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Friday Caps Clips: For the Kids

Daily Washington Capitals news and notes: Rookie camp gets underway, the captain's back on ice, the NHL rolls out new rules and more.

By Becca H

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Rob Carr

Your savory breakfast links:

  • The crowded blueline, roles for Marcus Johansson and Eric Fehr, camp crushes and more in this week's Japers' Rink Mailbag. [Rink]
  • The long summer is finally over, for the Caps and their fans. The really long summer. Really, really... long. [Dump 'n Chase]
  • Caps' rookie camp is officially underway out at Kettler [WaPo, Patriot-News (photos)]
    • Hear from the coaches and the kids. [Monumental video (Trotz, Burakovsky, Vrana, Stephenson)]
    • Bears' head coach Troy Mann is keeping things up-tempo at his first rookie camp. [Patriot-News]
    • With a spot on the Caps' roster likely not in the cards, Jakub Vrana would prefer not to play in Hershey but return to his team in Linkoping - where he'll skate with a couple of Hershey alums. [Patriot-News]
    • Get a glimpse at what goalie Vitek Vanecek sees on the ice (sort of). [Caps OT]
  • Now that the prospects are all out on the ice, how do they stack up against each other? [RMNB]
  • Bad news: HBO will not be producing another season of 24/7 for this year's Winter Classic. Good(ish) news: the NHL will be partnering with someone else for a similar project. [SBN, WaPo, CSNW, NBCW, Awful Announcing, Puck Daddy, AP, THN, FTW]
  • Alex Ovechkin is back, baby! He chatted about the offseason changes on and off the ice, that knee injury he suffered in May and more. [Monumental video, WaPo, CSNW, WashTimes (and again), AP
    • He also gave the thrill of a lifetime to almost 60 youngsters (and their parents and coaches) from the American Special Hockey Association. [Monumental video]
    • Meanwhile, if you were worried that Alex's infamous Instagram pic would cause problems for him over here in the States, don't be - Papa Ovechkin says everything's fine. [ITAR-TASS]
  • Brooks Laich is feeling great, he's feeling young, he's feeling... 100%. So that means there is at least a 50% chance he's 80% healthy! [WaPo, CSNW]
  • Speaking of healthy, both Dmitry Orlov and Tom Wilson have been cleared to skate, although there's no set time frame for the return of either one just yet. [WaPo]
  • Part 1 of an in-depth interview with the new bench boss for the Caps, Barry Trotz. [CSNW]
  • At first he was planning to keep Ovechkin on the right wing, but now Trotz is leaning towards moving him back to left... well, it's DC, so a little flip-flopping is to be expected. [WaPo, CSNW, PHT]
  • Catching up with Karl Alzner on your Morning Drive. [Capitals Voice]
  • Looking at Mitch Korn's potential influence on the Caps' goaltending duo. [GM on a Couch]
  • Under Korn's tutelage (and behind an improved defense), could Braden Holtby be poised for a breakout season? [Stars and Sticks]
  • Being a Caps fan is like playing one long, never-ending game of "what-if", so here's one for you - what if the Caps had won the 2004 draft lottery and the 2005? [Rink]
  • The NHL rolled out a handful of new rules that will take effect this upcoming season, including expanded video replay, harsher diving penalties and the elimination of the spin-o-rama move in the shootout. [NHL.com (and analysis), ESPN, CBC, Sporting News, TSN, CBS Sports, USA Today]
  • A tribute to the late Ace Bailey, an unlikely hero. [SCoC]
  • 2014-15 previews:
  • New technology could benefit the way the NHL collects player statistics - and could benefit the fans who watch them, as well. [CBS Sports]
  • The ice! It's in! And it's painted! [Caps OT]
  • Finally, happy 66th birthday to Joe Lundrigan.