyk led all scorers in the tourney with 11 points. Teammate Colin Wilson also finished in the top 10 in scoring, with 7 points. But as feared heading in, American goaltending wasn’t elite. Jeremy Smith played well in the preliminary round but less so when it was most needed. Neither American goalie finished with a .900 save percentage.

A lot of attention heading into the tourney was directed at the Czech Republic’s Jacub Voracek, who was obliterating the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season (50 pts. in 25 games) in Halifax. But Voracek managed to finish just 29th in scoring and wasn’t even identified as one of his team’s three best players by the tournament’s coaches.

Filed in IIHF, Josh Godfrey, Karl Alzner, Michal Neuvirth, Prospects, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (1)

WJC Update: Early Dominance Against the Finns

By pucksandbooks
Monday, December 31, 2007

American Flag at SunsetYou think the Tampa Bay Lightning have goaltender issues now? Their 2006 first-rounder, Riku Helenius, didn’t make it out of today’s second period against the United States at the World Juniors.

U.S. 5, Finland 0. And it’s still early.

JVR has already tallied a goal and three helpers. Colin Wilson has two goals and a helper. He’s a 2008 draft eligible — think he’s helping his cause for next June with this WJC showing?

Mercifully the second period has ended for the Finns. Updates forthcoming.

Update: Joe Palmer in the American net for period three. His first appearance of this WJC.

Update: There’s been a change in scoring from the first period — Colin Wilson’s now being credited for the U.S.’s first three goals, a natural hat trick.

The Finns have showed some third period heart, notching two power play tallies. It’s 5-2 U.S.

Final: U.S. 5, Finland 3. That third period will give what might have been a cocky bunch of unbeaten Americans something to stew on on New Years Eve. Or: my NHL scout was right about U.S. backup netminder Joe Palmer:

“Palmer has an .880 save percentage in the NCAA. One scout who does exclusively college hockey told me he thought Palmer was one of the worst goalies in the college game.”

But who needs negative thoughts in victory on New Years Eve? Not only is a win a win at the WJC, going undefeated through preliminary round play is stellar by any standard.

Congrats to Team USA, who now rest through the quarterfinals and await a semi-final opponent on Friday.

Filed in American Hockey, IIHF, Tampa Bay Lightning, USA Hockey, WJC| Permalink| Comments (0)

No Miracle: U.S. 3, Russia 2

By pucksandbooks
Saturday, December 29, 2007

Eddie Cahill as Jim CraigWhat is it about no-name American rosters and their matchups against Russia?

Ruegsegger, van Riemsdyk (tourney’s leading scorer), and Mike Carmen with tallies today, Carmen’s the game-winner, in the Americans’ 3-2 victory over Russia. Meanwhile, Sweden stunned the Canadians 4-3.

A number of you emailed me overnight wondering what wager I had with Dmitry Chesnokov for this game. The answer rhymes with Filet-at-Smith-and-Wolenskys.

The 9-pt. U.S. has clinched first in its group and is assured of a place in the World Junior semifinals. Their opponent? Either Canada or Finland.

The U.S. will skate again on Monday against Finland.

Filed in American Hockey, IIHF, USA Hockey, WJC| Permalink| Comments (2)

Powering Past the Swiss: U.S. 4, Switzerland 2

By pucksandbooks
Friday, December 28, 2007

USA Hockey LogoTeam USA today capitalized on Swiss penalties, scoring four times in extra-man situations en route to a 4-2 victory in WJC action. Colin Wilson scored a pair for the Americans, and Jeremy Smith earned his second victory in as many games in net for the U.S.

The U.S. outshot Switzerland 51-18 Friday.

The 2-0 Americans face 2-0 Russia Saturday.   

Filed in American Hockey, IIHF, USA Hockey, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (0)

Strong American Start at the World Juniors: U.S. 5, Kazakhstan 1

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, December 26, 2007

USA Hockey LogoUnofficial shot count: U.S. 49, Kazakhstan 18

Jeremy Smith in net for the Americans. Goals from Sweatt, Rakshani, Carmen, Fairchild, and Okposo. Max Pacioretty apparently took a knee, missed some action, but returned. 

Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey and their Canadian teammates kick off their tournament this afternoon against the Czechs (starting at 1:30 EST).

