Prospects

Caps Prospect Roundup: Better Late Than Never

With the holidays, the prospect roundup went on a mini vacation (aka the reporter did). But that doesn’t mean the prospects weren’t still lighting up scoresheets.

To make up for the missed week, here’s a double dose of roundup, broken up by week:

Ilya Samsonov: Goaltender for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL; drafted first round, 22nd overall in 2015

ISamsonov_MetallurgWEEK OF NOV. 24: Samsonov technically appeared in three games this week. Technically. In Wednesday’s game, he was only in net for 17 seconds. With starting goaltender Vasily Koshechkin playing 59:43, one might assume he was injured. Regardless of what happened, Samsonov’s next two starts were quite solid. In a 3-2 overtime win on Friday, Samsonov stopped 34 of 36 shots for a 0.944 save percentage. So how do you top a great performance like that? With a 26-save shutout, of course. In Monday’s game, Samsonov stopped all 26 shots he faced, leading Metallurg to a 5-0 win. The young Caps prospect now has a 0.938 save percentage and 1.66 goals against average on the season, through 13 games played. To break it down even further, he’s only let in 15 of the 242 shots he’s faced (that’s 227 saves). And remember, this kid is only 18.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: Metallurg only played one game this week, on Wednesday, and it was a doozey. While Samsonov did not start in the 6-2 loss, he did come in relief after the first three goals were scored. Which means he let in three goals himself. And that’s not even the worst part. He only faced 11 shots, so letting in three goals put him at a very low 0.727 save percentage. However, it’s not entirely fair to point all fingers at Samsonov. In a 6-2 loss, the defense clearly wasn’t giving him any help. Check out Samsonov’s highlights from the past two weeks below (unfortunately no highlights from his shutout as the available video did not show saves, only goals).

Metallurg is back in action on Friday.

Nov. 27 vs. Neftekhimik: Metallurg is in white

Dec. 2 vs. Salavat Yulaev: Samsonov takes over at 3:17.

Jonas Siegenthaler: Defenseman for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss league; drafted second round, 57th overall in 2015

JSiegenthaler_ZSC

WEEK OF NOV. 24: Siegenthaler and his ZSC Lions had a pretty solid week. The Lions won 2-0 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday. Other than two shots in Friday’s game, one one shot and four penalty minutes in Saturday’s game, Siegenthaler was held of the scoresheet. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As a defenseman, not having a minus plus/minus is always a good thing. The last time Siegenthaler had a minus rating, it was a minus-1 on Oct. 23. Always a good thing when a defenseman can go nine straight games without a minus rating.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: ZSC played three games this week and Siegenthaler finally got on the scoreboard for the first time since Nov. 15 (he went six games without recording a point). Other than that game, the second game played this week, he had an uneventful week. A penalty and plus-1 rating in Tuesday’s 5-1 win, an assist and shot in Friday’s 5-1 win, and a minus-1 rating and two shots in Saturday’s 3-1 loss.

ZSC is back in action Friday and Sunday.

Zach Sanford: Sophomore left wing at Boston College; drafted second round, 61st overall in 2013

ZSanford_BC

WEEK OF NOV. 24: Boston College played two games this week: a 5-1 win over Connecticut on Tuesday and 6-2 win over RIT on Saturday. Against Connecticut, Sanford logged one shot on net and went 6-for-15 on the faceoff dot. But in Saturday’s win, he recorded two assists, two shots and went 5-for-12 on the faceoff dot for a .417 success rate. Not a terrible week for Sanford, but Saturday’s game was clearly better for him – statistics wise.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: In Boston College’s two games against a Northeastern – a 3-3 overtime tie on Friday and 4-3 win on Saturday – Sanford recorded an assist in each game. He was also a plus-1 in Saturday’s win. He split effectiveness on the faceoff dot, though. In Friday’s tie, he went 11-for-20 – a .550 percent success rate – but went a rougher 5-for-13 in Saturday’s win. On the season, he has an overall .407 percent success rate. The 6-foot-4 sophomore, according to the roster, is a left winger, but he’s taking a good chunk of Boston College’s faceoffs. It’s nice to see he can play multiple roles. If he can get his success rate a bit higher, he could definitely be put to use by the Caps.

Check out his highlights below.

The No. 3 Eagles’s last game before winter break will be Thursday against No. 18 Notre Dame – a Caps prospect matchup: Sanford vs. DiPauli.

Nov. 28 vs. RIT: Sanford’s first assist is at 1:06, his second is right after that. Sanford wears No. 24.

