Capitals Top Prospects

Check out the updated list of Capitals Top Prospects over at Hockey's Future:

The Capitals have a bit of everything in their organization: a couple of second-generation players, a couple of potentially elite goaltenders, a couple of NHL-ready players (including one who is already keying a playoff run), and -- most importantly -- a whole lot of talent.

While the prospects may be heavy on the defensive side, there's a school of thought that you can never have too much defense -- especially when used as bargaining chips. The greatest problems that the Caps are going to have is finding a place to put all these players next season.

Top 20 at a glance

1. Karl Alzner, D
2. Simeon Varlamov, G
3. John Carlson, D
4. Anton Gustafsson, C
5. Oskar Osala, LW
6. Michal Neuvirth, G
7. Chris Bourque, C
8. Francois Bouchard, RW
9. Mathieu Perreault, C
10. Dmitri Kugryshev, RW
11. Joe Finley, D
12. Keith Seabrook, D
13. Sami Lepisto, D
14. Joel Broda, C
15. Andrew Gordon, RW
16. Stefan Della Rovere, LW
17. Justin Taylor, C
18. Eric Mestery, D
19. Braden Holtby, G
20. Josh Godfrey, D

Read more...

Q & A with Josh Godfrey

From Hockey's Future:

HF: With four defensemen tonight, did your coach tell you guys to conserve energy?
JG: You just kind of want to keep it simple. Unless you're going to make it a 3-on-2 or 2-on-1, you don't really want to jump up.

HF: Did you talk about that strategy ahead of time or is it something you just know to do?
JG: Well yeah, we should be getting the puck deep all the time. But more so now because we only had four guys back there. I think it plays into our style of game -- chip it in and go get it.

HF: Was it kind of tough to see the blue lines tonight with the pink ice (for women's cancer research)?
JG: Yeah, it was, on the faceoff circles and all that. I think the refs had a lot of trouble with that on the offsides. But both teams had to deal with it, so there's no excuse either way.

HF: How would you assess your personal season so far?
JG: I had a couple of injuries, but I've been doing what the coach asks me and doing what the organization think I should do, and just trying my best.

HF: Can you go over your injuries? You were also ill, correct?
JG: I got sick up in Hershey and separated my AC joint in my shoulder twice (where the clavicle and collarbone meet). And I had this little accident with the skate (points to cut on ankle). But it hasn't hindered my play too much.

HF: With the AC joint injury, does your shoulder hang lower now?
JG: Yeah, it's a a little lower than my other one.

HF: But it doesn't hurt anymore?
JG: No.

HF: What were your instructions from Hershey when they sent you down?
JG: They had eight or nine defensemen up there so they just told me they wanted me to come somewhere that I could play and stay on the ice. I was young so I didn't need to be rushed into anything. The main thing is they wanted me to keep playing.

HF: They didn't say they wanted you to work on 'this thing' in particular?
JG: Well, being a young player, a lot of young guys have to work on their defensive play. That's a big part of defense, obviously, and that's what I'm trying to work on down here most.

HF: Do you think you'll be here the rest of the year then?
JG: We'll see what happens. If Washington has injuries, you never know what can happen. Play were they want me to.

HF: A guy who you played with last year in Sault Ste. Marie, Michael Fine, is eligible for the draft this year. Can you tell me about him?
JG: Yeah, he's a talented player. He was a young guy who came in last year, was a third or fourth line center for us. He can win draws, he can fight. I'm kind of looking forward to the draft to see how high he goes because he's a very good player. Flies under the radar a little bit.

HF: Why don't you think he gets noticed?
JG: He's not a guy to be flashy on the ice, he just makes simple plays. Sometimes players like that don't catch your eye. But at the end of the night, he's the guy who's always going to get the puck deep and make smart plays.

HF: In the NHL, would he project as a checking line guy then?
JG: Yeah, third, fourth line center, and he can play wing.

HF: I noticed that for an offensive defenseman, you don't have a lot of curve on your stick. Have you experimented with a curvier stick?
JG: I used to use almost a straight blade. But you kind of want to keep the puck down. I feel if I put too much curve on it, it's going to go over the net all the time. I still have trouble with that sometimes, as straight as it is.

HF: But don't you have more control over it if it's curvier?
JG: Yeah, but if you're rushed taking a shot or it's a one-timer, you don't really have time to get set for it and the puck's going to go up with the curve of the stick. If you have a big fish hook on it, it's going to go over the net.

HF: Do you think your accuracy has gotten better this year?
JG: Yeah, especially my last couple years in junior. I went from scoring four, five goals to 24 the next year, so I could always shoot the puck hard but I kind of worked on my accuracy in summer skating.

HF: Have you taken a little velocity off to get it more accurate?
JG: No, not necessarily. Maybe in the beginning, but once you get comfortable shooting from your normal spots on the ice, like on the power play shooting from the middle, you can put more and more velocity on the puck.

HF: I noticed that you did something with your stick on the net at the start of periods, what's that about?
JG: Just a superstition -- post, crossbar, post. I don't know, I've done it since my first year of junior.

HF: Have you ever forgotten to do it?
JG: If I forgot about it, I wouldn't know about it (laughs). I'm sure if I forgot it wouldn't be the end of the world. I have a couple other little things, but it's nothing.

Capitals ECHL Update

Hockey's Future has put out another Capitals-oriented article, updating the performances of a handful of Capitals prospects playing for the South Carolina Stingrays. In the article, Holly Gunning takes a look at Travis Morin, Sasha Pokulok, Viktor Dovgan, Josh Godfrey, and goalie Michal Neuvirth.

"Progress" seems to be the main theme as these players are thriving in the ECHL, just to get promoted to minimal minutes if any at the AHL level. Here is an excerpt from the Morin segment:

Is there anything holding him back from playing in the AHL?

"The only thing I can think of at this point is how deep Hershey is and how deep Washington is,” Bednar said. “Obviously Hershey's No. 1 in the American Hockey League, and they signed a lot of guys. [Morin]'s a guy who's very consistent for us. From day 1 last year on, I maybe remember a handful of games where he wasn't noticeably one of the best players on the ice and he's the same way again this year. He got out to a little bit of a slow start numbers-wise, but now he's climbing in the league standings. He's very patient, sees the ice well, just does everything really well.

"I don't know why he isn't playing at that level,” Bednar continued. “I don't see him play at that level when he goes up, so I don't know what he's not doing there. But they're deep at center in Hershey and he just hasn't gotten an opportunity, whether it's with Washington...I've got to think if he keeps doing what he's doing, he's going to get a chance with Washington or Hershey next year or if he moves on to another organization. I'll certainly be the first to promote him because he's very good at what he does."

And the just-turned 25-year-old isn’t just good offensively. He’s hard on the forecheck, hassles opponents for the puck, and plays tight defense down low. Not to mention he’s a good locker room guy. If the 6’2 195-pound Morin wasn't under contract by Washington, he would have been snapped up by an AHL team a long time ago.

Neuvirth is also feeling the effects of the log jam of goalies at Hershey (and even Washington):

Bednar said he sees NHL potential in all the players that Washington sent down, but Neuvirth may be on the quickest track to get there.

"Just from listening to the Washington guys talk, they know what he can do. They talk about him and [Simeon] Varlamov very similarly and Varlamov is playing in the NHL up and down with Hershey. [Neuvirth]'s been great for us and it's just a matter of time to move up the ladder."

You can read the whole article here.

Happy Birthday Josh Godfrey!

Happy birthday to Josh Godfrey who turns 21 today! He has played 20 games between the Bears and the Stingrays and has nine assists. Here is an interview of him from this July at the Capitals Development Camp: