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January Prospects Update: Forwards

Yesterday we provided you with a mid-season look at how some of the Capitals‘ goaltending and defense prospect were faring; today we give you an update on their forwards. The pedigree here isn’t quite as high – you won’t find a forward who can match the pedigree or buzz surrounding Karl Alzner, John Carlson, or Michal Neuvirth – but the list is long. If you can’t have blue-chip quality, you want quantity, and the Capitals have that in spades.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the organization’s got:

Jay Beagle (Center/Right Wing) – Beagle saw some time with the big club in Washington in November, and was able to notch his first NHL point and first NHL goal. The Hershey numbers might be a little less than what you’d expect, but remember that Beagle’s generally playing a check role with the Bears, who have more than enough AHL-level scoring talent.


Jay Beagle Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 24 36 7 10 17 -2 23 0 0 61 11.5
Washington NHL 24 6 1 1 2 -1 2 0 0 0 9 11.1

Francois Bouchard (Left Wing/Right Wing) – Though he’s far from a dominant player at the AHL level, Bouchard is bettering his 2008-09 statistics in goals per game, assists per game, points per game, and shots per game. The NHL’s probably not in the cards this season, but if Bouchard keeps improving he could see time in a Caps sweater next year.


Francois Bouchard Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 21 42 10 22 32 9 20 0 0 77 13.0

Chris Bourque (Left Wing/Right Wing) – A Pittsburgh Penguins waiver claim gave Bourque the extended NHL chance he was looking for. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for the Capitals . . . or at least the Bears), Bourque didn’t do all that much with it and found himself back on waivers in December. The Caps of course claimed Bourque and sent him to Hershey, where he has dominated. Unimpressive NHL showing notwithstanding, at some point Bourque’s likely to get another NHL chance, although it’s unclear whether or not it will be in Washington.


Chris Bourque Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 23 18 11 12 23 11 8 3 0 58 19.0
Pittsburgh NHL 23 20 0 3 3 -4 10 0 0 0 20 0.0

Trevor Bruess (Left Wing) – Bruess started the season with Hershey, and is now practicing his trade in South Carolina. By all accounts he’s been solid as a role player in at the minor league level, but the NHL doesn’t look to be in the cards for now.


Trevor Bruess Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
South Carolina ECHL 23 18 3 4 7 6 35 0 0 34 8.8
Hershey AHL 23 14 1 1 2 3 15 0 0 14 7.1

Joel Broda (Center) -The numbers are down a bit as compared to last season, but then last season Broda finished up on a Calgary team that went 59-9-4.  Despite that, Broda’s still producing at better than a point per game and leading the Hitmen in scoring.


Joel Broda Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Calgary WHL 19 41 21 24 45 -4 43 11 1

Greg Burke (Left Wing) – Nothing much to see here, as Burke’s freshman season at the University of New Hampshire has been somewhat underwhelming.  The freshman’s played in 17 of the the Wildcats 21 games, but has just one goal and seven points thus far.


Greg Burke Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
University of New Hampshire HE 19 17 1 7 8 -2 6 0 0 0 31 3.2

Stefan Della Rovere (Left Wing) – Another World Juniors appearance, continued production in the Ontario Hockey League, and rave reviews for the way he’s managed to stay in control while maintaining an edge to his game are all positive signs. You never want to count your chicks before they hatch, but it’s started to look like the Caps may have made one hell of a late round pick with this one.


Stefan Della Rovere Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Barrie OHL 19 33 13 14 27 13 78 5 0

Phil DeSimone (Center) – A solid offensive player in the USHL whose skills hadn’t translate at the collegiate level, DeSimone’s come around this season, and has notched five goals and ten assists in the fourteen games he’s played for the University of New Hampshire since we last checked in with him in November.


Phil DeSimone Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
University of New Hampshire HE 22 21 5 12 17 2 20 1 1 1 34 14.7

Cody Eakin (Center) – Already inked to a professional deal that kicks in next fall, and kind enough to stop and chat with our own Stephen Pepper, Eakin’s leading the Swift Current Broncos in goals and points, contributing on the powerplay and a man down, and mixing it up a little earlier this season. Barring injury or a surprisingly long Broncos playoff run, Eakin should get some time in Hershey to close out the season, and could be there for good next fall.