Thomas DiPauli: Senior center at Notre Dame; drafted fourth round, 100th overall in 2012

TDiPauli_NotreDame

WEEK OF NOV. 24: Speaking of DiPauli… Notre Dame played in the Shillelagh Tournament this week. Its first game was a 4-1 loss to Harvard. DiPauli recorded three shots, took a penalty and had an even 0 plus/minus rating. The Fighting Irish then faced Western Michigan, winning 3-1. DiPauli scored the go-ahead third goal for Notre Dame, launched five shots on net and was a plus-1 rating. Overall, a much stronger game for him and the Fighting Irish.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: This week, Notre Dame swept Massachusetts 3-1 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday. The wins helped propel Notre Dame from the No. 20 ranked team to No. 18. With Notre Dame’s success came more success for DiPauli. On Friday, he scored a goal, put three shots on net and was a plus-1. On Saturday, he assisted on two of the Fighting Irish’s goals, put another five shots on net, was a whopping plus-3 and won four of five faceoffs. It looks like after a slower start to the season, both DiPauli and Notre Dame are finding their groove. Definitely not a coincidence. DiPauli now has 16 points – seven goals and nine assists. Be sure to check out his highlights below.

As previously mentioned, DiPauli will visit fellow Caps prospect Zach Sanford when Notre Dame visits Boston College on Thursday.

Nov. 28 vs. W. Michigan: DiPauli’s goal is at 1:17. He wears No. 14.

Dec. 4 vs. UMass: DiPauli’s goal is at 0:45.

Dec. 5 vs. UMass: DiPauli’s first assist is at 1:25.

Shane Gersich: Freshman center/left wing at University of North Dakota; drafted fifth round, 134th overall in 2014

SGersich_NorthDakota

WEEK OF NOV. 24: The good news for Gersich is that he was back in the lineup for North Dakota’s weekend sweep of Michigan State – a 4-1 and 5-1 win. He recorded two shots in each game, was a plus-1 on Friday and blocked a shot on Saturday. However, SB Nation College Hockey described Gersich as “unnoticeable” in Saturday’s game. Ouch. Well, you know what, SB Nation, we noticed him.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: Now for Gersich’s bad news: He only played one of the weekend’s two games against Denver – Friday’s 5-1 win. In that game he finished as a plus-1, took one penalty and blocked one shot. He was listed Saturday as a “healthy scratch.” It’s unclear whether his early-season bout with mono is the reason he was held out of Saturday’s game (it’s unclear whether that would be classified as “healthy” or not), but either way, it’s been a rough freshman season for Gersich. That bout with mono more than likely took a toll on the 5-foot-11 freshman, so the upcoming winter break will most likely do him a lot of good.

No. 4 North Dakota travels to No. 17 Minnesota Duluth for games on Friday and Saturday before it’s winter break.

Connor Hobbs: Defenseman for the Regina Pats of the WHL; drafted fifth round, 143rd overall in 2015CHobbs_Regina

WEEK OF NOV. 24: This week, Hobbs and the Regina Pats played a lot of hockey – four games to be exact – and Hobbs was pretty relevant in almost all of them. He didn’t appear on the scoreboard in the Pats’ 3-2 win over Red Deer on Tuesday, but more than made up for that in the team’s 6-4 loss to Edmonton on Wednesday. Hobbs recorded two goals and had four penalty minutes. He was also finished the game with a zero plus/minus. When your team is scored on six times, that’s not so easy to accomplish. In Friday’s 4-3 win over Calgary, Hobbs recorded and assist and finished as a plus-1. To finish off the weekend – a 2-1 loss back at Red Deer – Hobbs assisted on the Pats’ only goal, was a minus-1 and had six penalty minutes. Not the best game for him, but assisting on the lone goal is good. Right now, Hobbs is averaging 0.684 points per game, through 19 games played. And with his 2.32 PIMPG average (44 total minutes), he’s not afraid to get physical on the play. It’ll be interesting to follow the career of this 6-foot-2 defenseman and see how his play matures.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: Hobbs continued to have an impact in Regina’s three games this week. In Wednesday’s 5-0 win over Saskatoon, he notched an assist, had a plus-1 rating (how could you not?) and had four penalty minutes. In Friday’s 2-1 overtime win over Brandon, he scored the lone regulation goal for Regina and got into a fight, which he totally controlled. Quick spoiler alert, this was the first game all season that he played with fellow Caps prospect Colby Williams, who finally returned from his super mysterious “undisclosed injury.” These injury reports just keep getting even more vague. However, Hobbs’ point streak ended at five games. In Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to Moose Jaw, he didn’t record a point (obviously, if his streak ended), but he also had a neutral plus/minus rating, which is pretty good considering the score. Check out highlights of his games below (NOTE: Unfortunately many of the teams lack in embed codes, so you’ll have to follow the link).

