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Washington Capitals:Welcome Back Fisticuffs!
I'm about a week late on this news, but the Caps acquired enforcer D.J. King in exchange for 2008 seventh-rounder Stefan Della Rovere. The King trade will certainly spark up the enforcer debate among the Caps' faithful that has smoldered since George McPhee allowed Donald Brashear to walk after the 2008-2009 season. While many people think this is a response to some recent comments made by a certain Penguin, others believe that King can add some toughness to a team that was often viewed as too soft last season (and postseason). Unfortunately, we don't have a large body of work to analyze when it comes to King, because he's only been able to play thirteen games over the past two seasons due to some freak injuries (hand, shoulder). According to George McPhee, King was not acquired for the sole purpose of fighting (or so he wants us to believe), and has faith that King (6'3" 230 lbs) has enough physicality to contribute on the forecheck and wear out opponents. Prior to the trade, the Blues signed King to a two-year, one-way deal, so we should expect to see him in a Caps sweater (or the press box) for the next two seasons. With that in mind, let's take a look at what the guy has to offer
Mad Max Stokes the Fire. Should He?
It's common knowledge that Washington Capitals fans (and D.C. sports fans in general) tend to have a bit of an inferiority complex. This is certainly the case when anyone makes mention of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and the like to a faithful Caps fan. While I am the first to admit that I hate almost everything about that organization, I certainly recognize the success they've experienced and respect the fact that they have won three Stanley Cups to date. As much as I personally hate the Pens, I'm not one to typically pick a fight with their fans over stupid things, because quite frankly, I want bragging rights first.
Brett Flemming: The Prospect, The Paintballer, The Person
This week's development camp has been full of stories about players fighting to impress the Capitals' coaching staff and front office. Some guys are high-round picks that are expected to stand out above the rest while others are invitees just hoping to garner enough attention to get another look down the road. Sometimes there are guys lost in the shuffle that are taken in the late rounds of the NHL Entry Draft. These players still have quite a bit to prove despite their prospect status. This week I had the pleasure of speaking to one of those guys: defenseman Brett Flemming, a Caps' fifth-round pick from the 2009 Entry Draft. Carolina Hurricanes Buffalo Tickets Chicago Bulls Milwaukee Tickets Rain A Tribute To The Beatles Tickets Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark Tickets Spring Training Tampa Bay Rays Tampa Tickets Flemming (5'11" 179 lbs) is coming off two strong seasons of junior hockey with Mississauga St. Michael's Majors, posting twenty-eight and twenty-four points respectively in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. This is his second development camp in Washington since being drafted, and he certainly seems to be making the most of his opportunity. He has had strong, not flashy performances in both scrimmages, exhibiting good positioning, sound play along the boards and good physicality. Brett is regarded as a strong skater as well as a responsible player and likes to compare his skill set to that of Toronto defenseman Brett Lebda, offering that "he's a smaller defenseman and a good skater, like me." Regarding his performance in the first scrimmage on Wednesday, Flemming explained that "[the scrimmage] was pretty fast and I thought I could keep up pretty well. I've been training pretty hard so I think it went really well." Considering that Washington is expecting the arrival of two highly touted prospects this fall in John Carlson and Karl Alzner, there certainly seems to be an opportunity for Flemming to move up in the organizational pecking order, but he seems to be taking a humble approach to his own development. "I'm just trying to soak it in right now, and I'm not trying to place myself anywhere in this organization. I still have another year in Junior left before I can really go anywhere." He also explained that he feels there are several talented defensemen in the system, and he must continue to train hard and work on improving his game. Flemming has several personal goals ahead of him in the coming year, but he is content to keep the focus on his team. "My team is actually hosting the Memorial Cup, so it'd be nice to win that. It'd be a good team goal for us."
Overall, it seems like Flemming is a solid prospect with high character--just the kind of player that can help contribute to a championship-caliber team. Flemming always seems to put his teammates first and certainly won't hesitate to stand up for them. He already has three listings on hockeyfights.com from the last two seasons, but he was quick to shoot down any ideas that he's a tough-guy. "It's not really a part of my game, but defending a teammate, or defending myself, I'll fight if I have to."
As for this week, Flemming just seems to be taking it all in again. The team was headed out for a paintball game this afternoon, which was the inspiration for my candid photo of Brett during yesterday's morning skate. The picture was actually brought to his attention by his mother, and he seemed a little surprised that I caught him having such a good time out on the ice. "I was just trying to do a little demonstration of shooting a paintball gun," he claimed (video below). When I asked him about his strategy for the afternoon endeavor, he avoided the macho approach, claiming that he would find a spot to camp and try to avoid getting shot. Hopefully we'll hear back from him at a later date to see just how that plan worked out for him!
After getting the opportunity to speak with Brett this week, I came away impressed with both his ability on the ice as well as his professionalism off of it. He carried himself with a lot of humility, but also seems to have a lot of heart as well. I certainly think that George McPhee has found a player with strong character and work ethic, and I sincerely hope that it pays off for both Brett and the organization down the road.
Caps Development Camp: Day 4 (Scrimmage)
Sorry for the delay on this post guys, but today included a bit of a family emergency, so I haven't had the time to write anything down. Anyway, this morning scrimmage took on a completely different tempo than yesterday's in that it was more offense-oriented and fast-paced. Both teams seemed to show a little more flash and a little less grit, leading to a 6-5 final score. Marcus Johansson was probably the most relieved man on the ice today after scoring his first goal of the camp, and the young Swede certainly looked more comfortable during his second game at KCI. Bruce Boudreau acknowledged that his seemed to take more risks today and it paid off. Along with MoJo's goal, he also had a few really nice opportunities that were missed because of his linemates (much like yesterday). Unfortunately for Johansson, his shootout attempt looked a lot like a typical Alex Semin attempt...and we all know that isn't a compliment (EDIT: and of course the initial comment came from Addison Huber of RMNB). Here are a few thoughts on the scrimmage overall: Stanislav Galiev was extremely impressive on the day, potting an early goal and throwing in the game-winner in the shootout. His best move of the day didn't result in a goal, but he executed a beautiful spin in the slot to set up a nice scoring chance. Dustin Stevenson had a solid outing, including a few well-timed hits. George McPhee's new signee seems to be fitting in well despite flying under the radar during practice. Joe Finley's improvement hasn't always been extremely obvious, but he's done a great job this week pairing up with Dmitri Orlov. His positioning continues to be sound, and his skating has improved quite a bit. According to Boudreau, Finley has a larger window of time to improve than the average prospect because of his impressive size. Cody Eakin had a nice goal on the doorstep, and he was also called-upon in all situations (PK, PP, Shootout). He willingly laid down to block a few shots and generally looked comfortable at all times out on the ice. Trevor Bruess is a feisty guy, but he certainly has some skill as well. He looked far more comfortable today playing on a line with Cameron Burt and Marcus Johansson. |
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