Cody Eakin Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Swift Current WHL 18 45 33 26 59 -9 47 13 3

Joe Finley (Left Wing/Defense) – He’s been holding his own in South Carolina, something that’s reflected in his statistics, but we’d really liked to have seen Finley play his way on to the Bears.


Joe Finley Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
South Carolina ECHL 22 17 1 3 4 1 43 0 0 21 4.8

Andrew Gordon (Right Wing) – A great season at Hershey earned Gordon a call up with the big club, albeit a brief one. You might expect to see more of a guy who has scored 19 goals to go along with 23 assists through 42 AHL games, but with Gordon it’s really a matter of role. Despite his gaudy AHL numbers, Gordon doesn’t have the skill to play a top six role in the NHL, and there are awful lot of guys in the Caps organization fighting it out for those depth forward spots.


Andrew Gordon Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 24 42 19 23 42 15 26 9 0 117 16.2
Washington NHL 24 2 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0

Anton Gustafsson (Center) – He’s playing, he’s producing, and he has generally been able to stay healthy this year, all of which are good signs. It’s also worth noting that Gustafsson’s faceoff percentage is now up to 51%. Washington still seems a long way off, but the Capitals are going to make it a priority to get Gustafsson to North America for the 2010-11 season.


Anton Gustafsson Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Borås HC Allsvenskan 19 23 5 8 13 -2 10 2 0 0 42 11.9

Jake Hauswirth (Center/Right Wing) – Hauswirth is dutifully plugging away in South Carolina, not only adding physicality to the Stingrays, but doing a pretty good job of putting up points as well. With Hershey’s roster as deep and talented as it is, it’s unlikely Hauswirth sees much, if any time, in Chocolate Town, but he could find himself there next year.


Jake Hauswirth Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
South Carolina ECHL 21 34 7 17 24 17 16 0 0 65 10.8

Dmitri Kugryshev (Left Wing ) – After stumbling some early on in the season, Kugryshev has come on strong for the Remparts.  He now leads the team in scoring, and is poised to break the top ten league-wide.


Dmitri Kugryshev Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Quebec QMJHL 19 45 18 38 56 11 38 3 0 2 135 13.3

Marcus Johansson (Center/Left Wing) – He’s not leading his team in scoring like he was at the time of our last prospect update, but Johansson’s done pretty well for himself in Sweden’s highest league, and in turn earned himself the captaincy of the country’s World Juniors team.


Marcus Johansson Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Farjestads SEL 19 30 8 8 16 -1 10 2 1 2 51 15.9

Oskar Osala (Left Wing) – Osala’s run a little hot and cold this season, and as a result his season totals are a little behind where you’d like them to be. Still, Osala’s proven that he has some scoring touch, and you don’t find 6’4”, 220 pound guys who can put the puck in the net every day.


Oskar Osala Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 21 35 10 7 17 -4 44 1 0 84 11.9

Mathieu Perreault (Center) – What can you say about Perreault at this point? He demonstrated he has the talent to be productive at the NHL level, and right now it’s just refining his skills and learning the game so that he’s able to do it night in and night out.


Mathieu Perreault Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 21 26 5 16 21 9 8 3 0 33 15.2
Washington NHL 21 18 2 5 7 4 4 0 0 0 23 8.7

Kyle Wilson (Center) Several solid years in Hershey earned Wilson an look at the NHL level, that last all of two games, one of which was stellar, one of which was…not. Like Gordon, Wilson’s probably not skilled enough to be a major offensive contributor at the NHL level but lacks a rare, underappreciated-yet-valuable skill like faceoff ability, pugilism, penalty kill prowess, or physicality that would make him an ideal depth option.


Kyle Wilson Lge Age GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG SOG PCT
Hershey AHL 24 40 16 12 28 5 15 4 0 99 16.2
Washington NHL 24 2 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 0.0

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