24 July, 2008

Category Archives: Jay Beagle

Postcards from Development Camp, Day 2

By The OFB Team
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Ted - We hope you’re enjoying your summer vacation, and knowing that you’re out of town, we thought we’d send you a postcard from Development Camp to give you a flavor of what’s transpiring back at Ballston.

We went to camp today with two questions we wanted to pose to Capitals’ campers: (1) “At what age did you fall in love with hockey, and what specifically about the sport made you fall in love with it?” And, (2) “Hockey fans miss hockey most particularly, and most terribly, in the dead of summer. As an elite hockey talent, do you, like your sport’s fans, miss hockey in summer, or do you enjoy keeping your feet out of stiff skate boots, avoiding the bumps and bruises of the season, and avoiding hockey’s long travels and instead staying put in one warm place (home) in the offseason?”

They weren’t your conventional media kind of questions, which is why we asked them.

We got to pose them to three really exciting and promising Capitals’ prospects — Jay Beagle, Andrew Gordon, and Mathieu Perreault. We think you’ll enjoy reading their responses — they all gave us fantastically thoughtful and enthusiastic replies.

It just now occurs to us that we’ll need to pass along a few postcards to convey the entirety of their reactions to you, but you’ve got the reading time — you’re on vacation!

Here’s hoping the beach drinks are potent and the island views curvacious.

OFB
Ted Leonsis
1998 Lincoln Holdings St.
Great Falls, VA
22006
USA
Jay Beagle, on discovering his passion for hockey: “I was 2 years old. My dad always had hockey games on [TV] while I was a kid, and I was watching hockey — I’d sit down with him after work. They put me in skates when I was 2 years old and I just kind of stood there — they have a picture of me standing on skates with a puck in front of me. From there I just wanted to be on the ice every day.

My mom would take me skating every day she could. First time I was on the ice was when I was 2. I don’t remember it ’cause I was 2, but my mom says all I would say is “Hockey!Hockey!Hockey!” And then, later, I’d be ripping pucks down in the basement all day long . . .

OFB: Doing damage?

Beagle: “Yea, yea.”

On summer and missing hockey or savoring the break: “It’s a combination of both. There’s a part of you that’s missing hockey like crazy and wants to get back on the ice and get working hard again and get the legs going. And there’s another side of you that loves to go to the beach and just relax and kind of get away from stuff, just to take time for yourself. But I’m always missing hockey [in summer]. I love coming out, every time, every chance I can get to skate and work on stuff.”
Ted Leonsis
1998 Lincoln Holdings St.
Great Falls, VA
22006
USA
Andrew Gordon, on discovering his passion for hockey: “I was probably about 3 or 4 years old, and there was a documentary on TV, the ‘72 Series, the Canada-Russia series — my dad was big into it. We used to sit there and watch it — we’d recorded it. Instead of watching cartoons I’d come home and watch that ‘72 tape about four or five times a day. The ‘72 series, there’s so much passion in it. I remember being 5 or 6 years old and just glued to it.

OFB: You still watch it today?

AG: “I get new documentaries on DVD and stuff like that at Christmas every year, and every now and then I watch it — you can’t deny the passion that those guys played with back then.

“My dad’s favorite team was Montreal growing up, so I got into that, and they won the Cup in ‘93, when I was still young enough to get excited about what it was all about. There are all kinds of factors [influencing passion], but that ‘72 series is what really turned my passion.”

On summer and missing hockey or savoring the break: “The first couple of weeks are nice when you can just relax and are enjoying time with your friends and stuff, but for me the itch comes back pretty quickly. I miss gamedays more than anything. You know you wake up and you don’t think about anything but the game that day. You’re not going out and paying bills, you’re not running around town, you go to the rink, you go home, you go to sleep, you think about the game.

“Whatever you do that day is solely focused on game time. All you focus on is 7:00, and in the summer, I don’t wake up with that focus for the full day. I’ll wake up and focus for two hours, three hours in the weight room and then . . . I’m just daydreaming all day. I miss gamedays the most.”
Ted Leonsis
1998 Lincoln Holdings St.
Great Falls, VA
22006
USA
Mathieu Perreault, on discovering his passion for hockey: “I was 2 years old and I had a stick in my hand and I already start to love hockey. Since I was born I love hockey! [Emphasis Perreault's] When I was 4 years old I was loving the game and playing it every day.”

OFB: At 2 years old, were you even on the ice then, when you were in love with the game?

MP: “No, just home with the stick in my hand. Since I was born I, I love hockey! [MP eyes glimmer]

On summer and missing hockey or savoring the break: “It’s good to come here every year — it’s my third year here. You train at home, you don’t see so much ice; it’s more like off-ice training and it’s good for skating.

