Él dio gran esfuerzo en la C.C. upon his recall last spring, but a full season of apprentice seasoning in Hershey, earning top line minutes, may not be the worst thing for his career development.

I’m imagining an Eric Fehr, Chris Bourque, Mathieu Perreault, Sami Lepisto, and Andrew Gordon Bears power play at the moment . . . Fehr and Gordon owning the corners, Perreault and CBourque with the puck Krazy-Glued to their sticks, Lepisto making like Mike Green with his passing and hockey sense on the point . . .

Mother, hold me.

Oh, and there’s a bit of a talent infusion in net in the organization to discuss this summer.

Last September, Capitals’ rookies reported first to fall camp and, on Saturday, September 8, skated an exhibition game at the Philadelphia Flyers’ practice facility in Voorhees, N.J. Plans call for the Flyers to reciprocate, and visit Kettler Capitals this September. The Caps haven’t finalized a date for that game yet, but it promises to be a spirited, first-of-its kind event for the facility. If this past Saturday’s SRO turnout for Development Camp’s concluding scrimmage is any indication, Craigslist and or eBay may be involved in admissions with that Rookie Camp tilt.

That game may also inaugurate a season-long intrigue affair between Washington hockey fans and the team’s prospects in Hershey. It’s no secret that the affiliation between the Caps and Bears has been a fruitful one — really a perfect one in terms of the parent club drafting well and feeding quality to the farm, as well as offering fans a friendly proximity by which to travel to one another’s games. But what’s in store this coming season on the farm may be the most appealing that the affiliation has offered to date.

For this coming season in Hershey there will be bluechip prospects for the Caps dressed in Bears’ sweaters at virtually every position, from the goal cage on out: a Rookie of the Year in Finland’s top professional league; an MVP of the QMJHL; the two most recent scoring champions from the Q; at least one member of Team Canada’s gold-medal-winning World Junior champions last year; the backstopper of five shutouts in Russia’s top professional league this most recent postseason; potentially two OHL All -Stars. In other words: fairly an embarrassment of prospect riches.

We live-blogged from Kettler this past Saturday, and joining us in the fun was Bears’ PR guy Chris Poisal. If you followed our musings you absorbed Chris’ significant enthusiasm for the coming campaign. Last year’s Bears may have been somewhat short in the leadership department, and ravaged by injury beyond belief, but this summer’s signings of Dean Arsene, Keith Aucoin, and Hershey 2006 Calder Cup hero Graham Mink have vanquished any leadership concerns. They’ll be expected to mentor a crop of recent Caps’ draft picks abundant in skill but relatively short on pro league experience.

Alluding to Hershey’s offseason signings, and the promise of more help arriving from the parent club, Bears’ head coach Bob Woods on Saturday said, “Leadership was the big thing we were looking to move on, and while we don’t know what’s going to happen here [in Washington] in the fall, you get a [Keith] Aucoin, you get a [Graham] Mink, a healthy [Dean] Arsene back, now you’ve filled a lot of those voids.

“We’ve got a great group of young guys returning,” he added.

Woods admitted that in net, “we’re gonna be young, but from what I’ve seen this week, there’s a lot of promise there.

“Look at a team like Wilkes Barre last year,” he added, “They had two rookie goaltenders and they went right to the finals.”

The ride ought to be fun, and entertaining. A potent potential lineup could include a lot of these names:

Alexandre Giroux Keith Aucoin Eric Fehr/Graham Mink
Chris Bourque Kyle Wilson Andrew Gordon
Oskar Osala Mathieu Perreault / Jay Beagle Francois Bouchard
Maxime Lacroix Andrew Joudrey Scott Barney
Dean Arsene Sami Lepisto
Josh Godfrey Tyler Sloan
Patrick McNeill/Sasha Pokulok
Machesney / Varlamov
Filed in American Hockey League, Andrew Gordon, Chris Bourque, College Hockey, Development Camp, Eric Fehr, Free Agents, Hershey Bears, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Mathieu Perreault, Minor Pro Hockey, Morning cup-a-joe, Oskar Osala, Prospects, Rookie Camp, Sami Lepisto, Simeon Varlamov, Training Camp, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (19)

Pass the Smelling Salts

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Someone from the Washington Post is traveling to Voorhees, NJ, this afternoon to . . . cover . . . a . . . rookie . . . camp . . . scrimmage . . . there this afternoon.

