In Glacialis Blog

Sis audire quis GMGM, Boudreau, quod ludio ludius have loquor super coaching change, reprehendo sicco links subter supter ex Caps’ PR baculus:

• George McPhee
• Bruce Boudreau
• Olie Kolzig
• Alex Ovechkin
• Sarcalogos Expedio
• Dave Steckel

1145: a.m.: In medius is week EGO admiratio super videor of prodigo is proprius weekend in Ipsa, coincidental ut Gero’ domus patefacio. Suus’ nunquam a nocens informatio sumo in a Imbuo nox noctis hockey venatus procul Giant Center, quod magis in Hersheys’ domus Oris Nox noctis. Tamen EGO sententia mitis tumulosus of meridianus central Pennsylvania amo in promontorium autumn colo colui cultum, quod duos plenus nox noctis intus lemma perficio subterlabor ex hustle quod tumultus of D.C. Tardus is oriens, coegi Oriens per Lebanon Valley en iter itineris ut Adamstown quodVigoratus’ brew pub, nonnullus 30 minutes Oriens of Ipsa, EGO animadverto Id’ no a splendens eo sententia is weekend.

central tellus iustus north of Maryland Hasnonium’ tolero quisquam amo estas quod mane cado sitis of summitto Midatlantic, quod ut EGO drove sub splendens sunshine is oriens viridis ager scamnum sicco ut novus ut meus eyes, lush inter exuro orange, frons, quod maroon coma supremus quod, intermittently, vibrant orange pumpkins stacked quod respergo super porches, yards, quod vegrandis- urbs merchants’ repono porta.

Vigoratus’, dum non near Ipsa, est mihi a must- saluto in sulum saluto. beer est brewed quod solum gelu, voluntas ut parumper viator amo mihi EGO can repono is in meus Jeep quod sino is foveo pro gelu is iterum vacuus minimus vulnero. Vigoratus’ Pils, Stilus, quod seasonals supervenio in beer diligo’ lingua amo nectar ex an unearthly regnum. Illic’ a quirky lex ut postulo Vigoratus’ patronus emo beer pro take- sicco ut transport tantum 12- sarcina procul a vicis ut suus car. EGO had a shopping album probus non tantum pro myself tamen quoque pro meus professor in totus beers of plagiarius amicus Michael, quisnam ago tergum domus in Caput Tumulosus. Is nisus reddo dies’ exerceo. Hodie in airs’ crispness quod tumulosus’ panoramic colo colui cultum EGO thymbra universus of 40-mile coegi. brewery patefacio procul noon. EGO eram illic procul 1211:.

1245: p.m.: EGO volito tergum ut Ipsa ex shopping gratia opportunus a propitius invitation ex Pium Novus’Tim Leone, pello pepulli pulsum opinio pro Gero, quisnam invited mihi ut suus domus ut vigilo a dimidium meridianus’ dignitas of contraho football pro caput capitis super Giant Center una. USC eram lascivio Notre Dame Imbuo. Tim est a USC grad, quod, EGO amo ut kid Tim, Im’ a “ pium” sic is eram a showdown slate nobis. Tim has a basset hound nomen Audacia quisnam waddles in prosapia yard exemplum ut es melior castrensis quod ocius quam ullus of Bellator Irenses’ prolixus suscipio. EGO reputo Audacia vires run clausus melior quam ullus ND versus pariter.

515: p.m.: Tim quod EGO caput capitis super ut rink. Suus’ Chamber of Ineo ingurgito sicco. Si EGO didnt’ have a venatus tectum, Id’ have haud forsit sipping pauci Vigoratus’ in meus hotel cella’ veranda quod iustus astrum procul sol solis occasus super horizons’ tumulosus. Ipsa est lascivio alter plurimus repono suffragium in American League tonight, Rochester Americans. Suus’ a novus compositus, Leone informs mihi, ut saluto reddo Rochesters’ primoris ut Giant Center in fere duos annus. Rochester has a dual affiliation per Plaga quod Florida.

EGO dont’ teneo identities of vir quod mulier baculus credentials traba in porta aula of press ianua procul Giant Center, tamen ut EGO inform ut ut Im’ per OnFrozenBlog, era dico mihi “Oh vestri’ per glacialis blog. Vos guys es effectus a magnificabiliter job.” Illic est usquequaque nonnullus ratio of tepidus exspectata EGO usus in sulum saluto sursum hic, in nonnullus restuarant vel procul nonnullus muneris constituo vel procul rink, quod is ordo inter optimus of lemma totus mihi.

Gero es 0-3 in novus season, in basement of AHLs’ Oriens Divortium. Is est valde unfamiliar tractus, proprie pro Bruce Boudreau quod suus baculus.