“It’s a fun week, too. You see all of the guys that I’ve met since I was drafted here. We’ve all become good friends. It’s fun to see them, too.”
Ted Leonsis
1998 Lincoln Holdings St.
Great Falls, VA
22006
USA
Filed in Andrew Gordon, Development Camp, Hardcore Hockey Fans, Hockey Rituals, Jay Beagle, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Mathieu Perreault, Prospects, Ted Leonsis, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (3)

Washington Capitals’ Top Prospects, Spring 2008

By pucksandbooks
Monday, May 5, 2008

Continuing an OFB tradition, we present our rankings of the Capitals’ prospects at the conclusion of the hockey season. Many of the names below you’ll have a chance to see at Kettler Capitals Iceplex this July, for Development Camp (July 7-12). What’s the lead storyline among the futures holdings? Gotta be the arrival of one of the best young hockey players in Western Canada, Karl Alzner — one of the best young players in Canada or anywhere else, for that matter. If he has a strong training camp come September he’ll bypass the American League this fall and begin his NHL career fresh from an awards-rich CHL career.

Another gleaning: that a Q-league scoring champ and MVP can’t crack the top 10 of an organization’s prospect rankings. That tells us that Ross Mahoney and his stable of scouts the globe over are getting it done.

Name Draft Class ‘07-’08 Club The skinny
Karl Alzner, D ‘07, 1st Rd. Calgary (WHL) WHL Player of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, CHL MVP Finalist. Any questions?
Simeon Varlamov, G ‘06, 1st Rd. Lokomotiv (RSL) Excellent RSL regular season stats, then, in the postseason, sublime: 16 games, 1.56 GA, five shutouts. Welcome to North American professional hockey, Simeon.
Sami Lepisto, D ‘04, 3rd Rd. Hershey Bears So much for struggle in a rookie pro season in North America: 45 pts. in 55 Bears’ games, and a +29. A Tier I candidate for promotion to the parent club in the fall.
Andrew Gordon, RW ‘04, 7th Rd. South Carolina (ECHL); Hershey Fought through early-season demotion, matured into reliable two-way, impact forward. Two hat tricks in his American League rookie season. Bright, bright future.
Chris Bourque, LW ‘04, 2nd Rd. Hershey Bears Bears’ MVP; became a top performer in the American League the final month of the season; ready to stake his claim to a lasting promotion.
Josef Boumedienne, D acquired from Ottawa, Dec. 2002 Hershey Bears Injury-marred ‘07-’08 campaign, but still posted 7 & 35 in 52 games, and a +18; less a prospect and more a quality depth signee; draft day trade bait?
Kyle Wilson, C Signed as a free agent, July 2007 Hershey Bears Only Bear to play in every regular season game; nearly a point-per-game performer through two American League seasons.
Jay Beagle, C Signed with Washington in March 2008 Hershey Bears Diamond in the rough? Big-bodied, mobile, and fancies the contact game; one goal shy of 20 in his freshman AHL campaign.
Francois Bouchard, RW ‘06, 2nd Rd. Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) Strong but unspectacular ‘07-’08 campaign; much improved skater; needs AHL seasoning.
Joe Finley, D ‘05, 1st Rd. North Dakota (WCHA) Enjoyed third straight season of statistical improvement — and ‘07-’08’s numbers included a conspicuous spike in offensive production; a team-leading +24; still magnificently mean and nasty.
Josh Godfrey, D ‘07, 2nd Rd. Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 17 & 34 , +31, in 60 Greyhound games; Western Conference All Star; Team Canada WJC selection; time for pro hockey.
Michal Neuvirth, G ‘06, 2nd Rd. Windsor, Oshawa (OHL) More prime-time performing: 7-2 for the Generals with a 2.48 GA, .932 SP this postseason; led Plymouth to the Memorial Cup last spring; time for pro hockey — South Carolina or Hershey?
Mathieu Perreault, C ‘06, 6th Rd. Acadie Bathurst 2007 Q MVP, 2008 Q scoring champ; nothing left to dominate in major juniors; time for pro hockey.
Oskar Osala, LW ‘06, 4th Rd. Espoo Blues (Fin) Returning to Europe to advance his development, Osala put up impressive numbers in Finland’s top pro league: 18 & 17 and a + 12 in 53 games; will be interesting to see what’s in store for him in ‘08-’09.
Daren Machesney, G ‘05, 5th Rd. Hershey Bears Exceeding expectations — everyone’s — was the story of “Cheese’s” season. He got in 38 games with Hershey and went 22-10 with a 2.55 goals-against. He’s on track to be an elite goaltender in the American League; question is, with what Washington has arriving this summer in goal, is there room in the organization for Cheese?
Andrew Joudrey, C ‘03, 8th Rd. Hershey Bears Solid first full pro season, often centering another prized Caps’ NCAA prospect, Andrew Gordon; strong on his skates, superb hockey sense, makes smart plays.
Stephen Werner ‘03, 3rd Rd. South Carolina, Hershey Remains a longshot to see anything but a cup of coffee in the bigs. But his game matured in ‘07-’08. Skated a +4 for the Bears in just 8 games. Does have a pro stride.
Travis Morin, C ‘04, 9th Rd. South Carolina Big, big numbers for the Stingray pivot: 34 & 50 in 68 games, including 14 power play markers; still has issues with skating and strength at the pro level.
Patrick McNeill, D ‘05, 4th Rd. South Carolina, Hershey Split time between Carolina and Hershey this season; he’s undersized but not physically overmatched in the A; should enjoy a full year with the Bears in ‘08-’09.
Oscar Hedman, D ‘04, 5th Rd. Modo (Swe.) A top-4 pairing blueliner who by the age of 22 had completed five seasons in the Swedish Elite League. Though I’ve seen only glimpses of him in WJC play, I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to have two Oscars in my table. Should Osala and he connect on a scoring play in a game with the Caps, it’d be the first Oskar-from-Oscar feat in NHL history. I really want that.
Filed in American Hockey League, Andrew Gordon, Chris Bourque, Daren Machesney, Francois Bouchard, Hershey Bears, Jay Beagle, Joe Finley, Josh Godfrey, Karl Alzner, Mathieu Perreault, Michal Neuvirth, Prospects, Russia, Sami Lepisto, Simeon Varlamov, Travis Morin, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (17)