Times are-a-changin indeed.

Filed in Media, Print, Rookie Camp, Washington Capitals, Washington Post| Permalink| Comments (1)

Rookie Camp, Day 1

By OFB
Saturday, September 8, 2007

We’ve finally got the wireless up and running here at Kettler, so let’s get to some of the sights and sounds of Rookie Camp, Day 1.

Nicklas Backstrom beats Neuvrith twice in shooting drills on the table side of the rink (where we are located). Neuvirth has looked solid, though in the drills he knows where the shot is coming from.

Francois Bouchard hit a crossbar so hard the puck hopped over the netting, causing a mad rush among fans to get the puck. Okay, one guy.

The kids are now working on one-on-one drills where the defense has late help. First battle was Beagle and Hunt, advantage Hunt.

Continue reading ›

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Bourque (and Masisak) Get an Early Start

By The OFB Team
Friday, September 7, 2007

The Washington Times’ Corey Masisak has a good article today on Chris Bourque’s early start at the Capitals’ training camp.

“I think this year is a big year for me,” Bourque said. “I think I made some big steps last year from my first year. I am going to do whatever it takes to make it but if not go down to Hershey and do my best down there and see what happens.”

Check it out here.

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Rosters Released

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Capitals Training Camp 2007

Per the Washington Capitals:

A total of 68 players will be on the ice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in the upcoming weeks for the 2007 Washington Capitals rookie camp and training camp, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Thirty rookies will participate in rookie camp, which begins this Saturday, Sept. 8, and runs through Wednesday, Sept. 12, when the rookies travel to Philadelphia to scrimmage the Flyers’ rookies.

Training camp begins Friday, Sept. 14 when 38 veterans - 24 of whom saw action for the Capitals last season - will join selected rookies to get ready for the upcoming 2007-08 NHL season. In between practices and off-ice workout sessions, the Capitals will play seven preseason games before camp wraps up with the Caps Care Golf Tournament on Monday, Oct. 1.

The public is welcome to attend every practice, free of charge, beginning Saturday, Sept. 8.

Full rosters after the break. Continue reading ›

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On Modern Practice Rinks and Their Fan Friendly Potential

By The OFB Team
Thursday, August 9, 2007

Philadelphia Logo - image from TSN.caThe Caps will inaugurate their formal training for the upcoming season on Saturday, September 8, when the rookies arrive at Kettler Capitals. The following Wednesday the rookies will travel to the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone in suburban Philadelphia and scrimmage against young Flyers.

Next September Philly will return the traveling favor and send their kids to Kettler Capitals for a scrimmage. This is precisely the kind of exciting broadening of the region’s hockey experience made possible by having a flagship facility in which to train. We were a part of the vibrant atmosphere in last month’s concluding Saturday evening scrimmage at the Caps’ Development Camp. Imagine the atmosphere with the Orange and Black in the house next fall.

Filed in Development Camp, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Philadelphia Flyers, Prospects, Rookie Camp, Training Camp, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (0)

Camp(s) Set

By The OFB Team
Friday, August 3, 2007

Time to clear your calendar and synchronize your watches. From the Washington Capitals:

The Washington Capitals’ 2007 Training Camp will open Friday, Sept. 14, at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. A group of the team’s young players and prospects will take part in Rookie Camp the week prior to the start of Training Camp, with those workouts beginning Saturday, Sept. 8.Washington Capitals Primary Logo

This marks the Capitals’ first Training Camp at the new Kettler Capitals Iceplex, the Metro-accessible, inside-the-Beltway practice facility that features two NHL-sized rinks. All on-ice sessions at Rookie Camp and Training Camp – like every Capitals practice at Kettler Capitals Iceplex – will be open to the public and free of charge.

Several special events and promotions will be featured throughout Training Camp. A full schedule of those events, practice times and rosters for both camps will be released in the coming weeks.

The team’s Rookie Camp – a new addition this season – will feature approximately two dozen of the team’s young players and prospects, primarily first-year professionals.

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