Bruce Boudreau and the Washington Capitals opened up their 2010 Development Camp today at Kettler Capitals IcePlex in Arlington, VA. Over 40 prospects and invitees from various programs are spending the week in suburban D.C. with hopes of making a good impression on the Caps' brass. While most of these players won't even sniff an NHL roster spot in their careers, there are several intriguing players participating in this year's camp. Here is a brief look at a few (and early impressions from their day one performance), and hopefully I will have a chance to speak to a few of these guys at some point this week:

Cody Eakin, C (5'11" 180 lbs)
Eakin, a 2009 third-round pick is participating in his second development camp as a Capitals' prospect. Eakin had a very promising season in the WHL with Swift Current, despite just missing the cut with the Canadian World Junior team. Eakin showed good speed and a strong net presence during last year's camp, and impressed me with his toughness. While Caps fans have been clamoring for a second-line center this offseason, guys like Eakin show that GMGM has considerable depth in his prospect pipeline. He seems to have filled out his frame a little more over the last year, and his handles are better than I remember. I will be curious to see how he performs (and improves) over the course of camp.

Marcus Johansson, C (5'11" 189 lbs)
Johansson, like Eakin was a product of the 2009 draft, being picked in the first round from Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. Johansson quick shot up the Caps' top prospect list with a strong season in the SEL (10 goals, 10 assists) and figures to compete for the second line center spot with the big club. This is the first opportunity for most of us to see the young Swede in person, and it will be interesting to see if he can make enough of an impression on the coaching staff to warrant a strong look behind his countryman Nicklas Backstrom. He certainly seems to have the desire to compete for that spot, considering that he showed up a whole week early to get used to North American-sized ice by skating at Kettler.

Evgeny Kuznetsov, C (6'0" 178 lbs)
The Caps' first round pick in 2010 offers a unique prospect for George McPhee's pool. Many scouts projected the young Russian as a top five prospect, but his stock seemed to fall as people shied away from his KHL affiliation. Kuznetsov appears much stronger in person than he might have looked on draft day, and didn't shy away from contact during his first practice session. He had one particularly nice pass that looked Semin-like, so it seems that a lot of people around here are extremely optimistic about his upside. Kuznetsov was also the most vocal player during the first workout, often explaining drills to other players and joking around at appropriate times. He seems like a good-natured guy overall.

Dmitri Orlov, D (5'11" 202 lbs)
Orlov impressed a lot of people during last year's camp (including myself) with his agility and stick handling ability. He seems extremely comfortable walking the line on the powerplay, and while short, he has a strong lower body and doesn't shy away from contact. He is expected to spend another year in the KHL before coming over to play in North America, but the Caps are confident that he has NHL-type potential, and could challenge for a roster spot in a few years.

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