Hockey's Future has updated its
Top 20 Caps Prospects (with a couple of paragraphs on each player) and the only thing that really jumps out at me is that
Francois Bouchard has leap-frogged
Tomas Fleischmann.
Travis Morin's low ranking and the omission of
Viktor Dovgan have some scratching their heads, but all in all, the list is rather unsurprising (and it's great to see two goalies so high on the list). Here it is, with a cherry-picked, not-always-in-context money quote for each player:
1.
Nicklas Backstrom, C - "has the potential and maturity to center a first line as soon as next season"
2.
Eric Fehr, RW - "with his impressive offensive prowess and ongoing success in the
AHL, Fehr will not be a man with two teams for much longer"
3.
Semen Varlamov, G - "quick legs, and a very quick glove, which lets him excel at breakaways, especially shootouts"
4.
Francois Bouchard, C/RW - "he might not just contribute, but be an impact player"
5.
Tomas Fleischmann, LW - "with great hockey sense, along with an impressive shot and playmaking ability, Fleischmann has excellent offensive potential"
6.
Michal Neuvirth, G - "a well-rounded butterfly style goaltender who shines under pressure situations. Rarely getting rattled, his mental toughness is remarkable for his age."
7.
Chris Bourque, LW/RW - "has all intangibles -- great hockey sense, excellent skating, leadership, competitiveness, and above all, the ability to put himself in the right positions to score"
8.
Jeff Schultz, D - "all the physical potential to become a keystone defenseman at the NHL level"
9.
Patrick McNeill, D - "has enormous offensive potential, and is defensively sound"
10.
Keith Seabrook, D - "has an incredibly hard shot from the point, and an ability to find open shooting lanes"
11.
Oskar Osala, LW - "has incredible offensive talent, and at 6'4 his great speed and skating ability is very rare"
12.
Sami Lepisto, D - "One of the best young defensemen in
Finland, Lepisto excels at puck control; with a very calm demeanor he makes good passes and exudes confidence with the puck."
13.
Joe Finley, D - "His incredible size, mixed with a certain aggressiveness, gives him the ability to take control of a game from a defensive standpoint."
14.
Maxime Daigneault, G - "With good size, and an aggressively challenging style, Daigneault covers a lot of space in the net and uses his butterfly technique and quick glove to stymie shooters."
15.
Sasha Pokulok, D - "Out of all the defensemen in the Capitals prospect system, Pokulok may be the most well-rounded."
16.
Andrew Gordon, RW - "Gordon has what every club in the NHL looks for in offensive players: consistency at a high level."
17.
Travis Morin, C - "His great playmaking skills, matched with excellent puckhandling, makes Morin successful on the power play."
18.
Mathieu Perreault, C - "has enormous offensive upside"
19.
Stephen Werner, RW - "Werner is a good playmaker and makes good decisions. He has a hard shot and is good through traffic, but his calling card is his speed."
20.
Jamie Hunt, D - "extremely quick and a very good skater for his size"
Final cuts have been made and Karl Alzner, Chris Bourque and Quintin Laing have been sent to Hershey (which, for Laing, means having to go through waivers), leaving a 22-man roster in D.C. (for more on the cuts, check out John Walton Hockey and Dump and Chase).
