Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pre-Camp Updates

Galiev signs his contract, Neuvy hits DC

The QMJHL's preseason is already in swing, and Capitals prospect Sam Carrier has started with his new team, Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Drakkar played their first preaseason game on Friday, August 19, and Carrier made his debut in style - he scored one goal and two assists in a 6-2 win over Chicoutimi. 

He also wore an A on his sweater for the game, which may or may not indicate that he will be an alternate captain for the coming season. Drakkar played another game against Chicoutimi on Sunday, but Carrier did not play in that game.

The OHL and the WHL do not begin their preseasons until next week.

Over the past few days, a group of players consisting of John Carlson, Matt Hendricks, Jeff Halpern, Stanislav Galiev, Dmitri Orlov, and former Capitals goaltender Brent Johnson have been practicing at Kettler Capitals Iceplex. Today there was a new arrival at the rink: Michal Neuvirth joined the group (about halfway through the skate) for the first time this summer, flying in from the Czech Republic earlier this week.

Hendricks led drills this morning, and they concluded their skate with a modified game of shinny, setting up goalposts on the opposite ends of one zone of the ice. Coach Bob Woods' son Brendan, who plays hockey at Wisconsin, also participated in the skate. Woods was a free agent invitee to Capitals development camp in 2010.

After the skate this morning, Stanislav Galiev tweeted that he had signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals.

A few photos from today's skate are here.