| 13 July 2009
Talk about standing in the shadows of greatness.
Group A is on the ice right now working on shooting drills while Group B is running sprints, leaping and doing other calisthenics behind the benches.
For those who haven't seen the groups yet:
Group A:
Joel Broda, Trevor Bruess, Greg Burke, Phil DeSimone, Dan Dunn, Joe Finley, Brett Flemming, Andrew Glass, Braden Holtby, Zack Miskovic, Garrett Mitchell, Mathieu Perreault
Group B:
Francious Bouchard, Benjamin Casavant, John Carlson, Stefan Della Rovere, Cody Eakin, Josh Godfrey, Anton Gustafsson, Jake Hauswith, Dmitry Kugryshev, Eric Mestery, Dmitri Orlov
Some initial thoughts on Group A:
First thing you notice on the ice is Joe Finley's size. He's easily the biggest name (pardon the pun) in the group, and the only first round draft pick in Group A. If you haven't seen him in person, the numbers really don't tell the tale: He's just a huge kid. If Joe plays his size, he's going to be a tremendous addition to the Capitals -- Bears fans should be anxious.
Outside of Finley, there isn't too much to get excited over right now. The biggest names at camp are set to go on at 2:30 p.m., and much of the buzz is about seeing Anton Gustafsson, John Carlson and Dmitri Orlov.
Phil DeSimone is getting pushed around by the defenders; he just let out an f-bomb in frustration. He seems nervous, botched a hit earlier and just has looked shaky on his skates.
Perreault is one fast kid. Burned Finley earlier and just looks good right now.
Zambonis on the ice, break time.
Zambonis off the ice and Boudreau on the drawing board. Looks like they're going to do some systems work.
Prospects doing end-to-end rushes ending in 2-on-1 situations. Perrault just deked the holy hell out of Finley.
I wish I had said it, but I definitely thought it. JapersRink: Feel that Acta heat, Bruce! No one's job is safe!
VIDEO: 2-on-1 rushes. Sorry for cam quality, just using a small digital camera today. (Shameless plug) Click our sponsors and we can afford a high-quailty video camera. (End shamless plug)
Caps in a 5-on-3 drill, working on moving the puck to the point for slapshots and screens. Finley's unleashed a few bombs, but Joel Broda looks good setting up plays, digging in the corners, and rushing down the ice.
Nils Backstrom (an invitee?) just blistered one past Holtby. This drill is quite a bit of fun to watch. It's just d-men slapping away from the point and the forwards grinding along the boards.
Boudreau has the boys doing a side-board-to-board Herbie-style skating drill. Looks like Group A is about to head off the ice and there will be some downtime between now and the next group.
It's hard to judge exactly how camp has started for some of the Group A kids. I'm seeing some of them for the first time, some might not be in drills that play to their strengths and it's only the first day. Finley's size stands out but his skating could use some work; he's been burned by more than a few players but his physical presence has been felt. He's hitting and he's hitting with a purpose.
Perreault looks great out there, a fast, smooth skater who can set up plays. Broda and Bruess stood out as real hard workers and Braden Holtby looked solid between the pipes. Holtby saw more action than Dunn, or at least it seemed like that. Phil DeSimone stood out in the worst way possible; he was shaky, looked nervous and just wasn't very impressive at all, but then again, it's only day one.
The small crowd lets out cheers and applause for the prospects. Group A is done.
(We'll be updating the post as camp progresses)
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