Caps re-sign Eminger and Sutherby

From the Caps:

The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman Steve Eminger and center Brian Sutherby, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Brooks Laich and Milan Jurcina both have arbitration hearings at the end of this month. I bet we will hear about a multi-year deal for Jurcina before then.

The Caps have also signed G prospect Simeon Varlamov to a three year entry level contract, but from what Tarik writes, Varlamov will probably be spending at least another year playing in Russia.

During a brief interview with goaltender Simeon Varlamov last night, I asked him why he wanted a clause in his contract that allows him to return to Russia next season. Here's what he said:

"Because there is such a provision in my contract, that means I want to play next year at home in Russia. I want to become tougher mentally and physically, and I can do that by playing another year at the highest level back home."

Quick update

I am swamped at work today which is unfortunate because there is so much going on in Caps Land.

Here is Tarik's take on whats going on at Development Camp today:

I'm out here at Kettler Capitals Iceplex taking in the opening morning of development camp. Not much to report yet. There are about a dozen fans in the stands and Hanlon and Boudreau are at the markerboard diagramming systems.

It's hard to tell which players look good because they're doing drills at the moment. I can, however, confirm this much: Varlamov is very quick. Unfortunately, I missed Backstrom's group because of a traffic backup.

This afternoon's scrimmage, from 4:30-6, should be pretty revealing in terms where individuals are in their development. So I'm looking forward to that. After the scrimmage is also the only time reporters can do interviews.

I'll do my best to update with news and interesting tidbits this week, but the boken-up schedule and limited access is going to make it difficult.

Don't forget all of the on-ice sessions are open and free to the public. So there's no excuse not to come out and get your July hockey fix.

And here is the Cap's full roster for camp.

Capitals Development Camp

Between the July 4th festivities (beer, baseball, and veggie dogs), and then recovery from the July 4th festivities (beer), I forgot to post this:

The Washington Capitals will hold their annual summer development camp at their new training facility for the first time, July 11-14 at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. The camp, which features recent Capitals draft picks, select rookie players and other prospects, includes on- and off-ice workouts.

The on-ice workouts, which will include multiple scrimmages, are open to the public. The off-ice workouts are closed to the public.

Capitals Summer Development Camp On Ice Schedule

Tuesday, July 10 Players arrive

Wednesday, July 11 On ice in two groups beginning at 8:30 a.m.; scrimmage from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Thursday, July 12 On ice in two groups beginning at 8:30 a.m.; scrimmage from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Friday, July 13 On ice in two groups beginning at 8:30 a.m.; scrimmage from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Saturday, July 14 On ice in two groups beginning at 8:30 a.m.; scrimmage from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

Sunday, July 15 Players depart

The camp’s complete roster is yet to be finalized, but among the confirmed participants are Capitals first-round draft picks Karl Alzner (2007), Nicklas Backstrom (2006), Simeon Varlamov (2006), Sasha Pokulok (2005) and Joe Finley (2005). Michal Neuvirth (a 2006 second-round selection) and Maryland natives Luke Lynes (a 2006 Capitals draft pick) and Stephen Werner (a 2003 Capitals draft pick) will also attend.

PS: I forgot to mention that the Caps are getting some love from George Solomon (three paragraphs, but I'll take what I can get from the Post). Its nothing Caps fans didnt know but a little respect feels nice. Check it out at the Post and CapsChick has a breakdown.

07 draft review

Hockey's Future has a good take on how the Caps fared in this year's draft. This quote about Karl Alzner really stood out:

What separates Alzner from the pack is his approachable, light personality. Clearly someone who likes to talk, Alzner is a team-first player who will do whatever his coach and the team asks of him. When asked about his limited ice time with Team Canada at the 2007 World Juniors, Alzner responded, "I play whatever role I’m thrown into. I used that time on the bench to watch some of the best Canadian players in the CHL and in the college ranks, it was such a good learning experience for me... I'm just as good of a cheerleader as I am a player."