Filed in American Hockey, IIHF, Prospects, USA Hockey, WJC| Permalink| Comments (3)

Woe Is US: A Rebuilding Team U.S.A at the World Juniors

By pucksandbooks
Friday, December 14, 2007

December offers a particularly terrific gift for hockey fans — the World Junior Championships, or what many in hockey regard as the greatest of hockey tournaments. This year’s Worlds will be contested in the Czech Republic, with the U.S. opening on December 26 against Kasakhstan. The Canadians this week conducted their determinative evaluation camp, and the results are in: Caps’ property Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey will represent the three-time defending champions. In fact, Alzner is a candidate to captain the team. Mathieu Perreault, another invitee, was returned to Acadie Bathurst. The Canadians, as ever, will be strong and pre-tourney favorites. They will lack the elite starpower of championship years past, but they will have no rivals in roster depth.

The United States, however, is confronting a hard reality with this year’s tournament: they are victims of their own development success. Typically, even the highest of NHL draft picks rarely makes his drafting team’s roster in his draft year, but that’s precisely what’s happened with Patrick Kane (Chicago), whose dominant performance in last year’s WJC launched him toward elite status for this past June’s draft. Additionally, 2006 no. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson, eligible for this year’s Worlds, is busy patrolling the St. Louis Blues’ blueline. And another 2006 American draft gem and WJC eligible, Peter Mueller, is having a solid rookie season for Wayne Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes.

I had a chance this week to chat a bit with an NHL scout I interviewed here last year, one whose coverage is with the U.S. college ranks, and the impact of Johnson’s and Kane’s absenses to the Americans this month was, to him, crystal clear. The Americans are lunchpalers without them and gold medal gamers with them.

USA Hockey LogoThe Americans won’t be devoid of talent, but heavy burdens will fall principally on James Van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire; Philadelphia) and Kyle Okposo (Minnesota; NY Islanders). They have decent skill on the blueline, but then there’s perhaps the team’s biggest concern — in goal. That’s where things may get ugly for the U.S.

pucksandbooks: To the layman’s eye, this looks to be as weak a team as the U.S. has fielded at the World Jrs. in years. Fair impression?

NHL Scout: Team USA is severely hampered this year by guys like Johnson and Kane being in the NHL and unable to play. Add those two and you’ve got a completely different team. Overall, this is a team that lacks high end skill outside of Van Riemsdyk and possibly Okposo (who I see often here in Minnesota) and Schroeder. For some perspective, I don’t think anyone but Van Riemsdyk would crack Canada’s Top 6 forwards. Teams are going to be able to focus their best checking line exclusively on Van Riemsdyk. Add Kane, and you could break the two up and make teams pick their poison. If Okposo and Van Riemsdyk don’t play together, there will be a lot of pressure on Okposo to take the heat off of Van Riemsdyk.

pucksandbooks: A reasonably likely U.S. lineup would look like . . . ?

NHL Scout:

Jordan Schroeder-Colin Wilson-James Van Riemsdyk
Rhett Rakshani-Kyle Okposo-Max Pacioretty
Tyler Ruegsegger-Mike Carman-Bill Sweatt
Ryan Flynn-Matt Rust-Blake Geoffrion

Bobby Sanguinetti-Ian Cole
Jonathon Blum-Jamie McBain
Kevin Montgomery-Bill Strait

Jeremy Smith
Joe Palmer

Doing the power play and penalty kills would be difficult, because it depends on the coach’s thoughts. If they want a big guy in front to take up space, Flynn might be a PP guy. If they go all skill, Flynn might not see a minute of PP time the entire tournament. Watch for some combination of Sanguinetti, Blum, Montgomery, and Schroeder to run the point on the PP. Strait, Cole, and McBain will see a great deal of penalty kill time.

pucksandbooks: A followup — Looking at the team, are there any of the fringe players that you felt could have been replaced by other players?

NHL Scout: Team USA will probably be judged by how some of these fringe players play. They took Ryan Flynn over Eric Tangradi. Most scouts I’ve talked to were shocked by that, as Tangradi gives you the same size and same physical play, but with better skating and hands. Flynn is just a fourth liner, Tangradi could fit in on the second line.

They took Cade Fairchild, Chris Summers and Kevin Montgomery over Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan McDonagh, Zach Bogosian, and Mike Ratchuk. Fairchild probably will not end up playing much. He’s a very good college defenseman and his inclusion is probably more about preparing him for next year, when he should make the team. But the other three college defensemen named are pretty good themselves. I’ve heard Shattenkirk has been up and down this year, but he was a high first round pick, comes from the [USNDTP] program, and possesses great offensive abilities. McDonagh is similar, although he’s a little more of a two-way guy than Fairchild, with a little less offense. Ratchuk and Fairchild are very similar, except for the fact that Ratchuk’s older, bigger, more developed, and won a National Championship this year. I haven’t seen much of Montgomery since he left Michigan, but I know he was a fringe pick that many Canadian scouts aren’t that high on.

