As the calendar flips to April, playoffs are in the near future – or already underway – for the Caps’ crop of prospects. So how did the team’s organizational depth do in March? Let’s break it down one more time:
CHL
Jake Karabela, C
- JAN: 12GP – 0G – 2A – 9PTS
- SEASON: 58GP – 18G – 21A – 39PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 1GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS
If there is one positive about Karabela’s regular season, it was that he stayed completely healthy. He hasn’t missed any games in two straight seasons. That’s great to hear. Bad news is he scored six less points than he did last season in the same amount of games. And like some prospects on this list that have an excuse of not getting top minutes, Karabela has been in the top six a lot. The fact he didn’t produce more than last season is concerning for sure. The coaches keep giving him bigger minutes which has to be a good sign, but he needs to start producing if he wants to take the next step. Next season will be pivotal.
Hakon Hanelt, C/W
- MAR: 6GP – 0G – 1A – 1PTS
- SEASON: 34GP – 3G – 15A – 18 PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 1GP – 0G – 1A – 1PTS
Hanelt finally returned after more than three months due to injury. He’s been playing only on the fourth line so the production since he returned shouldn’t be concerning. It should be concerning that he is injured so often. Every season Hanelt has played since his draft year has been sidelined by lengthy injuries. Like Karabela, next season will be pivotal.
Ryan Hofer, C
- MAR: 13GP – 4G – 6A – 10PTS
- SEASON: 66GP – 40G – 28A – 68PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 1GP – 1G – 0A – 1PTS
Hofer had one of his quietest months this season but still put up a resectable 10 points in 13 games. He’s vibing well with his new team, getting top six center time. He had a good season, being one of only 11 players to hit the 40 goal mark. He also signed an entry level contract with the Caps in March, making it a pretty good month for the pivot. Next stop is Hershey.
Alexander Suzdalev, LW
- MAR: 12GP – 4G – 7A – 11PTS
- SEASON: 66GP – 38G – 48A – 86PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 1GP – 0G – 1A – 1PTS
It says a lot that Suzdalev’s worst month is still a month where he almost hit a point per game. Before March, Suzdalev only had 13 games where he didn’t register a point, in March alone he had five games where he didn’t register a point. Very odd but doesn’t take away from the great rookie season he had. He led the rookie race by almost 30 points. He’s just been very, very impressive. We’ll see if he can continue that into the playoffs.
Dru Krebs, LHD
- MAR: 11GP – 3G – 3A – 6PTS
- SEASON: 67GP – 8G – 33A – 41PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 1 GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS
Krebs keeps chugging along, vastly improving on his point total from last season (19) and has become a stable top pairing defensemen for his team. This is a good step for Krebs development who spent last season on the worst team in the league. He’s the only drafted player on his team, so he isn’t getting much help, but he’s producing with what he has. He also scored a hat trick in March.
NCAA
Joaquim Lemay, LHD
- MAR: 5GP – 1G – 1A – 2PTS
- SEASON: 32GP – 2G – 10A – 12PTS
Lemay is still riding the lineup of being a starter and playing #7 minutes. He’s a freshman and this tends to always happen. He just needs to stick with it and he’ll get more minutes next season, hopefully.
Brent Johnson, RHD
- MAR: 0GP
- SEASON: 13GP – 1G – 5A – 6PTS
Johnson missed some time with injury and still hasn’t played in months. I thought it was all due to injury but he actually requested to be put in the transfer portal. That means he’s most likely going to another school. Sounds like he wasn’t satisfied with his ice time, which is understandable. Hopefully wherever he ends up he gets big minutes to show off his potential. I’m a big fan of his.
David Gucciardi, LHD
- MAR: 1GP – 0G – 1A – 1PTS
- SEASON: 36GP – 4G – 6A – 10PTS
Like Karabela, the good news with Gucciardi is he played every game this season and last, which is always good, but he also scored one less point than he did last season. It isn’t the biggest issue because he isn’t an offensive defensemen, but it would be nice to see a progression. Next season he should be getting top minutes which will be great for his development.
Ryan Chesley, RHD
- MAR: 4GP – 0G – 2A – 2PTS
- SEASON: 34GP – 2G – 7A – 9PTS
Chesley has been getting better as the season has gone on. It will be nice to see him get more time next season. For now, his team is about to start the Frozen Four. It will be a great development for him.
Chase Clark, G
- SEASON: 8GP – 3.06GAA .840sv%
Those stats don’t look amazing, but Clark didn’t start a game all season because he’s backing one of the best goalies in college, Yaniv Perets, and all eight appearances have been in relief. Tough to put up good stats in a situation like that. For now, he’ll just have to keep sitting in the back and be ready if he’s ever called upon. He’s also in the Frozen Four but no way he gets a start unless there’s an injury to Perets.