QA fun!

Tarik has the list of players who were made qualifying offers by the Caps :

Steve Eminger
John Erskine
Tomas Fleischmann
Jamie Hunt
Milan Jurcina
Jakub Klepis
Brooks Laich
Brian Sutherby
Dave Steckel

Guys who make $660,000 or less get a 10-percent raise (salary maxes out at $1million). Guys who make more than $660,000 get a 5-percent raise.

Here are the guys who didn't get qualifying offers, and thus are being cut loose:

Kris Beech (no surprise)
Jiri Novotny (no surprise)
Matt Stefanishion
Joey Tenute
Jonas Johansson
Louis Robitaille
Maxime Daigneault

I am fine with cutting Kris Beech and Jiri Novotny loose. Beech hasnt proven himself at this level, despite plenty of opportunity to do so while playing on a line with Alex Semin. Novotny was one of those young guys that we took during a trade. Sometimes GMGM gets the steal they were looking for (Jurcina) and sometimes they dont. Novotny just didnt look like he was playing for a roster spot.

But Joey Tenute? Boy makes me squee. He punctured a lung during Hershey's playoffs, and was back a month later in the lineup. Every team needs a couple gritty players who put the team first and Tenute is one of them.

As for the Caps we kept, I am really glad to see Eminger on that list. I know he can be a hot mess sometimes, but he is really young and definitely in development. The Caps did a disservice to their young D-men last season when many of them were not paired consistently with vets. The Caps didnt have much of a choice in that decision, but I think Eminger deserves a chance to prove himself. I know, I know -- if he sucks, then his value as trade bait goes down. But, I am hoping to see him out there in September.

John Erskine? He is awesome. Dude scares small children, but still manages to look like he has a chihuahua named CoCo Chanel at home.

It was terrific to see Tomas Fleischmann on the list of Caps who got QAs. Flash is going to be a solid, maybe even exceptional player for an NHL team. He's got moves, he can skate, and he's got curly red hair to match his jersey. Boy needs to gain a few pounds, but he can work on that.

Milan Jurcina is one of those gems that GMGM found and made the right trade for. We got him for a 4th round pick in 2008, and the Bruins can keep kicking themselves in the ass for that one. He eats minutes, lays crushing hits on guys, and you know he gives Shaone Morrisonn one of these on Valentines Day.

Jakub Klepis: glad we kept him, now he has got to show us what he has got...consistently. He kicked ass when we sent him back to Hershey, and we need him to show his skillz up here too.

Dave Steckel: He got a little bit of time with the Caps this season and from what I saw of him, he looked like he was fighting for a spot on the roster. Having seen him in Hershey, it seems like he is a big fish in a small pond down there and the reverse would be true in DC. I think he has definitely got potential, but isnt he a checking line forward with the Caps? And dont we have a glut of those? That said, I really like him and we'll see how it plays out at training camp.

We are all pretty familiar with Laich and Sutherby, so I am not going to bite into that one.

Now, lets see who gets traded, what free agents get signed, and how many times GMGM can make us squee this summer.

Raging teen hormones + Canadian teens + Russian teens = the Canada/Russia Super Series. I am all a-squee.

Well, I might have made up the part about raging teen hormones but a girl can hope.

CALGARY – Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), announced Wednesday its roster of 26 junior aged players (born in 1988 or later) that will represent Canada at the Canada/Russia Super Series. The Canada/Russia Super Series, a one-time eight-game series featuring the best Under-20 players from Canada and Russia, will take place from August 27th to September 9th, with the first four games to be held in Russia, and the final four to be held in Canadian cities (Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Red Deer and Vancouver).

This looks like its going to a good showcase for some of the young hockey talent in the world. The Canadian roster includes Keaton Ellerby, Karl Alzner, Colton Gillies and a few other 2007 Draft first rounders on display. We'll also get a glimpse of some young Russian talent that we might not see soon (or at all) due to the battle that rages on about a transfer agreement between the NHL and RSL.