Summers is Team USA getting a little cute. He spends some time at forward and some at defense, although I’ve been told that Phoenix will make him a full time forward when he gets out. I’m not sure I understand the pick — it’s not like you’re building for a long season and the versatility is nice. There are better defensemen than him, and better forwards than him . . . why not take one of them? Now they have 8 D and only 12 forwards . . . what are the odds of having to use 8 D?

They took a forward in Carman who hasn’t played a game this year. Now, I really like Carman as a player and I know he’s been there before. But he’s going to be rusty at first. Is there someone I would have taken over him? I don’t know for sure, but they better hope he’s in playing shape.

pucksandbooks: How bad in the goaltending situation?

NHL Scout: Smith is a very solid, if unspectacular goalie. I was surprised they took Palmer over Unice. Palmer has an .880 save percentage in the NCAA. One scout who does exclusively college hockey told me he thought Palmer was one of the worst goalies in the college game. I don’t see as much college as he does, but the game I saw Ohio State play Palmer cost him the game. Team USA pretty clearly went with a college goalie because they want to encourage kids to play college hockey instead of going to Canada. They took a college kid who came up through the NTDP, so they’re comfortable with him and his personality. I would say Team USA better hope Smith stays healthy.

pucksandbooks: Who if anyone lurks as a sleeper American prospect as we’ve seen with the likes of Kane and VanRiemsdyk and Kessel in years past?

NHL Scout: Colin Wilson is the only draft eligible player on the roster. He is a smart, developed, tough player, but he isn’t flashy like the guys you listed. Schroeder is available in 2009. Pacioretty was a high pick, but I think he’ll really come into his own in this tournament. I would keep an eye on him.

pucksandbooks: Is it Canada’s tournament to lose?

NHL Scout: Probably, yes. Canada is deep enough that they can afford to lose guys like Toews and Gagner. The U.S. is not as talented. That said, it’s an emotional, pressure-filled tournament. I think Team USA thinks they have hard working, character kids who will work hard and not concede anything. I don’t think this is a team that will get blown out much, but they won’t blow anyone out either. They’ll need second line scoring to emerge, and they’ll have to hope Smith can make big saves when it matters.

Filed in American Hockey, CHL, College Hockey, IIHF, Josh Godfrey, Karl Alzner, Mathieu Perreault, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (2)

IIHF Shrinks Its Rinks

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Alexander SeminThe International Ice Hockey Federation has decided to adopt North American dimensions for all of its tournaments from 2008-2012. On one level, this move is mere pragmatics: the 2008 World Junior and senior World Championships as well as the 2010 Olympics are being contested in Canada. These events require multiple sheets of ice to contest their respective tournaments, and Canada, as much as it loves all forms of hockey, wasn’t likely to fund construction of scores of international-sized sheets of ice (deconstructing existing rows of seats as well) for tourneys lasting a merely couple of weeks. Interestingly, though, the IIHF is applying this decision to all of its tournaments contested around the globe.

An obvious interpretation is that the international governing body wants more physical hockey: smaller sheets mean more body contact. But that doesn’t appear to be the decisive factor here. The IIHF apparently studied North American pro hockey with an eye toward its high profile tourneys here and found that 70 percent of the play (in the NHL at least) takes place in the two end zones. The IIHF apparently likes that.

The other obvious discussion point with this news is whether Canadian and American teams will enjoy an advantage. On the surface (pun intended), it would appear so. But the guess here is that so many European players — particularly the ones likely to be selected for national teams — have been competing for significant portions of their careers in North America, on the smaller sheets, negating any significant advantage.

Filed in Hockey Rinks, IIHF, WJC, Washington Capitals, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (1)

3 Prospects Headed to Camp

By DC Sports Chick
Monday, December 3, 2007

Good news from the Caps’ PR staff today:

Three Capitals Draft Picks Invited to Canadian National Junior Team Selection Camp

WASHINGTON– Defensemen Karl Alzner and Josh Godfrey and center Mathieu Perreault have been invited to attend the 2008 Canadian National Junior Team Selection Camp, Hockey Canada announced today. Alzner, Godfrey and Perreault are three of the 37 players who will attend the camp that runs from Dec. 10-14, 2007, at the Father David Bauer Olympic Arena in Calgary.