655: p.m.: In pre- venatus obscurum quod oris nox noctis lasers, a res- consentaneus Eric Fehr est induco ut domus turba. Im’ sic defessus of seeing Eric in a res interpellatio. Sami Lepisto est quoque a scratch, quoque quoniam sit vulnero. A Gero’ baculus informs Leone quod mihi ut Boudreau mos vestio iustus quinque tutaminis tonight. EGO reperio ut interesting in lux lucis of quod Gero’ bus got domus ex Iunctio in medius nox noctis.

Fatum vultus: Ben Clymer est indutus pro Gero. EGO sum sollicitus video vidi visum Sasha Pokulok, cuius’ utor quispiam of a renaissance in suus hockey tutela in permaneo three mensis. Is led Gero in ustulo per preseason.

domus est super quartus- diapente plenus.

715: p.m.: Utriusque in paper quod in mane iens tonight EGO animadverto minor mico ut Gero’ versus cognatus ut preteritus duos seasons. Unus bonus causa illo est graduation of Tomas Fleischmann. Tamen Dave Steckel, quoque, loco sursum magnus numerus quod ludio ludius an enormous persona pro Bruce Boudreau preteritus seasons in Ipsa. In medius estas EGO asked Leone si is sententia is would exsisto a “rebuilding” season in Ipsa. Is vere sententia theyd’ impleo pro Oriens divortium titulus iterum, quod is said is iterum ut mihi hodie in suus domus. (persevero)

Gustafsson quod EGO famulor Tuesdays’ 2007 Caput Interventus Dies procul Quin Center. Secundum oris ingens per erus Ted Leonsis, an patefacio session secuutus. Hic es pauci highlights:

Bacca of Sapientia ex Ron Weber

EGO pulsatus sursum a sermo per Caput radio valde Ron Weber. Nos erant utriusque gazing sicco procul cassus glacies superficies ut capitale super hockey history parumper, talis ut quod unus team, Montreal Canadiens, adsuesco assuesco have puteulanus versus per solum of tabula quinymo quam vexillum crocus. Is quoque ( vacuus meus promptus) ineo in penuria of sicco-of- urbs scoreboards quod verus- vicis clock; nos erant utriusque spes ut tela- pallium ends of summitto ribbon propono ero unveiled ut scoreboards in oris nox noctis.

Plurrimi interesting tidbit is partis me eram in vultus of a question. “animadverto rutilus versus?” is asked. “operor vos teneo quare suus’ non a firmus versus, tamen has illud niveus tractus per versus?” EGO profiteor ut EGO did non. “puteus” is persolvo, “ tergum ut they coepi broadcasting hockey venatus, they couldnt’ dico in propinquus- sursum venit offa utrum ludio ludius eram skating super puteulanus versus vel rutilus versus. . . quoniam in niger- quod- niveus televisions they vultus idem eadem idem. Sic NHL no a sceptrum ut rutilus versus had habeo illud niveus vestigium, sic visum could dico distinctus inter versus. Non ut quisquam est vigilo in a niger- quod- niveus TV hodie, tamen theyve’ etiam kept is ut way.”

Anhelo Profundus DC Aer

Inter plures interventus folks procul vicis eramComcast SportsNet’s prodigialiter familiarisLisa Tumulosus. Ted Leonsis, Tumulosus, Gustafsson quod EGO erant capitale super upcoming season secundum Leonsis quod Tumulosus candela an spatium pro Comcast. Leonsis apologized pro suus scabrosus vox vocis. “suus’ mold,” is persolvo — quod EGO sympathized, ut pauci dies abhinc EGO awoke per quis EGO sententia eram a nocens gelu tamen eram verum a vomica per causa per incredibilis altus duco of mold allergens in aer. Tumulosus ingens in tersus Northern aer, “ nos nunquam had ut fatigo super mold in Ottawa!” Exspectata ut DC, Ms. Tumulosus, quod bonus fortuna in humilitas, capitagium-ridden, debilito- stomachata- suffoco DC aer is ver. Addo Expedio!

Procul vox, a photo of Lisa Tumulosus quod Dave Steckel. Steckels’ infigo castra quod preseason have meritus him a macula in Caput’ oris nox noctis roster.

Q & A per Tomas Fleischmann

OFB: Vos had a curtus season quam potissimum Caps per vestri Calder Vas lascivio run permaneo annus. Vultus tergum, could vos statua tunc ut quattuor mensis laxus youd’ non tantum planto team, tamen exsisto skating per Alex Ovechkin?

Fleischmann: Vos nunquam teneo, is est hockey! EGO didnt’ reputo super is, EGO iustus went ut estas workouts quod opus ferreus in palaestra castra facio caput capitis duos versus . . . Vos have laboro cotidie, exsisto melior cotidie. Im’ iustus fervidus quod cant’ exspecto nostrum primoris venatus.

OFB: Quam erant illud Calder Vas runs, quod quam operor vos reputo ut mos instruo vos pro an 82- venatus schedule in NHL, quod hopefully playoffs?

