WASHINGTON CAPITALS JULY 31-in-31 2017 

The Capitals had a light draft, with only four picks, and concentrated those picks in prospect areas they are already deep on. Three of the four Capitals picks were defensemen and all are definitely not locks to ever to make the NHL as they were taken in the fourth to seventh rounds. I do thank the Capitals for making my write up short(ish) and sweet! 

******

2017 Draft results

4^th Round, 120 Overall – D – Tobias Geisser (Zug EV, Swiss-A)

The Capitals went back to Switzerland (where they appear to be going to more and more) to grab two-way defender Geisser. Some scouts had this pick as too high and others had this as the steal style quality. Geisser was converted from a forward to a defenseman this season as well which explains the massive point drop. He owns a strong shot but was said to look nervous on the back end with pressure and the puck on his stick. He will be a project that could end up a great pick if he eventually makes the NHL, the next season will help tell this tale. Geisser was ranked as the 119th-best prospect by ISS Hockey, 163rd by Future Considerations and 30th for European Prospects by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service.

5^th Round, 151 Overall – D – Sebastian Walfridsson (MODO, Sweden Jr.)

Walfridsson is a player that has a strong transition game, and is a smart player, but does not project to be anything more than a mid to bottom pairing defenseman. The only time Walfridsson has eclipsed double-digit points was back in 2012-2013. He is more of a late pick that could be a safe pick, than a boom or bust style player, which is never a bad thing when you want to fill the depth out on your roster.

6^th Round, 182 Overall – D – Benton Maass (Fairbanks Ice Dogs, NAHL/USHS)

Maass was a slight steal in the sixth round as he was one of the stand out players from the United States High School league. He is a good defender and can transition the puck well. From the three Capital defense selections he probably has the same upside offensively as Geisser but likely not the ability to take over games the way Greisser may. There is still a chance he could turn out to be the best of the Capitals four picks.

7^th Round, 213 Overall – RW – Kristian Roykas-Marthinsen (Almtunas IS, Allsvenskan)

Roykas-Marthinsen was a great final round pick for the Capitals. The pick was reminiscent of recent late Washington picks from the fourth and fifth rounds that could have a chance to be offensive contributors in the NHL (i.e. Damien Rait, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, and Shane Gersich). RM is a sniper out of Norway that honestly went later in this draft than he should have. He has scored at every level and in the U18’s put up eight points, five of them goals, in five games for Norway.

*3 out of 4 players drafted were European? Don Cherry would hate this draft strategy!

*****

Aside: No idea why the Capitals kept the older (and now more expensive) player in TJ Oshie over the cheaper and younger Marcus Johansen, but I digress…

*****

Development Camp

Roster

*Not in attendance: Ilya Samsonov

Standouts:

To quote GMBM: Shane Gersich was the “best player at camp… He is one of our best players, if not the best player at camp. Really happy about the way he has progressed and where we picked him.” The Capitals need to make sure they can get him signed at the end his final college season (either in 2018 or 2019) or risk losing him like they did with Thomas DiPauli.

Damien Rait – Continuously puts himself in a position to score and has some high-end skill at his disposal

Connor Hobbs – Kid has been exceeding expectations since he has been drafted

Lucas Johansen – Has a good chance to make the NHL for the 2017-2018 season but will likely stay in the AHL

Tim McGauley – 2015 FA signee, signed to a three-year entry level deal, likely to play in the AHL for the 2017-2018 season

Garrett Pilon – Progressing well but should take the long road to the NHL

Brian Pinho – His scoring has increased every year at Providence College in the NCAA

Links:

Want approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes’ worth of videos about Caps Development Camp, here you go:

https://www.nhl.com/capitals/news/washington-capitals-2017-development-camp-guide/c-290154160

*****

Capitals TOP 10:

1. Jakub Vrana
2. Ilya Samsonov
3. Christian Djoos
4. Travis Boyd
5. Riley Barber
6. Connor Hobbs
7. Vitek Vanecek
8. Lucas Johansen
9. Madison Bowey
10. Chandler Stephenson

Note: Bowey still has great potential but really fell off last year and was seemingly passed by the three defensemen ahead of him. Will be discussed next month in the August 31-in-31, so come back!

On the cusp (Next top 5):

11. Shane Gersich
12. Garrett Pilon
13. Jonas Siegenthaler
14. Damien Rait
15. Brian Pinho

There are two players you are forgetting in the 15:

1. Nathan Walker – Has a chance to be a bottom six player this year but only has upside as a cheap player in multi-cat cap (or very deep) leagues
2. Tyler Lewington – Essentially a Brooks Orpik/Karl Alzner style player and a good skater. Will have value in multi-cat cap leagues as he is a defense-first defenseman.

****

What rookies to I expect to make the Capitals roster and their impact:

…….

……

…..

….

…

..

.

Check back next month where we dive into this topic among others!

You know that guy that hoards like 20 extra players in the off-season and never wants to drop any, that’s me, so follow me for Fantasy Hockey advice as I am addicted to fantasy leagues on the cyber, here: @FHPQuinn