Mitchell Gibson, G
- SEASON: 27GP – 2.25GAA, .919SV%
Gibson was having an amazing March, pushing his sv% to a fantastic .925, but in the last game of the playoffs, he got lit up for 8 goals and he was pulled. Just an absolute brutal way for him to end his college career, and it seems like his team maybe let him down. There were probably a couple Gibson wanted back but the majority was his team leaving him out to dry. They scored all of one goal in the game and it was towards the end. Such a shame. But good news is that there are reports that Gibson will sign with the Capitals soon enough.
EUROPE
Bogdan Trineyev, LW (KHL)
- MAR (PLAYOFFS): 5GP – 0G – 2A – 2PTS
- SEASON: 39GP – 2G -11A – 13PTS
Bogdan’s season got better the longer it went on. Eventually he settled in the KHL after many healthy scratches and VHL stints. He ended up on the third line and was producing well, which is promising for such a young kid. He’s over in Hershey now but hasn’t played yet. He’ll probably get a couple games down the stretch. It’s expected he’ll stay in North America next season, which will be great for his development. If he goes back to the KHL that will be fine too but it needs to be consistent time.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW (MHL)
- SEASON: 12GP – 10G – 4A – 14PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 7GP – 2G – 5A – 7PTS
Ivan spent a lot of the season in the KHL as a depth player but has been sent to his MHL to finish out the season and play in the playoffs. He’s, of course, doing very well, but the MHL is below him. It’s going to be fascinating to see what Ivan can do with a whole summer of working out instead of recovering from cancer. The hope is he gets KHL time and sticks there getting at least top nine minutes.
Tobias Geisser, LHD [National League (Swiss)]
- MAR: 2GP – 1G – 1A – 2PTS
- SEASON: 50GP – 7G – 13A – 20PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 6GP – 1G – 3A – 4PTS
Geisser has had a very productive March scoring two goals and four assists in eight games played between the regular season and playoffs. Sadly, Geisser isn’t coming back to North America unless it’s in the NHL and it’s doubtful he’ll make the Caps but maybe he’ll impress enough in camp to get a shot.
Damien Riat, RW [National League (Swiss)]
- MAR: 2GP: 0G – 0A – 0PTS
- SEASON: 52GP – 9G – 16A – 25PTS
Riat ended up scoring three fewer points in 17 more games than last season… not great, Bob. Might be time to take him off the Capitals’ prospect list.
Ludwig Persson, C/LW [HockeyAllsvenskan]
- MAR: 4GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS
- SEASON: 45GP – 4G – 11A – 15PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 4GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS
Persson has continued to have a decent season in what is essentially Sweden’s AHL-type development league. It’s unknown how much time he’s getting or where he’s being slotted, but while more production would be nice, there’s nothing to be concerned about as of now. He did get one game in the SHL, which is promising, it probably means coaches like what they see. It must be defensive reasons because he isn’t producing a whole lot.
Oskar Magnusson, C/RW [HockeyAllsvenskan]
- MAR: 3GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS
- SEASON: 49GP – 6G – 10A – 16PTS
- PLAYOFFS: 6GP – 0G – 0A – 0PTS
Like Persson, Oskar is having a good-not-great season. He only scored five more points last season but took him 11 more games. You want to see something a bit better than that. We’ll see how he does next season.
ECHL
Bear Hughes, C
- MAR: 13GP – 5G – 6A – 6PTS
- SEASON: 62GP – 23G – 34A – 57PTS
Hughes has been thrown all over the lineup playing wing and center on just about every line, so he isn’t producing as much when he was the team’s number one center, but he’s still producing very well for a rookie, almost a point per game base. It would be nice to see him get some AHL games for his effort but doesn’t look like that will happen. Maybe he’ll get one or two to end the season.
Martin Hugo Has, RHD
- MAR: 8GP – 2G – 2A – 4PTS
- SEASON: 49GP – 3G – 8A – 11PTS
Hugo still hasn’t really put up the points, but that shouldn’t be concerning. If Hugo is ever going to make an impact on a professional level it will be due to his defensive side of the game. He’s been getting top four time and it’s a good guess he’s probably being used as a shutdown guy due to his size and skating ability. This is fine development for a guy who’s ceiling is a strong bottom pairing defensemen. That being said, four points in eight games for March is a nice progression.
Clay Stevenson, G
- SEASON: 33GP – 2.55GAA – .916sv%
Stevenson kind of hit a wall recently. He was .931sv% at one point in January and is now down to .916sv%, but still that’s quite good for a rookie. He’s posting strong numbers that will probably rise the more experience he’ll get.Garin Bjorklund, G0GPBjorklund hasn’t played a game yet this season due to injury. Hopefully he gets some games at some point because he’s just 20 years old and needs to be playing.
AHL
Garret Pilon, C/LW/RW
- MAR: 12GP – 1G – 1A – 2PTS
- SEASON: 45GP – 8G – 14A – 22PTS
Pilon missed almost two months to injury this season but his lack of production is concerning for sure. At this point he needs to be close to a point per game type player. We’ll see how he ends the season and goes into the playoffs.