Fleischmann: Ut eram a valde usus. . . prothoplastus res vos have efficio in playoffs est have a bonus humus of guys quisnam volo ut lucror, quod lascivio pro Vas. Sulum has efficio suus officium, quod ut’ quis capit. Quod si panton officina amo ut, is officina sulum vicis in glacies.

OFB: Quod vos sentio ut’ quis Caput have is annus?

Fleischmann: Oh, exigo, ut’ via EGO sentio.

Ut operor nos, Tomas, ut operor nos.

Quis did Lavatio Caput proficio per suum preseason is September? A bonus frenum, EGO reputo. Primoris quod primoris, they artificiosus plurrimi maximus negotium: they parco serius malum — weve’ haud testimonium ut Alexander Semins’ ankle sprain est serius. Alter plurimus significant factum, in meus sententia, eram seeing a sanus numerus of vegetus visio tractare procul a altus campester quod puteus integrate per recidivus Caps’ core. Tomas Fleischmann, is videor, has won primoris versus vox pennae officium. Abyssus’ exsisto centered, utique coepi, per Viktor Kozlov. Sic duos- tertius of Washingtons’ caput capitis versus est novus is season. Is vultus magis lascivio dignus quam aut of suus praevius incarnations preteritus duos seasons.

Narro of vultus lascivio dignus, Caps effrego castra iactantia unus of plurrimi intriguing secundus versus in totus of hockey — vindicatum Alexander Semins’ ankle est mereo a dies- ut- dies ailment. Nicklas Backstroms’ libramen quod uber ex suus valde primoris pre se ferre venatus in validus EGO reputo vel procuratio’ rosiest forecast. Requiro him ut amplio mensis per mensis ut suus vegetus season progressio, quod pro him ut exsisto lodged in everybodys’ brevis album of Calder candidates adveho ver. Amo Caps’ caput capitis versus, alter, centered per Michael Nylander, est 66 sentio novus is autumn.

Versus three mos have a novus vultus pariter. Boyd Gordon mos center is, quod Res Pettinger mos latuseris him in left. Tamen alius Ipsa Gero, Dave Steckel, no verus loud sonitus ( singulariter in visio orbis) is palaestra castra. Is may optimus duco vir in universus norma, is lascivio a smart venatus, quod is consortio maxime puteus per Gordon. (Caps’ fans can tantum spes Gordon quod Steckel replicate in Lavatio suum duos- via opus ex Hersheys’ postseason run ut Calder glorior 2006.) Caput Sarcalogos Expedio videor futurus aliquantulus of utilitas infielder pro prothoplastus three versus — hes’ amo video vidi visum officium in totus three is season. Interdum is should skate in Gordons’ vox, procul alius — forsitan ut per is week, ut a teammate sursum caput capitis est vulnero — abyssus’ skate in caput capitis 6.

Ut Caps’ quartus versus, iustus 30 hora pro oris nox noctis rosters must exsisto summitto ut league, may etiam have quinque bodies vying pro assignment: Datum Procax, Res Bradley, Vepres Sutherby, Revolvo Laich, quod Ben Clymer. In repens seasons Caps’ roster has had vultus quod sentio of nimium muck quod grit quoque altus sursum frons. Is autumn, multus of is has been pulsus pessum, quod a logjam has emerged. Suus’ been utique quinquennis utpote Caps could probabilis vindicatum three versus idoneus of exhibitio cuspis per ullus reliability. Theyll’ polleo ut in 2007-08.

Illic’ aliquanto minor turnover quod templum in blueline: tantum Tom Venenum supervenio foris in caput capitis 6. Caps’ procuratio est vultus pro suus blueline somes ut subolesco quod blossom organically, quod is September, illic erant foveo subcribo of venalicium lenimentus e. Milan Jurcina reverto ut Lavatio brimming per bulging biceps; suus teammates lamnia lammina lamna pro him cognomen “Juice.” Is flebilis sicco dozens of frendo hits permaneo season secundum adventum ex Boston, quod 2007-08 could animadverto him talea a legitiums vindicatum ut an labefactum, caput capitis-2 physical vis.

Ut Caps sent Mike Viridis tergum ut Ipsa permaneo ver they instructed him ut vado obscoena. Is did. Ut burst of uber ex blueline persevero is preseason, ut pro ultum of is Viridis led Caps in ustulo. Is eram in nemo’ radar pro vox lascivio cuspis officium three weeks abhinc; iam is may exsisto secui of iunctum’ secundus iugum.

Permaneo season Vepres Pothier, ex necesse, eram vis in persona quod minutes is wasnt’ solitus quod consentaneus. Requiro him vigeo in a magis stabilis — quod intus an super magis ingeniosus — defensabiliter iunctum. Tamen sit quoque idoneus of tractare procul a altus campester — quisquam quisnam saw him skate pro Mike Sullivan quod Iunctus Civitas tandem ver’ Universitas Championships would congruo.