Random note: I linked to Sports Squee at the top of this blog, which is a terrific sports site. Margee at Sports Squee lost a bet to CapsChick and had to write a glowing blog about Alex Semin. Its definitely worth reading. You will never think of Semin the same way.

Bears lose Calder Cup

Sadly, the Hershey Bears lost the AHL Calder Cup to the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs goaltender was absolutely amazing in goal. It was a great season for the Bears and a great experience for a lot of Caps prospects. Here's to hoping I see a lot of those prospects in DC next season.

Carey Price led Hamilton to its first Calder Cup title, stopping 29 shots in the Bulldogs' 2-1 victory over the Hershey Bears on Thursday night in Game 5 of the American Hockey League championship series.

Price, the 19-year-old goalie who spent most of the season in junior hockey with the Tri-City Americans, was the playoffs MVP.

"I was just so relieved [when the game ended]," Price said. "They're a good team. They could have come back at any second. It's a nice way to top it off."

Calder Cup Finals

The Hershey Bears finished their sweep of the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday night with a 3-1 win. They will take on the Hamilton Bulldogs in the Calder Cup finals. Unfortunately, I will be moving on June 1-2, but if the Bulldogs push the series past five games, I will definitely make it up to Hershey.

GAME 1: Friday, June 1
Hamilton at HERSHEY
7:00 p.m.
GIANT Center

GAME 2:
Saturday, June 2
Hamilton at HERSHEY
7:00 p.m.
GIANT Center

GAME 3:
Monday, June 4
HERSHEY at Hamilton
7:30 p.m.
Copps Coliseum

GAME 4:
Wednesday, June 6
HERSHEY at Hamilton
7:30 p.m.
Copps Coliseum

GAME 5:
Thursday, June 7
HERSHEY at Hamilton
7:30 p.m.
Copps Coliseum*

GAME 6:
Tuesday, June 12
Hamilton at HERSHEY
7:00 p.m.
GIANT Center *

GAME 7:
Friday, June 15
Hamilton at HERSHEY
7:00 p.m.
GIANT Center*

*if necessary

To stay or not to stay

JP over at Japers Rink has a great post up about Caps RFAs and UFAs this off season. He has a full break down of the decent number of players the Caps are going to have to make decisions about this summer.

Hershey update

Last night the Bears won Game 3 of the AHL Eastern Conference final against the Manchester Monarchs in ManchVegas, NH. The win propels the Bears to a 3-0 series lead and gives them the opportunity to close out the series with a win on Saturday in NH.

Quick highlights:
- Caps D prospect Mike Green scored last night, and the Bears official stats have him with goals in the past three games and points in five straight games
- Caps F prospect Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and a couple assists
-The Bears have outscored the Monarchs 15-4 through the first three games of this series

Semin...Backstrom...Fleischmann?

On Frozen Blog has an excellent post up about Caps prospects and their role in the 2007-08 season. Check'em out, its great reading.

Draft plans

Ken McKenna at the Sporting News is doing a series of blogs on the NHL teams that have the top five picks for this year's draft. The Caps round out that list at number five and Ken offers his take on prospects in the works:

The Capitals also have two good goaltending prospects in Semen Varlamov, a Russian taken in the first round of the 2006 NHL draft, and Michal Neuvirth, another player chosen in what is looking like a very good 2006 draft for the Capitals. Neither backstop is ready to step into the NHL at this time, but the combination gives the club some enviable goaltending depth for the future.

And, in addition to the defenders Green and Schultz, the Capitals also have several solid defensive prospects for the future. Twin towers Sasha Pokulok (6-5) and Joe Finley (6-7), both first round selections in 2005, should provide a commanding presence in the future. And diminutive Sami Lepisto could be a power play quarterback for the Capitals when he comes to North America to begin his pro career.