Vrana Progressing as Capitals Expected

As Jakub Vrana connected on a pass from Brett Connolly off a transition play, then skated all alone toward the Flyers net, the Sunday crowd at Capital One Arena was confident. The young forward had given them reason to expect phase two: a five-hole goal for his 22nd of the season and a 3-1 lead, ultimately the final goal of the game.

"Their D joined the rush, so there was a window for me to take off and Conno made a great play from the wall," Vrana said.
In just under a year Vrana has risen from a promising young rookie last season to a bonafide scoring threat. He's among the Capitals' six players with at least 20 goals and he's been one of the most consistent players on the team all season.
Vrana's longest point-drought was four games, from Oct. 10 to Oct. 17, and he hasn't gone more than three straight contests without appearing on the stat sheet since the first week of January. Averaging 0.59 points per game this season, up from 0.37 in 2017-18, Vrana's playing like he wants his second Cup in as many full seasons.
"We have big goals as a team," Vrana said. "We have this thing to defend … a Stanley Cup. My goal is to just make sure I'm prepared and obviously produce offensively and all around."

His teammates are less shy about gushing on his personal contribution to their quest to defend the title. They always knew he could play a big part.

"I think you see the potential as soon as you draft him," John Carlson said. "But he found that comfort zone to roll [his playoff success] over into this year … he can do many things that not a lot of guys in the league can."
"The coaches have given him a lot of responsibility, a lot of minutes, and he's made the most of it," said Tom Wilson, who's tied with Vrana and T.J. Oshie for the second-most goals on the team (22), behind Alex Ovechkin's NHL-leading 48.
"That's something you have to do in this League," Wilson said. "You have to go out there and produce. That's not easy, and you're in the spotlight a little more. He's done an amazing job of handling all of it."
Vrana skated in 73 games last year, recording 27 points (13g, 14a), but his rise was accelerated in the summer. Skating primarily on the second line with Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom during the playoffs, he tallied eight points (3g, 5a) in 23 games - playing in all but one - and he scored the winning goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal while slotted on the first line. He proved the stage wasn't too big then.

Flash forward to his second full season, the Capitals banked on Vrana's development and he's justified those expectations. Among fellow 2014 draftees, Vrana's 21-even strength goals this season rank third.
Additionally, Vrana's rounded his game in 2018-19, becoming a two-way player who's earning more responsibility as he logs more experience.
"The goal-scoring has continued to grow, which we expected - he has the skill-level to do it," Head coach Todd Reirden said. "But if you look at his goal [Sunday], he was playing in the defensive zone, understanding that side of the game. Then he forces a turnover and he's able to get a breakaway out of it.
"That says a lot about how his game has grown, that he's able to take a defensive play and turn it into offense. He's growing every day, so he's a fun player to work with. He wants to get better and has a pretty high ceiling."