Wins Within the Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals pride themselves in the success of their player development. I read somewhere this season that the Caps have the highest number of players on their roster drafted by that organization this year (I tried really hard to find the source, but apparently weird stats like that are hard to find). As of today (12/19/21), there are 13 players drafted by Washington on the roster, out of 22 drafted players and 27 total players (including the four on the IR). For some perspective, here’s a brief look into the organization through the lens of this 2021-22 season.
Franchise Players
Ovechkin
On Friday night, Alex Ovechkin scored his 22nd goal of the season. With that goal came the weirdly specific stat that ties him for most goals in 30 games after age 36 with Brendan Shanahan. The empty-net goal also puts him at 752 goals in his entire career, which puts him only 14 behind Jaromir Jagr. I have no doubt he’ll pass Jagr this season. And as for Gretzky’s record, I personally don’t see Ovi retiring with any fewer goals than the Great One.
Alex Ovechkin is in the top 10 hockey players of all time, at the very least. He’s exactly what people expect out of a first overall draft pick. And he’s more than just talent, he is a natural leader and genuinely wants the best for his teammates. I will never get tired of Ovi’s reactions to first goals, shut-outs, or individual feats. I mean, just look at him during Fleury’s 500th game tribute. Ovechkin is a man who is not only good at the game, but loves it with a fierce passion.
Backstrom
I can’t in good conscience praise Ovi without also praising his hockey soulmate. Nicklas Backstrom was unfortunately out for the first 29 games of the season with a lingering hip injury. But Backy came back strong against the Blackhawks and recorded his first assist of the season. (Naturally, it was an Ovechkin goal.) Sadly, Backstrom is out again, this time thanks to COVID.
When looking back at Ovechkin’s career, you can’t overlook the role Nick Backstrom has played. He’s often overlooked thanks to his linemate, but he plays a pivotal role in the success of the team overall. His passes could find someone in a minefield; he has an uncanny ability to find the man with the best shot and get it to him. He has 981 points in his career and 723 of those are assists. His passing abilities are undeniable. With over 1000 games played, he’s also a workhorse. A player like Backstrom is hard to find.
Carlson
Unlike the other two, whose points alone make them franchise players, John Carlson is a less obvious choice. But just hear me out. As a defenseman, he’s different. Carlson has no problem producing points, with 548 in his career, but that alone isn’t what makes him great. He’s a true two-way player. He averages over 100 blocked shots per season (in a normal 82 game season), including a crazy year in 2014-15 with 200 blocked shots. Carlson also eats minutes for breakfast. In his career, he averages 23+ minutes per game.
He’s a consistent presence on the team; you know exactly what you’re going to get with him. He is a role model for the younger players on the team, both on and off the ice, as evidenced by his continuing friendship with Andre Burakovsky. And when you think of Capitals defensemen, Carlson is always the first one to come to mind.
Rookie Success
Thanks in large part to injuries and illnesses, the Washington Capitals roster has looked a lot like the Hershey Bears roster this season. The Caps have had to recall more than half a dozen players since the start of the season. While it had the potential to tank Washington’s entire season, things have gone remarkably well, especially considering most of those call-ups have been rookies. (And just as a side note, I’d like to point out that two out of the three players I predicted to play this year have spent the whole season thus far in DC.)
Goals
So far this season, there have been seven (7) Capitals rookies to score a goal and one rookie goalie to record a shutout. I couldn’t find any official statistic, but that has to be some kind of record. Hendrix Lapierre was the first to score among them, though he was sent back to the QMJHL before this season truly counted as his rookie year. Following his lead was Martin Fehervary, Connor McMichael, Brett Leason, Alexei Protas, Garrett Pilon, and Beck Malenstyn. They were all drafted by the Caps between 2016 and 2020.
Points
Four of these rookies have more than just their first goal. Fehervary, Protas, and Leason all have six points; Fehervary and Leason have three goals, three assists, Protas has two goals, four assists. McMichael has eight points, three goals and five assists.
2016 draftee Axel Jonsson-Fjallby also played his first few rookie games this year, and though he hasn’t scored yet, he has notched an assist in 8 games played.