Illic erant haud questions super Caps in net caput capitis in castra. Illic es nullus recedo is.

Illic est valetudo. Illic est league- prolixus voluntas ut dum ceterus of Inferus scamnum pat, Caps upgraded. Illic est susurro. Illic est bene. Totus est bonus. Iam, suus’ vicis ut occumbo puck.

Suus’ a dies of sileo non tantum pro Lavatio Caput’ ludio ludius quod cogo — puteus, ludio ludius utique — tamen pro teams’ fanaticus communications baculus pariter. Res sicco procul Kettler quantus quantus EGO have been preteritus 10 dies, EGO lucrum a profundus appreciation pro commitment of Nate Ewell, Julie Petri, Paul Rovnak, quod Mike Vogel, inter alius. Suum dies per castra suscipio mane quod terminus tardus, quod nunc of annus theyre’ non tantum facilitating unus of graviter interventus flows subsequens castra in annus tamen quoque putting una in-season communications uber, talis ut Interventus Rector. Suus’ forecast futurus a attonitus tardus September Sunday hodie, quod Spero theyre’ totus sicco having fun in fun quod recharging suum batteries.

pause in in- glacies factum est a bonus vicis sumo prosapia of quis Caps have perficio eatenus in quis EGO puto est plurrimi maximus palaestra castra in norma’ history. EGO no punctum per meus saluto lustro hockey-savvy caput capitis quoque captus in cotidie effectus procul Kettler, ex procer quod broadcast opinio ut socius bloggers ut fans in sto, quod herewith Im’ misceo suum plumbum storylines of castra ut balanus per meus own.

• Superbus Papa. Ive’ ordine seen Erus Leonsis ut palaestra castra testis per preteritus 10 dies, quod dum suus’ verus hes’ haud diutius involved per dies- ut- dies operations of AOL, is somes a districtus communications vir. EGO reputo quis’ venio per suus palaestra castra penitus campester speculum ut of ceterus nostrum: species quod depth of norma in propono est sic infigo vos es iuste subigo facio trinus sicco illic quod simplex ostendo sum in verto angulus of teams’ competitiveness.

• Nylander ut versus 2. Duos annus abhinc Michael Nylander left Lavatio ut a valde bonus hockey ludio ludius. Is cado hes’ reverto tamen perfectus sic videor ut exsisto magis a astrum. Hes’ a dynamic playmaker, in confuto valetudo. Quod dum fere sulum in hockey is estas forecasted an Ovechkin-Nylander caput capitis- versus iugum, via tergum in July Caput capitis Cogo Glen Hanlon valde palam civitas suus intention of experimenting per caput capitis-6 porro iunctura, quod eatenus in castra, emineo chemistry videor habeo melded inter Alexander Semin, Michael Nylander, quod Nicklas Backstrom ut Hanlons’ secundus iunctum.

• Lubricus Swede Secui II. Narro of Backstrom, sit irrefutably questus levamentum in North American- amplitudo ovis of glacies — condita progressio “ in a cotidie basis,” ut laudo meus amicus Mike Vogel. Procul orbis terrarum Championships in Moscow in May, quondam Solio quod Swedish Populus Team Caput capitis Cogo Bengt Gustafsson told nos ut Backstrom would planto ut transitus successfully quod rationabiliter celeriter, quod is eram vox. Tim Leone sursum in Ipsa thinks it in Backstrom’s, and the Caps’, best interest for him to have a cup of coffee with the Bears this season. Ain’t happening.

• It’s my puck, and I’m keeping it. The Caps don’t (yet) have a dominant shut-down defenseman, so Glen Hanlon’s strategy for improved defensive play this season rests with his club maintaining possession of the puck more often than in the past two seasons, when often they chased it around the rink in futile fashion. If you have the puck more often than your opposition, your goalie isn’t get apt to face 40 or 50 shots each night, and surrender five or six goals most nights. So far, this strategy appears to be taking hold. In training camp’s scrimmages and through the Caps’ first three preseason games, you can see more puck possession and fewer netminders collapsing from fatigue.

• Captain, My Captain/Son of Kono-Dahlen-Halpern. I’ve changed my views on cloning, because of Chris Clark. Meaning no disrespect to Dale and his retired sweater, but should Clark captain the Caps to a Stanley Cup title in one of the next three seasons, he will have to be regarded as the best and most important captain in team history, having guided the team from the barrens of an unprecedented bottoming out to the promised land. And sitting here in September 2007, I wouldn’t stand in line to wager against it. (See Carolina ‘05-06, Tampa ‘03-04.)