Washington is one of four NHL teams with three prospects invited to the camp, joined by Boston, Detroit and Los Angeles. The camp will help determine the team to represent Canada at the 2008 World Junior Championship to be held in the Czech Republic Dec. 26, 2007, to Jan. 5, 2007.

Alzner and Perreault both attended the camp last year, while Alzner is one of three players in camp who was a member of the 2007 Canadian National Junior Team. Alzner and Godfrey are two of the 22 camp participants who were members of the Canadian team at this fall’s Canada/Russia Super Series.

Alzner, 19, was the Capitals’ first choice, fifth overall, in the 2007 Entry Draft. The Burnaby, British Columbia, native is the captain of the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Alzner leads Hitmen defensemen with 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) and a +10 rating in 31 games.

Godfrey, 19, was Washington’s second-round choice, 34th overall, in the 2007 Entry Draft. A native of Collingwood, Ontario, he is the top defensive scorer for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 29 games. Godfrey ranks third among OHL defensemen in goals after leading league blueliners in goals last season (24).

Perreault, 19, was the Capitals’ sixth-round choice, 177th overall, in the 2006 Entry Draft. The Drummondville, Quebec, native is in his third season with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and ranks tied for fourth among QMJHL scorers with 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 26 games. The league’s offensive player of the week in the first week of November, he is tied for third in the QMJHL with a +18 rating. Perreault was the QMJHL player of the year and a first-team all-star in 2006-07.

Filed in Josh Godfrey, Karl Alzner, Mathieu Perreault, OHL, Super Series, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (3)

Dude, Where’s My Jersey?

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Sunday, November 18, 2007

The always entertaining fount of sports uniform-related minutia, UniWatch, has a compilation of gametime scrambling caused by lost or stolen uniforms. The article—inspired by the recent Virginia Tech players who had to wear Georgia Tech jerseys for a recent game, complete with handwritten nameplates—has one hockey-related example:

1998: During the World Junior Hockey Championships in Finland, Canada and Russia both show up for a quarterfinal game with red uniforms. Russia is the designated home team, so the Canadians are forced to play the first period in Finnish national jerseys until their white jerseys can be driven to the arena.

Click here to read the full article, including the classic story of Detroit Tiger great “Sweet Lou” Whitaker leaving his All-Star jersey at home, going into the stands to buy a blank replica, and simply writing his number on the back.

Perhaps the Caps should have ”accidentally” forgotten their uniforms for the game in Tampa; they’d likely score more goals wearing Bolts unis. Chris Bourque might even net a hat trick wearing Martin St. Louis’ sweater—they’re about the same size, right?

Filed in Baseball, ESPN, Hockey, IIHF, WJC| Permalink| Comments (8)

The OFB Top 20 Prospects

By The OFB Team
Thursday, January 25, 2007

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
Filed in Andrew Gordon, College Hockey, DraftGeek, Mathieu Perreault, Nicklas Backstrom, Prospects, Travis Morin, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (9)

Morning cup-a-joe (1/17/07)

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Ready, perhaps, for NHL Entry Draft history? Last year of course American defender Erik Johnson was tabbed no. 1 overall by the St. Louis Blues, and while the World Junior Championships always play a pivotal role in shaping the look of June’s draft, no one a month ago could have imagined the rise that has apparently visited American Patrick Kane. Check out the post-Worlds ruminations of TSN analyst Pierre McGuire in the January 15 Sports Illustrated:

“Watch for talented U.S. right wing Patrick Kane and Russian right wing Alexei Cherepanov to be the top two selections in this summer’s draft. Kane has a slight edge to go no. 1 because of his ability to score and make slick passes.”

cupajoe.jpegKane was not only the catalyst for the bronze-medal American offense in Sweden but one of the tournament’s top scorers — he finished fourth with 5 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Erik Johnson led all scorers and was named the best defenseman in the tournament by the IIHF directorate. He is only the second U.S. blueliner in the history of the event to receive the honor. Kane and Johnson were the American players represented on the six-member media all-star team. The sum of this is: should Kane go no. 1 in Columbus this June, Americans would have been selected first overall for the first time ever in consecutive drafts.

And the World Juniors was hardly his lone shining stage. When he left the London Knights in mid-December for the Worlds he was leading the entire OHL in scoring, and after missing more than two weeks of play there today he’s third in scoring, with 28 goals and 47 assists in just 35 games. He’s 5 ‘10, 170, putting him on that size fringe that gives pause to some scouts. His national team teammate, James Van Riemsdyk, has drawn more consistently high marks in large part, I wager, for his power forward size. Both will go in June’s top 5.