Bears with Near-Term Promise

By pucksandbooks
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Hershey Bears in Capitals Colors - photo by Sean Simmers of the Patriot NewsI surveyed some keen hockey observers in the Hershey community the past couple of days to see if they could help me identify the names of two or three Bears whose regular season performances in 2007-08 ought to have Caps’ fans excited about their arrival at fall training camp, as contenders for roster spots with the parent club. I found them all right.

Chris Bourque was recently named Hershey’s team MVP. In what may have been a make-or-break season for him, CBourque put an exclamation point on his prospect candidacy with a late-season explosion: 8 goals and 7 assists in his final eight games. On the season, CBourque tallied 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in 73 games –nearly a point a game in an exceptionally patchwork Bears’ lineup. Line chemistry was not a storyline in this Hershey season: another week or two of regular season and about 50 hockey players would have donned maroon sweaters. CBourque is a left-shooting left wing, but with Matt Pettinger’s departure and some uncertainty on left side after the Alexes heading into the summer, the 2004 second-rounder should be a contender for the left side of the third line come fall.

Caps’ fans by now know a bit of the promise packaged in rearguard Sami Lepisto. Injuries and recalls to D.C. limited Lepisto to 55 games in Hershey, but he made an impact in just about every one of them: 4 goals and 41 assists to lead all Bears’ blueliners in scoring. At the time of his April 9 recall, Lepisto was lodged in the top 5 of AHL defensemen in scoring and finished his American League rookie season a stellar +29. In 2004 Lepisto was named the IIHF World Junior Championship’s Outstanding Defenseman and was selected to the All Tournament team. He’s modest in size ( 5′11, 180) but heady and mobile and a superb passer. A third-round selection by the Caps in the team’s remarkable 2004 draft, Lepisto’s stint in the A may be but a single season.

Last spring Caps’ General Manager George McPhee told me that he thought newly signed center/winger Andrew Gordon’s stay in the American League might also be a brief one. A year later, that forecast appears accurate. Early in the season Gordon struggled with the transition from college hockey straight into the American League, but his demotion to South Carolina didn’t last long. In his first pro season he recorded a pair of hat tricks in Hershey en route to 16 goals and 35 assists in 58 games, skating a +22 in the process. A right-handed shot, Gordon seemed to settle in on the right side, often alongside another NCAA draftee, 2003 8th-rounder Andrew Joudrey. Gordon is a brilliant skater with excellent vision, a scorer’s hands, and a nose for the net.

I asked my American Hockey League experts up north to identify a bit of a darkhorse prospect for Caps’ training camp come fall, and center Jay Beagle was a consensus selection. The Caps inked Beagle to a two-year contract just last month, so it’s clear that management sees potential in him. The 6′3, 200-lb. Calgary native spent two seasons skating with Alaska-Anchorage in the WCHA, got a cup of coffee with Idaho in the ECHL, and was an invitee to the Caps’ development camp last July, where he impressed. Beagle scored 19 goals and 18 assists in 64 games with the Bears this season and was lauded for his physical presence and all-around game.

Another Bear most worth regular season ending praise is Head Coach Bob Woods, who took over for the promoted-to-the-parent-club-Caps Bruce Boudreau at Thanksgiving. Woods won 33 games behind the bench after Thanksgiving and did so presiding over a veritable M*A*S*H unit in the process. I highly recommend the overview of Woodsie’s bench work authored this week by Bears’ radio voice John Walton, who makes the case for Woods’ winning the A’s Coach of the Year award.

Filed in American Hockey League, Andrew Gordon, Chris Bourque, Hershey Bears, Jay Beagle, Prospects, Sami Lepisto, Training Camp, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (11)