It is Chris Clark’s team-first, two-way versatility that has Glen Hanlon fantasizing about a two-way, impact third line along the lines of the great Steve Konowalchuk, Jeff Halpern, Ulf Dahlen trio of a few years ago. That line, you’ll recall, was so dominant that Ron Wilson opened just about every game with it. It was also one that was a lynchpin to the Caps’ postseason participation. The coach has told the media that he’s looking for 60 goals from his third line this season, and given the defensive acumen of Clark and Boyd Gordon, and Matt Pettinger’s offensive pop, it’s natural to invoke the KDH comparison.

I’m also not wagering on Clark’s offensive production diminishing, dramatically, by virtue of his dropping down to line 3. As he noted himself on Media Day, he’s spent the past two seasons taking shifts against the likes of Zdeno Chara and top defensive pairings. Less so, it would appear, beginning this season.

• Deep Depth. The Caps this weekend have 35 players battling for spots on the opening night roster. It’s reasonably easy to forecast another five cuts, but the leap from about 30 to 23 is another matter. To put it charitably, the Caps’ are in uncharted territory, post-lockout, in terms of the skater quality they’ll be showcasing out at Kettler in week two of camp. This is the most basic and encouraging sign of the overall success of the rebuild.

• Three games, three leads. Through three exhibition games, the Caps have only once fielded a fairly veteran lineup — last Thursday night in Ottawa. They opened in Carolina, against a comparatively veteran Hurricanes’ lineup, dressing only John Erskine and Mike Green on the blueline as guys with significant NHL experience from last season (and with BJ in net). In all three games the Caps have played significant stretches with a lead (twice with two-goal leads). There remain mistakes (penalties) and concerns (penalties) aplenty, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Coach Hanlon’s strategy of playing a more puck possession game is abundantly evident. In order to win more often, a team must first establish competitiveness, then achieve leads in games. The Caps have accomplished both early in this preseason.

The next step is to close the deal once you have the lead.

• When did Toronto’s print media come to work in Washington? For the first time in my hockey life, I wake each day knowing that with my morning coffee I need to visit the web sites for both of Washington’s big newspapers in order to follow coverage there of Caps’ training camp. There are files there basically every day. And good ones. Additionally, blog files there. This is as it should be, but to our print guys — and most especially the Times’ Corey Masisak, who’s only taking on the beat of a departed legend — good on you.

• Sharp-dressed men. It’s not anywhere near as important as the talent upgrade, but in this the autumn of uniform mischief, the Caps have showcased the best-looking new threads in the entire league. And it’s not even close. I’ll be particularly grateful when those snazzy white uniform system tops are rightfully returned to wearing on home ice.

On Wednesday’s CapsReport, a listener asked Mike Vogel to forecast the Caps’ forward line combinations for 2007-’08. That’s always a fun offseason exercise. As you might expect, there were no surprises among Vogel’s top 6. But when he got to the third line MV offered up some intrigue:

Pettinger-Gordon-Steckel.

Matt Pettinger is an established talent in the big league. Boyd Gordon had what certainly appeared to be a breakout year in his professional career last season, admittedly in its infancy. But Dave Steckel? An L.A. Kings’ castoff two seasons ago, earning regular and important minutes on a playoff aspiring club?

You bet.

Steckel earned a richly deserved callup by the Caps late last season after piling up career offensive numbers for the Hershey Bears, and in a game in Atlanta on April 4, sharing a sheet of ice with the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Hossa, and Alexander Ovechkin, Steckel stood out as the best player on the ice in all three zones. This is what I wrote about his performance for OFB the following morning:

“The Dave Steckel I watched in Atlanta last night looked identical to the one I followed up in New Hampshire and Maine last month — a force in two ends of the rink, but with one key distinction: he occasionally left the ice in his Bears’ sweater for line changes. But last night for Coach Hanlon, I’m not sure I saw him leave the ice in the third period.

“It was only one game, but in the season within a season, the one where many guys are making statements to management about jobs for the autumn, Dave Steckel last night announced rather loudly that he’s likely to make a serious run at a roster spot with the parent club come training camp.”

Approximately six weeks later, I was seated in the Giant Center press box next to Joe Reekie during the Bears’ postseason run. Once again, Steckel was a standout on the sheet below. With Vogs to my right, it was a press row chock full of Steckel boosters, but Reekie’s reflections on the Bears’ leader really caught my attention: “He should have been a [Caps’] regular last season,” Reekie told me.

Steckel had a lot of folks in D.C. rubbing their eyes wondering if they’d read what they’d actually read in more than a few game accounts last season. He scored five shorthanded goals for the Bears in the regular season, including one against Albany on April 18 while killing a 5-on-3 River Rats power play.

Another thing Vogel may have had in mind Wednesday afternoon was Steckel’s being Boyd Gordon’s linemate during the Bears’ postseason march to the Calder Cup in 2006. They were two of Hershey’s best players then, utilized liberally by Bruce Boudreau in all game situations.