Kane is coached in London, incidentally, by former Caps’ captain Dale Hunter.

The International Scouting Service has released its January ranking of the top 30 prospects for the 2007 NHL Draft. Continue reading ›

Filed in IIHF, Morning cup-a-joe, WJC| Permalink| Comments (0)

Morning cup-a-joe (1/4/07)

By pucksandbooks
Thursday, January 4, 2007

cupajoe.jpegI thought the Americans had the better of the play in yesterday’s WJC semifinal, but the Canadians had Carey Price, and if you watched the game, that’s summary enough. Jeff Frazee played superbly in his own right, and overall in the tournament, I think, elevated his status as a netminding prospect (his rights belong to New Jersey). He will, however, have nightmares the remainder of his career about facing Jonathon Toews in shootouts.

It bears mentioning that for the Americans yesterday’s was their fourth game in five days, the final three of which were of the win-or-go-home variety, whereas the Canadians had two full days of rest going in since they last played New Years Eve. In the sixty-first through seventieth minutes yesterday the Red, White, and Blue outshot Canada 12-2, controlling the entirety of the extra time session. Again, in light of their preceding rigor, an astounding showing.

But I’m not sure yesterday’s game ever should have made it to OT. Leading 1-0 in the third, the Americans, without falling back into any manner of shell, had complete control of both the game’s tempo and especially in minimizing Canadian pressure in their end. Then, smack in the middle of the period, Americans Mike Carman and Blake Geffrion took needless, senseless penalties, Carman’s an elbow to the head at center ice and Geffrion a crosscheck to the back while his team was already shorthanded. The Canadians’ Luc Boudon eventually blistered the equalizer past a screened Frazee, and the outcome instantly was in doubt.

Even more frustrating, this morning there is increasing controversy related to the game’s penalty shots decider. Canada’s Bryan Little missed on his team’s fourth shot, and Pat Kane followed with a five-hole attempt that Carey Price squeezed between his pads. But Price’s momentum carried about three-quarters of his goal pads into the cage, the puck lodged somewhere within. Replay again was in use for this tournament, but inexplicably the on-ice officials refused to call for a review. American coach Ron Rolston pleaded for a review, to no avail. It’s entirely possible — perhaps even likely — that a review would have failed to offer any clarification about the puck’s position, but what’s the sense of having replay if you don’t use it in such a situation? Had a review determined that Kane’s shot crossed the goal line the game would have ended, along with Canada’s three-peat mission.

This controversy, joined by the weird spectacle of Jonathon Toews shooting three times in penalties, and moreover the fast-food-unappealing quality of ending such a seminal showdown in so manufactured a fashion, may lead IIHF to reconsider penalty shots as deciders. In round robin play they seem less offensive, but this tournament — otherwise brilliant in so many respects — suffers by comparison with college hockey’s postseason, which annually produces epic, play-until-you-die OTs.

Speaking of college hockey, the first poll for 2007 captures the results of holiday tournament play, and arrives courtesy of US College Hockey online:

  1. Minnesota 17-1-3
  2. Notre Dame 16-3-1
  3. Maine 12-3-2
  4. New Hampshire 14-3-1
  5. St. Cloud State 12-3-3
  6. Miami 15-6-1
  7. Boston College 9-5-1
  8. Denver 14-6-2
  9. Clarkson 13-5-1
  10. Michigan State 11-7-1
  11. Cornell 9-4-1
  12. Colorado College 12-7-1
  13. Boston University 7-4-5
  14. Michigan 13-8-0
  15. Vermont 11-6-1
  16. Quinnipiac 8-4-4
  17. Lake Superior 12-6-2
  18. Bemidji State 10-5-3
  19. Niagara 11-6-3
  20. North Dakota 9-10-1

Lastly, if you’re working (or playing) downtown or close by today, keep in mind the blood drive taking place at Verizon Center from 12:00-6:00.

Filed in College Hockey, IIHF, Morning cup-a-joe, New Jersey Devils, USA Hockey, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (2)

US WJC Shootout Loss to Canada

By Gustafsson
Thursday, January 4, 2007

We previously posted a preview of the IIHF 2007 World Junior Championships and I enjoyed watching some early round robin games while off for the holidays. So naturally, we’d get to see the USA/Canada quarterfinal game, right? I looked over my Center Ice channels for the game to no avail. I looked through Google and YouTube for highlights. Again, no such luck.