Defense
Fehervary does more than just produce points. As of today, he leads the team in blocked shots with 44 in 30 games played. He also has the second-most hits with 84, only behind Hathaway who has 94. Fehervary has proven he can take a hit, too. He left the ice after Crosby picked him up and threw him into the boards (a play that should have been a penalty that wasn’t), but has not missed a single game yet.
Though not drafted by the Capitals, goalie Zach Fucale has also found success in the organization. In his second year within the system, Fucale was called up for a game against the Red Wings. He stopped all 21 shots against him that night, making him the first goalie in Caps history to record a shutout in his NHL debut. It was a wholesome reaction all around, his parents in attendance and cheering him on, and Ovi saving him the game puck.
Alumni Hat Tricks
The success of the Capitals’ system, in my opinion, extends beyond just the current roster players. Those who were drafted by Washington and have since gone on to play elsewhere carry with them what they learned in DC.
Sanford
Zach Sanford was the Caps’ 2nd round pick in 2013. He only spent one season with the organization and split it between Hershey and DC. His career took off in 2018-19 when he played 60 regular-season games with his new club, the St. Louis Blues. He scored the last goal of Game 7 in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins. In 2020, still with the Blues, he scored his first hat trick (plus a fourth goal) against Vegas. In that game alone, he had more points than in his entire career as a Capital.
Most recently, on November 22 Sanford, now with the Ottawa Senators, scored his second career hat trick. The Senators ultimately lost that game against the Avalanche, but not for a lack of Sanford’s efforts.
Though he couldn’t find his place in Washington, Sanford’s success goes to show that the Capitals’ scouts know talent when they see it, even if it’s a ways down the line.
Walker
The first and only Australian in the NHL, Nathan Walker, was drafted by the Caps in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft. While in the organization, he spent most of his time in Hershey where he was fairly successful. He was a fan favorite in his NHL debut, as evidenced by the plethora of signs and the guys in Australian flag morph suits (my personal favorites). He added to the NHL firsts by also recording his first goal, making him the first Australian to score a point, the first Australian to score a goal, and the first Australian to score a goal in his first NHL game.
He only played 10 games with the Caps, to my disappointment, before moving on to the Blues’ organization. He’s played 18 total games in the three seasons he’s been there, but has spent more time with their AHL affiliates. He’s worn an “A” for Hershey, Utica, and Springfield in the AHL; clearly, he’s a great influence on every team he plays for.
Most recently for Walker, on December 9, he became the first Australian in NHL history to score a hat trick. He was an emergency call-up from the Springfield Thunderbirds. His three goals in that game doubled his total goals in all 25 NHL games. It seems Walker works best under pressure.
Burakovsky
Of these three players, Andre Burakovsky spent the most time with Washington. He was Washington’s first-round pick in 2013 and only spent 13 games in Hershey before staying on the DC roster. While clearly a talented player, he struggled to find where he belonged in the lineup while battling injuries and self-confidence issues. In his five years with the Caps, he had 145 points. In his 3 years with Colorado so far, he has nearly matched that number, with 110 points and plenty of games left this season.
With the Avalanche, Burakovsky has slotted into the top six with relative ease. He has been able to notch 45 and 44 points in his abbreviated seasons with the team. Playing alongside other skilled players like Rantanen, MacKinnon, and Landeskog certainly doesn’t hurt point totals, but it seems to have significantly boosted his self-confidence.
Most recently for Burky, on December 12, he joined the former-Cap hat trick club with his first in a game against the Panthers. He’s averaging just under a point per game with 21 points in 25 games so far this year. We’re just now starting to see the Burakovsky the Capitals had hope to see a few years ago.
Even though he’s not with my team anymore, Burky is still my favorite player and I will be basking in the glow of his child-like excitement and magical post-game interview for the foreseeable future.
Last Thoughts
Things don’t always work out the way you want them to or in your favor. The Capitals have no doubt had their fair share of draftees not work out. But overall, the success rate of the Washington organization is high. There are so many factors that go into it, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes their development system so successful.
With the generational talent and very promising rookies currently on the team, I’m not in any position to question it too much. Sure it would’ve been nice to see Sanford, Walker, and Burakovsky excel in a Capitals jersey. But there are many more young players who fit in right now, there’s no room for regrets. And if they don’t work out, there are more where they came from.
Image courtesy of Chris O’Meara/AP.
-Heidi Thomas (@DamselOnDrums)
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