Today kicked off the Caps’ annual development camp. Here are the top ten pieces of information from the day:
1. Despite the fact that his birth records insist that he’s 41 years old, Olie Kolzig does not look like he’s aged a day since he left the Caps.
2. According to the Caps prospects that had the fortune (or misfortune as the case may be) to play against Cody Eakin, all are in consensus that Eakin is really, really fast.
“Well [Eakin] started off in Swift Current, which is only two hours down the road, so we started off as pretty big rivals. He’s a good player. You watch him out here and you watch playing against him, and he’s a tough player to beat. He’s got so much speed and he’s always creating offense. He’s a great player and he’s going to be a great pro. … The kid can fly. He’s a great offensive player, but he’s so rounded that he’s a great defensive player too.” – Garrett Mitchell
3. Eakin played a lot of junior-level hockey last season, is tired of playing junior-level hockey and might consider killing someone for a roster spot.
“I think the maturity of my game has increased. Like I said, I played a lot of hockey and got a lot of opportunity and I think I can translate that into the game I need to play if I was to play here.” – Cody Eakin
4. In typical Boudreau fashion, ever since these new players have been added to the roster, he’s been going over potential line combinations. And then going over them again, and again, and again.
5. Caps fans don’t have to worry about Patrick Wey. While the records say that he’s from that city that’s home of the Flightless Birds, his family is actually from Baltimore.
6. Even after two previous development camps, the workouts are still kicking Wey in the rear.
“I’m definitely more comfortable with the schedule, but I think they do such a great job each year, bringing in great talent, that it’s always a challenge and they definitely push you. I’m still definitely as tired as last year after the first day.” – Patrick Wey
7. Andrew Gordon tweeted during camp to alert his followers that Garrett Mitchell was his “twin” and that fans shouldn’t be surprised if they see him for “three or four more camps”. However, Mitchell insists he’s much more prepared this summer. He also says that he’s a Matt Bradley-type player.
“I think just coming in with a bit more experience. It’s my third time down here. So every year the nerves are a little bit lighter and lighter so it makes it a lot easier to transition.” – Mitchell
8. Mattias Sjogren and Marcus Johansson are BFFs. Before camp, MoJo gave Sjogren the secrets of camp. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell Sjogren to be wary of the pucks. He lost a tooth, chipped another, but came back to finish off his ice session.
9. The first call Troy Brouwer received after being traded to the Caps was from Alex Ovechkin, welcoming him to the team.
10. Kolzig doesn’t want a banner of him to be hung in Kettler because he’s afraid Ovechkin will take shots at it and try to knock it down.
Follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page.
(Photos by Alena Schwarz)
[nggallery id=9]