Beck Malenstyn, LW/RW
- MAR: 12GP – 1G – 2A – 3PTS
- SEASON: 36GP – 6G – 3A – 6PTS
Malenstyn is doing his usual thing, playing in the Bears bottom six causing a ruckus with his speed and physicality, and using his hard shot when he gets a chance. He doesn’t produce a ton but that’s not his calling card.
Bobby Nardella, LHD
- MAR: 10GP – 1G – 2A – 3PTS
- SEASON: 43GP – 4G – 15A – 19PTS
Nardella, like Pilon, just hasn’t been living up to what he’s shown in the past. Like Pilon, with his skill, Nardella should be close to a point per game player but hasn’t been there just yet. It’s hard to see him pushing into the Caps’ depth chart at this point.
Hendrix Lapierre, C
- MAR: 4GP – 1G – 0A – 1PTS
- SEASON: 54GP – 11G – 14A – 25PTS
After getting off to a great start to the season, Lapierre has really slowed down, even getting healthy scratched a couple games lately. It probably has to do more with his linemates (third line) and TOI (PP2 time) than anything. He was thriving when he had a legit shooter on his wing, like Frank. He also got hurt, which doesn’t help the situation. This is a case where the Caps should be stepping in and telling the Bears he needs to be getting top six center time with legit teammates and PP time. It’s frustrating.
Riley Sutter, C/RW
- MAR: 13GP – 1G – 0A – 1PTS
- SEASON: 62GP – 5G – 5A – 10PTS
Sutter probably won’t be much of a NHL player, more of a ‘tweener. If he wants to prove he’s more he needs to stay healthy and start producing, which won’t be easy since he mainly plays on the fourth line with the Bears. But he still impressed the Bears with his hard work and willingness to do anything to win with a big hit or shot block.
Lucas Johansen, LHD
- MAR: 11GP – 0G – 3A – 3PTS
- SEASON: 35GP – 1G – 6A – 7PTS
Thankfully, Johansen has been mostly healthy this season but he isn’t being as productive as he should be. It’s not the end of the world, because he’s more of a defensive guy than offensive, but he’s about to score vastly less than he did last season. I think he’s done with the AHL. It’s time for him to sink or swim in the NHL.
Vincent Iorio, RHD
- MAR: 6GP – 0G – 2A – 2PTS
- SEASON: 56GP – 2G – 17A – 19PTS
Iorio continues to have a strong start to his professional career. He looks more and more NHL ready every game he plays. He actually did get a NHL stint, playing three games and getting his first NHL point when dishing out a primary assist to Alxander Ovechkin. Talk about a great memory. He’s only going to get better the more he plays. He’s currently hurt but it’s believed not to be serious.
Henrik Rybinski, C/RW
- MAR: 10GP – 1G – 5A – 6PTS
- SEASON: 34GP – 4G – 12A – 16PTS
Rybinksi is known more for his skill, but he has adapted to getting bottom six time and has turned into a strong defensive forward that works his ass off in the corner and hard hits. This is certainly a good development for him but they also need to keep developing his offensive skills, because he has above average playmaking skills. I don’t think it’s a fluke that March was his most productive month; he’s getting used to the professional game. This year is fine as a year to get him used to the AHL, but starting next year he needs to be in a position to show off his offensive toolkit.
Kody Clark, RW
0GP
Clark has been injured since the preseason. It might be time to give up all hope on him. He can’t seem to stay healthy and when he is he isn’t producing like a second round pick.
Hunter Shepard, G
- SEASON: 22GP – 2.05GAA – .919sv%
Shephard had a good bounce back month for himself. He has the lowest GAA in the AHL and the fourth best save percentage. It’s very impressive stuff. But it’s hard to see him getting a crack at the NHL with the Caps. He’s a UFA this summer with Mitchell Gibson and Clay Stevenson vying for a AHL spot. Hopefully the Caps give him a chance.
Zach Fucale, G
- SEASON: 28GP – 2.58GAA – .899sv%
Fucale just isn’t having a great year and with the NHL duo playing so strong and Shephard taking the number one spot in Hershey, it’s hard to see him being re-signed by the Caps this summer.
NHL
Alexander Alexeyev, LHD
- MAR: 14GP – 0G – 3A – 3PTS
- SEASON: 26GP – 0G – 5A – 5PTS
Not much has gone well for the Caps in the month of March, but the brightest spot by far has been Alexeyev. He’s been the Caps’ best defensemen and one of their best players overall. The production may not be there but that’s fine. His possession numbers have been fantastic. Here’s to hoping this is just the beginning.
Doesn’t that picture of Lapierre make him look a lot like Sidney Crosby (forgive me)?
Nice Game
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Can’t wait to start yelling Sudsy !!!!
Is it beyond sad that I came onto this new site today to see the photo of the “And then there was golf” post. excuse me while i cry now.
The part of Alexeyev’s game that brings out the biggest grin for me – his hip checks. So great to see those well executed in the game, and establishing that reputation now will establish him as a greater presence and deterrent down the line in his career.