As the story goes, the Washington Capitals franchise and fan base have alot to look forward to. Not only is hockey being revived in the Nation’s capital, but the excitement is generated because of the youthful rebuild the Caps underwent to get the 2007/08 Southeast division championship win.
Just look.
The Caps are led by Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Mike Green, and Nicklas Backstrom. Right behind them, you can throw in the likes of Brooks Laich, Boyd Gordon, Jeff Schultz, and Shaone Morrisonn. All these guys are under 26, many under 24.
But, what many Cap fans forget is, there are two younger guys waiting in the wings on defense, perhaps one, maybe both, ready for 2008/09. They were both featured by NHL.com today. They are 2007 first round draft pick,number 5 overall, Karl Alzner and second round darft pick Josh Godfrey, both defenders, but both with different tacts and styles of play. Alzner is a smart, stay-at-home style defender know for making good reads and putting himself in position to make and stop plays, Alzner is closest to the NHL level. perhaps even this season.
No need to worry Karl, as Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau has taken notice.
“There are an awful lot of other players who have made the jump from junior to the NHL in recent years, and Karl’s on that track,’’ Boudreau said. “Here’s a guy who was the captain of the World Junior Canadian team, so you could see that he’s got a lot more poise than some of the other guys his age.”
It is kind of hard not to turn the head and open the eyes when it comes to Alzner. He lit up the Capitals
development camp with strong play and had a sensation year last year.
Alzner’s resume, which includes being drafted at No. 5 by the Washington Capitals in 2007, is impeccable. He succeeded as an alternate captain in the 2007 Canada Russia Super Series, was a member of Canada’s gold-medal winning team at the `07 World Junior Championships in Sweden, participated in the `07 Top Prospects Game in Quebec City and captained gold-medal winning Team Canada in the 2008 World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic.
As for Godfrey, his style and approach to the game differs. Godfrey is knows for a punishing slap shot that has been clocked at an amazing 99.7 MPH. Godfrey is more along the style of current Caps defenseman Mike Green, an offensive defenseman. Godfrey’s positives are his ability to score from defense, but his drawback is playing in the defensive zone, something Godfrey must continue to develop. But don’t think for one minute that Godfrey doesn’t understand his need to work on defensive skills.
`Coach Hartsburg was a defenseman in the NHL for a long time and he really taught me the finer details of being a good defensive defenseman,’’ Godfrey said. “He told me that if you want to play in the NHL, you can’t be a liability in your own end. I really took that to heart and have worked really hard to improve that area of my game.’’
Godfrey;s chances of making the Caps roster this season are much slimmer than Alzner and I suspect Godfrey will be in Chocolatetown.
So you think the rebuild was a success with these young Caps? Just think of these two to come, joined by 2008 first rounder D John Carlson. In addition, don’t forget the two under 21 goalies, Simeon Varlamov and Michal Nuevirth. So turn that smile into a big damn grin, because these Caps are positioned for success for years to come.
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