Thanks go to Eric at Off Wing Opinion for alerting us to the shootout portion of the game on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkSOpWoKFBI

* If anyone has found any video clips of Team Finland and Washington Capitals prospect Oskar Osala (especially from the Finland/US game) please let us know at email@onfrozenblog.com.*
Filed in Hockey, IIHF, Prospects, USA Hockey, Video Clips, WJC| Permalink| Comments (2)

Morning cup-a-joe (1/3/07)

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, January 3, 2007

cupajoe.jpegNot yet 100 hours into the Redskin offseason, the region’s television sports personalities could reasonably be expected back at Ashburn yesterday, camera crews in tow, chronicling the football equipment staff’s changing of player cleats — March mini-camp is less than three months away, after all. But one figure of courageous defiance, emboldened perhaps by a flurry of recent endorsements for her candidacy to ascend to the Big Seat (vacated late in 2006 by NascarNed), blazed a broadcast trail at 11:26 last night: the centerpiece of Lindsay Czarniak’s WRC sportscast was her Washington hotel room interview with #99, the day after his charges’ New Years’ Day dismantling of the Caps.

The Great One and The Great Looking One.

The two-and-a-half-minute segment afforded little to command a stopping of the CBC presses, but it was fresh, enterprising, and well executed. The Great Looking One delivered a break-from-the-media-horde angle with the segment: not content to glean merely from Gretzky’s Verizon Center musings on “The Goal” one year later on Tuesday, she sought an in-depth assessment of the general standing of Alexander Ovechkin from one of the most gifted and most respected figures in the game’s history. (Incidentally, not a word about NASCAR in the sportscast.) She then took her interview footage and shared it with AO, who was rendered ashen and dumbfounded by the Great One’s testimony. Ovechkin’s muted humility fostered a poignancy to the overall piece.

Speaking of head-turning blondes, Caps’ 06 draftee Oskar Osala is making the 2007 World Junior Championships his hot hockey prospect coming out party. In my preview of the WJC last week, I suggested that his Caps’ draft classmate, Russian netminder Semen Varlamov, could emerge as a breakthrough performer. He sorta has, in the sense that he’s made scouts forget Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy with his brilliance [4 GP, 4-0, 240 minutes, 92 shots faced, 89 saves, .967 save pct., 0.75 goals-against] (Russia faces host Sweden in one WJC semi-final today while the U.S. faces off against Canada.) But the Osala story is stunning.

A fourth-round pick by the Caps last summer, Osala — a towering presence at 6 ‘4, 225 — seemed mired in mediocrity this fall for the Mississagua Ice Dogs of the OHL. He put up just 9 goals and 7 assists in 26 games there, but he was skating a +6 — a big improvement over last season’s -19 rating as an OHL freshman. Still, he entered the 2007 WJC well below everybody’s radar. No more. Finland was eliminated by the U.S. yesterday in quarterfinal play, 6-3, but for no fault from Osala. His two goals in the game were the subject of lavish hockeysfuture message board hosannas, and throughout the tournament his game-dictating play has been singled out, even among more high-profile Finnish prospects. He exits the tournament fourth in scoring, with 3 goals and 5 assists in 5 games. It’s just one tournament, but it’s one of the best in all of hockey, and the Ice Dogs can be assured of seeing an ultra-confident Osala bolster their second half. And Caps’ fans can add another name to watch for the future.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Lindsay Czarniak, Media, Morning cup-a-joe, WJC, WRC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (3)

The IIHF 2007 World Junior Championship — A Preview

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, December 26, 2006

I highly recommend a visit to the official web presence for this year’s World Juniors, which takes place in Sweden and commences the day after Christmas. In the past 5 years or so, this tournament has gained a richly deserved reputation for being perhaps the best in all of hockey.

World Junior Championship Teams 2006

Here’s why: It isn’t crammed into the compressed schedule of the Olympics; it doesn’t suffer from the conspicuous absence of marquee players as does the annual World Championships each spring; and for most competing nations, there’s been months and in some cases years of players skating in development programs together, allowing for greater roster chemistry than is generally seen within a relatively short tournament.

Best of all, the World Juniors faithfully generates at least one break-through performance that sets the international hockey world abuzz — think Alexander Ovechkin or Phil Kessel, each at age 16 — and it goes a long way toward clarifying which elite young talent will be grabbed up early in the NHL Entry Draft in June. Continue reading ›

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, American Hockey League, Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, College Hockey, Entry Draft, IIHF, Nicklas Backstrom, Phoenix Coyotes, Prospects, St. Louis Blues, USA Hockey, WJC, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (10)