Beyond a real big pro physique and two straight seasons of significant development, Steckel will bring to Caps’ training camp in two weeks’ time a reputation for being one of the best thinkers of the game when he’s out on the ice. He is also fantastic on draws. Vogel may or may not have had that in mind yesterday in his line formations; if he’s right, when Boyd Gordon gets chased out of the faceoff circle this season, he could be replaced by his equal at draws. So two-thirds of the Caps’ third line would be renowned for its strategtic thinking, defensive awareness, faceoff acumen, and trustworthiness in every zone of the ice. And be joined by the significantly talented Pettinger.

In his third full season behind the Caps’ bench Glen Hanlon is going to have as many line combination options as he’s ever had. The most impressive may follow the big guns in the top 6 and join a rich legacy of two-way tormentors that play a huge role in leading the Caps back to league-wide respectability.

As Training Camp slowly (so slowly) approaches, we decided to take a quick look at some of the new faces, returnees, hopefuls and last-chancers that will be vying for a spot in the Caps’ forward corps. Battles at many slots are expected, and this may be one of the most competitive camp in Caps’ history.

First, we’ll examine the forwards, a group that received an infusion of talent down the middle and added a veteran scoring winger:

Nicklas Backstrom – The youngster is seemingly a lock for the big squad. A slick-passing center with hockey sense and puck-control, the most impressive thing about his game at this point may be his attention to the other end of the ice. His awareness and positioning without the puck, coupled with his creativity and vision should be a boon to either of the Caps’ elite left wingers. Foot speed is a concern, and while he won’t arrive in North America to the same fanfare that Alex Ovechkin did, the “Next Great Swede” will have all the eyes of his country upon him.

(Continued)

Herewith, our attempt to devise a depth chart for the Caps to coincide with the recent completion of the team’s annual Rookie Development Camp. It’s important to note that with it we are not forecasting specific line combos but rather attempting to slot players by position according to their professional production and most recent performances in evaluative settings. It’s also important to note that a number of forwards in the Caps’ system play more than one position up front. The Russian elites and Matt Pettinger appear locks on the left side for well into the next decade, whereas the right side seems to carry many more question marks.

We’ve envisioned this as a file hopefully sparking spirited reaction and respectful challenge. We welcome your proposed modifications.

Two more promising young players have re-upped with the Caps: center Dave Steckel signed a two-year deal, and defenseman Jamie Hunt is in the fold for 2007-08, the Caps announced today.

Steckel is coming off his finest season as a pro, scoring 30 goals and adding 31 assists in 71 games in his second full season with the Hershey Bears. He  tied for the AHL lead with five shorthanded goals last season.

A first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2001, the 6′5, 220-lb. Steckel is widely considered a strong candidate to win a roster spot with the Caps this September. He is renowned for his defensive ability and ice smarts.

Hunt, 23, was signed as a free agent by the Caps in April 2006. The Calgary native completed his first pro season last year, scoring 2 goals and adding 10 assists in 36 games for the Bears.   

Another step in the off-season’s activities is tendering qualifying offers (QO’s) to Restricted Free Agents (RFA’s) to keep their rights (rights). QO’s were due today, and the Caps qualified the following players: Steve Eminger, John Erskine, Tomas Fleischmann, Jamie Hunt, Milan Jurcina, Jakub Klepis, Brooks Laich, Dave Steckel and Brian Sutherby.

The Caps declined to offer a QA to Kris Beech, Trevor Byrne, Maxime Daigneault, Jonas Johansson, Jiri Novotny, Louis Robitaille, Matt Stefanishion and Joey Tenute, who all become free agents. This doesn’t affect the Caps a great deal, but does clear room in Hershey for players such as Andrew Gordon, Andrew Joudrey, Sami Lepisto, and Travis Morin to get more ice time. It also opens a goaltending spot behind Frederic Cassivi, perhaps paving the way for Daren Machesny to spend the full season in Hershey.

Names like Beech and Johansson were expected to not be qualified, though it’s a slight surprise to see Joey Tenute or Louis Robitaille, both hard workers for the Bears, to be let go. Jiri Novotny is the only real NHL level skater set free, though his skill set as a checking line center is something the Caps have in abundance.

So, no real shocks, and hockey’s circle of life continues — 8 players on the way out, their spots to be taken up by younger players being given the opportunity to prove themselves.

In a spring-summer of change in hockey Washington, it’s fitting that one thing remains the same: Caps vs. Pens in a postseason — taking the shape of a showdown affiliation style. The Hershey Bears and the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins met in the East Division finals last May, and beginning this Wednesday night at Giant Center, they’ll do so again. I hope they meet every postseason — and with Norfolk affiliating with Tampa beginning this summer, that appears likely — but I also hope that this is the last spring we’re devoting majority energies to covering the future combatants of this bitter rivalry, rather than the present ones.

