Prospects are suspects

Prospects are suspects

We've all heard that before. The issue as far as Capitals management is concerned is which prospects are suspected of having NHL upside. We here at team Washington have done diligence on the players we were able to draft since this league started up. I can tell that there were some good choices because of the discussions we've had with other Gms in the league and the names they mention as being interested in. So lets not beat around the bush and go with the younger players that have NHL upside in my humble opinion.

Starting at center with the obvious choices in Connor McMichael who has pretty much cemented his spot on the NHL Capitals roster and Hendrix Lapierre who is currently moving back and forth between Hershey and the nations capital. Connor Mc not David appears to have 2nd line possibility although is more of a 3rd line presence at present while Hendrix's role appears to be on the 4th line. However in the last couple of games Lapierre has 3 goals and an assist despite skating less than 13 minutes a game and minimal powerplay time. Both were critical members of an AHL championship roster last season.

True prospect centers most likely begin with Oshawa Generals Calum Ritchie who had a major injury last season prior to the draft. Good size, speed and skills which as of this writing 61 points in 39 OHL games played. This kid has an inside edge at making the Avalanche not only because of his skillset but because Colorado's prospect pipeline is rather thin. Washington was very lucky to grab this guy at 27 overall in Karp.

The next guy up would be Bradly Nadeau who was the first round pick for the NHL Carolina Hurricanes. Everything I read about this kid confirms that he was the right choice for us in last seasons Karp draft at 35 overall. He was a commit to NCAA Maine where he is playing with his brother and has put up 39 points in 30 games played as a freshman. Clearly he needs more seasoning, especially man strength to withstand the rigors of professional hockey. This kid has skills and we are very happy to have him in the fold.

Another player at pivot we want to mention in this article is Rasmus Kumpalainen who was a 2nd round pick by the NHL Minnesota Wild. He joins the Rasmus' on the roster with Rasmus Kupari and Rasmus Ristolainen. He was also selected in the 2nd round for the Karp draft. This kid has good size and a solid two way game. He is currently playing for the OHL Oshawa Generals and slots in nicely with Calum Ritchie. This kid has 43 points in 47 games played in a supportive and more “defensive” role with his team. Most thankful to see him available to select at 50 overall in the Karp.

The last kid to talk about here is the NHL Islanders Danny Nelson. A transitioned pivot from defenseman as part of the US National team. Tasked with playing a shutdown role and later choosing to play in the NCAA for Notre Dame. He is 2nd on that team with 23 points in 30 games played despite playing at forward. He is in a similar position to his teammate Ritchie in that the NHL Islanders have an empty prospect pipeline. This kid should get at least a shot at making the NHL due to cap considerations and so few younger players being available. He should probably get more love since he was selected at 41 overall in Karp yet is listed as the last pivot on our depth chart in Washington.