Group B Wins Final Scrimmage at Capitals Development Camp Thanks to Syner and Sjogren

The Washington Capitals held their final scrimmage of their Prospect Development Camp on Saturday as part of Fan Fest. T.J. Syner, a free agent invitee, and Mattias Sjogren led the way with two points each to take the final intrasquad scrimmage for their group.

Kettler Capitals Iceplex was packed for the scrimmage and fan fest, an event that also featured an equipment sale and autograph session with current Capital Matt Hendricks.

“The first thing I thought of is this is totally incredible,” said Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau when asked about the fan turnout. “Anybody that doesn’t think Washington is a hockey town has not been here.”

Caps fans got to see quite an entertaining final scrimmage, which ended with group B winning the game 5-2 and the series two games to one.

T.J. Syner scored two goals, including an impressive breakaway goal in the second period that would ultimately prove to be the game winner. Cameron Burt came away with puck and found Syner streaking in. He wristed it past goaltender Philipp Grubauer to give his team a 3-0 lead at the time. He scored again late in the third period to put the game away on a pass from Mattias Sjogren.

Sjogren has been one of the stronger players throughout camp and is expected to compete for a roster spot on the Capitals come this fall. He played well in the final scrimmages, picking up two assists including one on the first goal of the game by defensemen Karl Stollery.

Travis Boyd also continued to look good in scrimmages. The 17-year-old picked up an assist on Reid Edmonson’s second period goal and finished the camp with six points (three goals, three assists) in the three games.

“I thought I had a good camp,” said Boyd after the game. “I thought I made a lot of things happen, but I also thought there were a lot of things I need to work on.”

Boyd is set to attend the University of Minnesota in the fall.

A big reason most fans came out to see the final scrimmage were prospects Cody Eakin and Dmitry Orlov. While neither made a big impact on the score sheet, both had a few shining moments of their own.

Eakin demonstrated a good vision on the ice, finding open teammates and creating a few good scoring chances. That being said, he looked a little weak on the puck sometimes, getting knocked off it by some of the bigger skaters such as Sjogren. He also failed to score a goal in any of the three scrimmages.

“I’m not in the best shape. There’s no excuse for it,” said Eakin after the game, seeming a bit frustrated with his performance.

Coach Boudreau wasn’t worried about Eakin’s progress though, saying, “Sometimes we forget he just finished playing five weeks ago and this is his third camp. I thought he competed hard, but I think he’ll be better in September. Hockey’s such a draining sport. To keep going at the same level you’ve been at for 12 months is difficult.”

Orlov showed a bit of what he can bring with his strong slapshot from the point and his strength. At one point he flipped Pat Mullane with a hip check as Mullane tried to bring the puck into the zone. He still found himself out of position a few times from being overly aggressive with the puck though. Fans can expect to see him in Hershey next season.

One of the biggest surprises of camp was 17-year-old defenseman Garrett Haar who was drafted in the seventh round of this year’s NHL entry draft.

“For a young man that was four picks away from not being drafted, he really played well here,” said General Manager George McPhee. “I liked his hockey sense and the way he competed. I liked the way he defends and he looks real strong on his skates.”

McPhee was also very pleased with the fan turnout for a mid-summer rookie camp.

“It’s pretty remarkable when you’re six to eight people deep in every crevice in the building,” he said with a smile. “There’s nothing like hockey in July, especially Caps hockey.”

Additional Notes

-  A team official said there were a little over 3,000 fans in attendance for the scrimmage and Fan Fest.

-  Garrett Haar impressed GM George McPhee so much that he now has a chance to attend Boston College in the fall.

-  Dustin Stevenson and Aaron Schmit’s fight in the second period was probably the highlight for some fans. They skated around center ice before landing some heavy punches. Stevenson took Schmit to the ice early, but stood him back up to get a few more punches in.