Wilkes-Barre bested Norfolk in its opening round, winning the series four games to two, and while the Bears were assured of a 108-pt. foe in round 2, I think they’ve got next the team they’d have preferred. You have to be careful what you wish for, particularly in this rivalry, but the numbers make a compelling case that seeing the Admirals’ ship sail for golf vacations beginning this week was a good thing for the Bears.

In the regular season, Hershey won six of its ten meetings with the Mini Mullets, with one loss coming in a shootout, but the real story of those games was the Bears’ dominace the back half of them. Hershey won five of their final six games against Wilkes-Barre, in blazing fashion. Bears’ beat reporter Tim Leone of the Patriot News details the battering in his file this morning:

“Hershey outscored the Penguins a collective 21-8 in the last six meetings, holding them to one or fewer goals four times.”

Look at some of the scores down the stretch between the clubs: 3-0 Bears on March 30; 3-1 Bears on April 8; 6-1 Bears on April 14. Consider, too, that many of the players who will skate for Hershey this week — guys like Jeff Schultz, Mike Green, Dave Steckel, Tomas Fleischmann — were still with the Caps as Hershey wound down its regular season.

The Bears opened the 2006-07 season with a 7-4 thumping of Wilkes-Barre on the road back on October 7. It’s been pretty good karma against this club all year.

The numbers against Norfolk, however, were much different. The teams split the regular season series 5-5, but three of the Bears’ victories came very early in the season. In the season’s second half, the Admirals won most of the matchups, many of them one-goal affairs. And Norfolk spent a fair portion of the ‘06-’07 season lodged in first place in the East, before Hershey’s torrid finish overtook the Admirals.

While Hershey will have a deeper, slightly different, and overall more pwerful look from the second-place club that swept the Mullets out of the postseason last May, Wilkes-Barre will be missing some key pieces from last year and boast some new, high-profile young talent this. The most conspicuous change will be the absence in net of Marc Andre Fleury. But the biggest change will be Ryan Whitney’s graduation. The young flightless fowl will also be missing Colby Armstrong and Maxime Talbot up front.

It’s terrific news for the Penguin organization that so many kids came through for the parent club this past season, but those graduations came at a cost this spring in matchups with Hershey. There are some new and notable names wearing the Wilkes-Barre sweater now: Robbie Schremp, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, and Robert Nilsson — all high-profile castoffs from other organizations. All could perhaps be said to be at development crossroads. Nolan Schaefer will man the Mullet pipes in place of Fleury. He played all six games in the first round.

Like last spring, and like so many instances between the clubs in games at Verizon Center over the years, there will be fantastic atmosphere in the stands for this series. And thousands of awful haircuts.

Game 1’s no. 1 star: Mr. David Steckel. Freddie Cassivi was no slouch in net, either.

Game 2 is tonight.

This is an extraordinary weekend for the Hershey Bears. Here’s the lowdown:

• They defeat Wilkes Barre Friday night on the road, either in regulation or overtime, and they win the American League’s East Division and they secure the best overall record in the entire American Hockey League. In other words, home ice advantage all the way through the postseason. Last year, the Bears won the Calder Cup on the road in Milwaukee; I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t much mind seeing that title secured in the Giant Center this spring, with Caps’ management and legions of D.C. puckheads in the chocolate house.
• Friday’s is the first game of another three-game weekend, this being the final weekend of play in the American League’s regular season. The Bears do need points this weekend, and they’ll have to earn them on the road. They visit Binghamton Saturday and Philadelphia on Sunday.
• Months ago conventional wisdom was that whoever emerged from the East in the playoffs would have a strong chance at the Calder Cup. Why? Well, Wilkes Barre already has 50 wins on the season. Hershey, with 49, is almost certain to arrive at it. Norfolk has 48. It’s entirely possible that for the first time in the history of the American League three teams in the same division win 50 games. Get out of the East Division this postseason and the rest almost seems like boat drinks with bikinied deckhands.
• The Bears won’t lack for quality or depth this weekend. Or this postseason. Assigned to them since the Caps completed their season last weekend: Mike Green, Tomas Fleischmann, Eric Fehr, and Dave Steckel. Jeff Schultz joined Hershey the previous week. Can you say stacked?
• Both Dave Steckel and Chris Bourque are lodged at 58 points and have legtimate shots at 60-pt. seasons. Way back in October I had a chat with an OFB friend with a pro scouting background who had this to say of CBourque: “I’d keep an eye on Chris Bourque. Remember, he played prep school hockey and one year for a bad BU team. Last year was his first true exposure to pro style hockey. Now that he’s had a taste and knows how to prepare, I expect him to have a big jump in production.” Steckel’s next goal will be his 30th on the campaign. He is an eye-popping +25 for Coach Boudreau.
• Bears’ management hasn’t been shy about getting games for recent Caps’ signees. Steve Pinizzotto has three games under his belt, Sean Collins has two games and is a +1, and Andrew Joudrey has perhaps made the most conspicuous debut among the NCAA arrivals, with a goal and an assist in three games while skating a +2. Andrew Gordon may arrive in a few weeks to bolster further one of the league’s most lethal attacks, too.

