Capitals Development Camp Begins

The Washington Capitals annual Prospect Development Camp started Monday at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. The camp, which lasts until Saturday, is a chance for Capitals prospects and free agent invitees to work with the team's coaching staff and improve their skills.

All of the practices are open to the public and free to attend. There are intrasquad scrimmages scheduled for Wednesday (3:00 PM), Thursday (9:00 AM) and Saturday (10:00 AM).

The team will also hold a Fan Fest on Saturday which features an equipment sale, public skating, games, autograph sessions with the prospects and current Capital Matt Hendricks, as well as the final development scrimmage. The festivities begin at 8:00 AM.

Below you will find information on some of the more notable players in attendance, notes from the first day of practice, full rosters and line combinations as well as some pictures of the prospects in action.

Notable Attendees

Cody Eakin – Forward

Eakin impressed many in the organization last season, enough so to spark debate about whether or not he merited a roster spot at the time.

“We thought he was every bit as good as Marcus [Johansson] was in camp last year and there [were] some discussions about whether we should keep him,” said General Manager George McPhee.

He was ultimately sent back to the Western Hockey League in Canada where he started the season as the captain of Swift Current. He was traded midway through the season to the Kootenay Ice for an astonishing five players and three draft picks. He racked up 83 points in 56 games and another 27 points in 19 playoff games as his team won the WHL championship.

“I am coming into camp to make the team,” said Eakin. “I think everyone that’s coming into camp is going to have the same focus and the same goals to play on the Caps.”

Dmitri Orlov – Defense

The Russian defenseman made his North American debut last season, appearing in 19 games with Washington’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, where he scored two goals and added seven assists.

Orlov won the gold medal at the World Junior Championship with Russia this year and was named to the tournament all-star team as he led all defenseman in the tournament with eight assists.

Mattias Sjogren – Forward

Entering his first season in North America, Sjogren signed with the Capitals as an undrafted free agent on June 1^st. He spent last season in the Swedish Elite League where he scored a career high 24 points in 51 games, although the forward believes he is more of a defensive forward.

Sjogren won the SEL championship with Farjestad last season, scoring one goal and eight assists in 13 playoff games. He also took home the silver medal at the 2011 World Championship with Sweden, notching four points in nine games.

The 23 year old is also the oldest player in attendance at the camp.

Stanislav Galiev – Forward

A third round pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, Galiev won both the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League championship and the Memorial Cup last season with Saint John. He had 65 points in 64 regular season games and more than doubled his goals from the previous season, scoring 37 times as opposed to 15 the year before.

He added 37 points in 19 QMJHL playoff games and three points in the four Memorial Cup championship games.

Notes From Day One

- Cody Eakin looked impressive on his first day, skating on a line with Dmitry Kugryshev and free agent invitee Andrew Cherniwchan. He was stick-handling around defenders with ease and worked very well with his linemates in the various drills.

- Former Capital Olie Kolzig, recently hired as the team’s associate goaltender coach, was in attendance for the first time as part of the coaching staff. He addressed the media and said he was impressed with Philipp Grubauer.

- Danick Paquette, recently acquired from the Winninpeg Jets along with a fourth round pick in exchange for Eric Fehr, looked to have a little trouble on the ice. He tried a few deke moves that failed in one-on-one situations and couldn’t control the puck very well at times.

- Garrett Ross, a free agent invitee, was very physical on the first day. The forward got caught up with Dmitri Orlov a few times and some big hits were thrown. No punches were exchanged, but it could develop into a development camp rivalry as the week progresses.

- Two other free agent invitees impressed with their skills on day one: Cameron Burt and Pat Mullane. Both had a few good shots, especially Burt, who dangled around goaltender Brandon Anderson for an impressive goal during one drill.

Rosters and Line Combinations

Group A

* denotes a free agent invitee

Red Line

50 – Cody Eakin

86 – Andrew Cherniwchan*

93 – Dmitry Kugryshev

Grey Line

73 – Luke Lockhart*

76 – Garrett Mitchell

92 – Chase Grant*

Green Line

64 – Pat Mullane*

87 – Samuel Henley*

96 – Taylor Stefishen

White Line

77 – Michael Collins*

79 – David Civitarese*

95 – Thomas Frazee*

Defensemen

38 – Garrett Haar

44 – Patrick Koudys

51 – Luke Eibler*

56 – Patrick Wey

65 – Samuel Carrier

66 – Dustin Stevenson

67 – Wade Epp*

94 – Jimmy Oligny*

Goaltenders

31 – Philipp Grubauer

40 – Steffen Soberg

Group B

Red Line

33 – Mattias Sjogren

49 – Stanislav Galiev

71 – Cameron Burt*

Grey Line

39 – Brock Montpetit*

61 – Mitch Elliot*

72 – Caleb Herbert

White Line

53 – Travis Boyd

82 – Aaron Schmit*

88 – Reid Edmondson*

Green Line

42 – Danick Paquette

63 – Garrett Ross*

84 – T.J. Snyer*

91 – Adam Mitchell*

Yellow Line

54 – Greg Burke

Defensemen

29 – Brett Flemming

47 – Scott Wietecha*

58 – Conor Allen*

59 – Mike Boivin*

75 – Kyle Follmer*

81 – Dmitri Orlov

97 – Karl Stollery*

98 – Nick Tabisz*

Goaltenders

78 – Brandon Anderson

80 – Jacob Gervais-Chouinard*