While many members of its varsity roster are in Toronto preparing to participate in the World Cup of Hockey, a group of Washington Capitals prospects and free agent hopefuls are in Ft. Lauderdale for a less celebrated tournament.
For the second time in as many summers, the Caps are participating in the Florida rookie tournament along with the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning. The tournament gets underway on Saturday afternoon and concludes on Tuesday. Each team will play three games, one against each of the other participating teams.
Last year's tournament was held on the other side of the state, in Estero.
The Caps will face Tampa Bay on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m., they'll face Florida at 6 p.m. on Sunday and they'll take on Nashville at 10 a.m. on Tuesday before returning to the District.
Washington brings a strong roster to the 2016 tourney, including half a dozen members of the 2015-16 Hershey Bears team that advanced to the Calder Cup final in June. Forwards Riley Barber, Travis Boyd and Jakub Vrana and defensemen Madison Bowey, Christian Djoos and Tyler Lewington were all key cogs on last season's Bears team, piloted by coach Troy Mann. Mann is running the bench for the Caps at the Florida tournament, as he did last September.
All six of the aforementioned Caps players skated in the Florida tournament last September, as did goaltender Vitek Vanecek. Those seven players completed their first pro seasons in 2015-16. This season's introductory class includes center Zach Sanford, a second-rounder (61st overall) from the 2013 NHL Draft. Sanford signed an entry-level contract this past summer.
Defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler, a second-round (57th overall) from the 2015 NHL Draft, will also be turning pro in North America this season. Siegenthaler skated in the Florida tournament last September before returning to his native Switzerland where he played the '15-16 season.
Goaltender Adam Carlson is also among those prospects set to embark upon their respective professional voyages this season. Carlson played collegiate hockey with Mercyhurst last season before signing with the Capitals as a free agent in late March. He and Vanecek will be handling the goaltending chores for Washington at this tournament.
Four newly drafted Caps will also be suiting up for the 2016 tournament. Defenseman Lucas Johansen (first round, 26th overall), center Garrett Pilon (third round, 87th overall), left wing Beck Malenstyn (fifth round, 145th overall) and defenseman Dmitriy Zaitsev (seventh round, 207th overall).
Of the 22 players participating for Washington in the tournament, 15 were Capitals draft choices and another (Carlson) signed with the Caps as a free agent. The other six players are unsigned free agents hoping to make a positive impression and potentially earn an invitation to Washington's main training camp, which gets underway on Friday at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington.
Here's how the Caps lined up for Friday's practice and how they're likely to lineup for today's game against the Panthers:
FORWARDS
13-Jakub Vrana, 54-Travis Boyd, 61-Dan DeSalvo
47-Beck Malenstyn, 82-Zach Sanford, 24-Riley Barber
59-Dylan Margonari, 40-Garrett Pilon, 73-John Parker
93-Steven McParland, 85-Josh Pitt, 57-Nolan LaPorte
DEFENSEMEN
34-Jonas Siegenthaler, 22-Madison Bowey
29-Djoos, 78-Tyler Lewington
21-Johansen, 36-Hobbs
(95-Dmitriy Zaitsev, 38-Colby Williams)
GOALTENDERS
41-Vitek Vanecek
81-Adam Carlson
First Power Play Unit: Sanford, Barber, Vrana, Johansen, Boyd
Second Power Play Unit: Pilon, DeSalvo, Malenstyn, Hobbs, Djoos