At Saturday’s end-of-season Clyde’s gathering of bloggers and their loyalists, we learned from Blogger Rebecca of A View from the Cheap Seats of her plan to drive up to Hershey on Sunday for the Bears’ game. Likely she was going to pen an account of this visit for her blog anyway, but when we asked if she’d mind serving as a correspondent for us as well (We’ve been out drinking with JP before on a Saturday night — we don’t do road trips the day after that), she enthusiastically said absolutely. What she’s authored today is a detailed narrative of a fabulous culmination to perhaps the Bears’ best weekend of the season: six points capped off by a Sunday night snuffing out of Wilkes Barre-Scranton.

Rebecca wasn’t quite prepared for Hershey’s outpuring of Bears’ love, which clogs the routes into the Giant Center, adorns the bumpers of many Pennsylavania automobiles, and fuels the fashion sense of scores of Bears’ faithful.

“I started spotting people in the cars around us clad entirely in Bears’ gear. I don’t really know why we were so excited by that – maybe it’s just the sight of people who actually love hockey, something so rare in this football-mad area. Walking through the parking lot towards Giant Center we passed cars with Hershey Bears vanity plates and bumper stickers, families dressed in matching Hershey jerseys, kids waving foam bear claws excitedly, all hoping for a Bears victory to cap off their weekend.”

We’ve reported on the breakthrough seasons of Dave Steckel and Chris Bourque here at OFB, but Rebecca puts a fantastic exclamation point on those accounts with her eyewitness one from Sunday. If you’re harboring any notions of a trek northward this spring to see some outstanding American Hockey League action, in the awesome atmosphere of the Giant Center, give Rebecca’s recap a read as further inducement.

The Dave Steckel I watched in Atlanta last night looked identical to the one I followed up in New Hampshire and Maine last month — a force in two ends of the rink, but with one key distinction: he occasionally left the ice in his Bears’ sweater for line changes. But last night for Coach Hanlon, I’m not sure I saw him leave the ice in the third period.

It was only one game, but in the season within a season, the one where many guys are making statements to management about jobs for the autumn, Dave Steckel last night announced rather loudly that he’s likely to make a serious run at a roster spot with the parent club come training camp.

Late-round draft gems are my favorite hockey personnel stories, but right behind them are the castoffs who eventually land in outposts of wide open opportunity and defy their previous doubters and develop into impact big-leaguers. We don’t know quite yet if he’s one of those, but to look at the game Dave Steckel is showcasing this year, packaged in a perfect hockey body, is to wonder instantly what in the world the LA Kings were thinking in letting this guy go at the age of 21 or 22. That same organization, perhaps not coincidentally, let go of Bruce Boudreau the same summer.

I’ve never understood traditional media’s general refusal to chronicle the developmental side of pro hockey. You don’t have to be a DraftGeek to recognize that prospects are the lifeblood of NHL teams. But traditional media’s coverage for as long as I can remember has consisted of the names of the drafted and their junior club affiliation each June and between then and their arrival in the NHL years later one vast black hole of white space. It’s certainly no coincidence that the planet’s finest source for pro hockey’s development data and narratives is electronic (hockeysfuture).

Last spring, Tarik traveled to Hershey to cover a Bears’ playoff game, and if I recall correctly, he admitted at the time that it had been his first AHL game in about three years. His file might have been the first of its kind in his paper. Not all that long ago, the Caps had an American League affiliate in Baltimore: the Skipjacks. Those teams, whose alumni included Steve Konowalchuck and Sergei Gonchar, may as well have skated in Siberia as far as the Post was concerned. Check out the four goalies who saw action for the Skipjacks in the 1991-’92 season: Don Beaupre, Jim Hrivnak, Byron Dafoe, Olie Kolzig.

In the print edition of yesterday’s Washington Times, Corey Masisak delivered terrific detail about the feats of Matheiu Perreault, Francois Bouchard, and Steckel. Earlier this year he profiled Kings’ rookie Anze Kopitar, the first NHLer produced by Slovenia. I’m hoping he stays on the beat of the off-the-beaten path of hockey player development.

Hockey players take such varied and soul-challenging routes chasing their big league dreams. Brutal busrides through blizzards over years on $25 a day per diems. Only hockey has the billet family. Players’ development journeys are instant and iconic (Ovechkin), circuitous and anonymous (Steckel), and against-all-odds defying (Cheechoo). They are anything but routine and as such the stuff of terrific story telling.

I’m acutely aware that most Caps’ fans who tuned in to last night’s win in Atlanta had no idea who Dave Steckel was or how he got there. That’s not their fault. But that’s part of the reason why we’re here.