Hobbs (and hopefully Williams) will continue their Caps prospect WHL domination on Friday when they host Kelowna, Saturday when they host Lethbridge and Sunday at Saskatoon. Hope none of those boys have any exams on Monday they need to prepare for.

Nov. 25 vs. Edmonton Oil Kings: Hobbs’ first goal is at 0:48, his second goal at 1:16. Hobbs wears No. 44.

Nov. 27 vs. Calgary Hitmen: Hobbs’ assist is at the beginning.

Nov. 28 vs. Red Deer Rebels: Hobbs’ assist is at 1:43.

Dec. 2 vs. Saskatoon Blades: Hobbs’ assist is at 0:49.

Dec. 4 vs. Brandon Wheat Kings: Hobbs’ fight.

Steven Spinner: Freshman right wing at University of Nebraska-Omaha; drafted sixth round, 159th overall in 2014

SSpinner_omahaWEEK OF NOV. 24: Spinner only played in one of Omaha’s two games against Ohio State last weekend. While the Mavericks won both, 3-1 on Friday and 6-4 on Saturday, Spinner only participated in the latter. Spinner got back on the scoresheet with an assist and three shots. There have been no reports explaining why he was absent in Friday’s game. The 6-foot freshman also took a penalty and was a minus-1. When your team scores six goals and you’re still a minus-1, that’s not necessarily good. It was a rough week for Spinner, but he’ll bounce back.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: Sure enough, Spinner bounced back this week. After split games against St. Cloud State, a 4-1 loss on Friday and 7-2 win on Saturday, Spinner made a pretty solid impact. In Friday’s loss, he recorded two shots and remained at a neutral plus/minus rating. Remember how it’s hard to be a minus when your team scores six goals? Well, it’s also hard to have a 0 plus/minus rating when your team is scored on four times. So props to Spinner for that. Now in Saturday’s game, Spinner got back on the scoresheet with an assist and a shot. Once again, he was a minus-1, but getting assists is good.

Spinner and the No. 5 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks don’t play again until Dec. 19 (due to finals), when they’ll host Arizona State. Send plenty of good luck wishes to Spinner. Gotta keep our Caps prospects good and smart.

Colby Williams: Defenseman for the Regina Pats; drafted sixth round, 173rd overall in 2015CWilliams_Regina

WEEK OF NOV. 24: Once again, Williams didn’t play last week. He is still suffering from an “undisclosed injury,” which really provides absolutely no helpful information.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: See, turns out it’s a good thing the roundup was delayed. Williams finally returned to the lineup at the end of the week for games against the Brandon and Moose Jaw. In Friday’s 2-1 overtime win over Brandon, Williams assisted on the game-winning overtime goal. Talk about coming back in style. But all good things must apparently come to an end. For the first time all season, Regina lost a game with Williams in the lineup. The 4-3 shootout loss on Saturday to Moose Jaw was also the first game all season that Williams did not record a point. The captain is now averaging just a mere point per game (although he did finish with a plus-1 rating. Not easy when the other team scores three goals on you). What a slacker. But here’s hoping Williams can stay healthy for a while and start racking those points back up. Either way, Regina must be pretty glad to have its captain back.

Brian Pinho: Sophomore center at Providence College; drafted sixth round, 174th overall in 2013

BPinho_Providence

WEEK OF NOV. 24: Providence only played one game – a 4-3 win over Yale – this week. Pinho recorded two shots, was a plus-1 and had blocked a shot. He also won six out of 10 faceoff draws. Not much to add after another sound performance by the sophomore.

WEEK OF DEC. 1: In this week’s games against Merrimack – a 2-1 win on Friday and 4-0 win on Saturday – Pinho was once again all over the scoreboard. He had one assist in each game as well as a shot on Friday and two on Saturday. On Friday, he also led Providence in faceoff percentage, winning 12 of 23 for a 0.522 success percentage. On Saturday he went 4-for-9. His average is about .562 percent success, so he’s remaining pretty consistent. And as a sophomore, Providence is clearly giving him some key draws. Check out his highlights below.

The still-No. 1-ranked Providence College plays its last game before winter break at home against Brown on Thursday.

Dec. 4 vs. Merrimack: Pinho’s assist is at 0:17. He wears No. 26.

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