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Photo credit: Vitaly Gubin / HC Traktor
Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his team’s first-ever KHL finals goal and the fifth of his postseason, but his team couldn’t add to it. Dynamo took game one of the KHL finals, 2-1. In game two, Kuzynetsov picked up an assist, but Traktor lost again after allowing a late goal.
Photo credit: AHL Tumblr
When the Caps traded Filip Forsberg to Nashville Predators, a divided fanbase described the return as “Martin Erat and some other guy”. That other guy, Michael Latta, is more than just an add-in for the deal.
At 21 years of age, Latta, who played for Nashville’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, is nearing his NHL debut. Despite his relatively small stature (6-foot, 215 pounds), he hits hard and can drop the gloves. Latta is an agitator, which was one reason why the Caps drafted Tom Wilson last year while talented players like Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Collberg, and Mark Jankowski were still available.
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Kuznetsov takes a selfie at his locker after the game (Photo credit: Kuznetsov’s Instagram)
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s Traktor Chelyabinsk beat Ak Bars Kazan 2-1 in Game 7 of KHL Eastern Conference Finals. With goals by captain Vladimir Antipov and Andrei Kostitsyn (whose move to the Panthers is delayed again), Traktor pulled off an upset, coming back from 1-3 deficit in the series. Kuznetsov didn’t get any points in game seven.
Traktor, who has played in two games seven this postseason, both times trailing by two games in the series (0-2 and 1-3), will face Alex Ovechkin’s home team and the reigning champions, Dynamo Moscow, in the finals. This is the deepest Traktor has gone in the KHL postseason.
Photo credit: USCHO
The Capitals have signed Nate Schmidt, a 6-foot, 194-pound, lefty to a two-year entry-level contract, kicking in this season. The 21-year-old from St. Cloud spent three years with the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers, where late-round Caps draft pick Travis Boyd also played. Over the last two seasons, Schmidt has been nearly a point-per-game player. Schmidt attended Capitals Development Camp last year.
This season, Schmidt ranked third in points among NCAA defensemen and first in the WCHA. He was named to the All-WCHA first team and considered the top free agent on a Gophers team composed mostly of already drafted NHL prospects.
Photo credit: svenskafans.com
Filip Forsberg was impressive in Leksands IF’s first game of the Kvalserien, scoring two goals in a 3-1 win over Michael Nylander’s Sodertalje SK. On Thursday, the 2012 first-round pick was at it again, this time tallying two more goals in a 8-3 blowout win over Timra IK.
Miami University’s Riley Barber headlines a list of Caps prospects at the NCAA Tournament (Photo credit: Rachel Lewis / Triple Deke Photography)
Washington Capitals prospects have been no strangers to the NCAA hockey tournament recently. A year ago, four of them (including then-UFA Cameron Schilling) made it to regionals. This year’s tournament includes six Caps prospects.
Regionals will be held in Toledo, OH; Providence, RI; Grand Rapids, MI; and Manchester, NH. The winners of the tournaments will face each other in Pittsburgh on April 11-13.
Grab yourself a bracket and let’s learn about our competing Caps prospects.
Evgeny Kuznetsov faces pressure on and off the ice. (Photo credit: Vitaly Gubin / HC Traktor)
Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov continues his KHL playoff run. After a tough 4-3 series win over Barys Astana in the first round of the playoffs, Traktor dethroned Eastern Conference champions Avangard Omsk in five games.
Photo credit: dt.se
After winning the HockeyAllsvenskan’s regular-season championship, Leksands IF and Caps prospect Filip Forsberg secured a place in the Kvalserien — a 10-game round-robin tournament featuring the four best Allsvenskan teams and two worst Elitserien teams. The franchises duke it out to decide which two clubs will play in the top-tier Elitserien next season.
Leksand got a few weeks of rest before tourney while other teams fought for wildcard spots. The break sure seemed to help Leksand, who beat Sodertalje SK and the Nylanders 3-1 in the Kvalserien’s first game in front of a sizable crowd (6,772). Forsberg showed off his skill and speed, scoring twice in the win. His second goal was the game-winner.
Evgeny Kuznetsov, an active Instagrammer, made a media splash with this recent photo.
Kuznetsov has been the subject of some harsh criticism of late. The second half of the season hasn’t been kind to Kuznetsov as his team has struggled to score goals. During the playoffs, Kuzya had scored just three points in nine playoff match-ups (he scored nine points in twelve postseason games last year).
The young star has been critical of himself, saying that he doesn’t deserve to wear the jersey of the national team. TV analysts Sergey Gimaev and Boris Mayorov went a step further, criticizing Traktor Chelyabinsk for hanging Kuznetsov’s sweater from the rafters of Traktor Arena.
The Instagram image uploaded by Kuznetsov (and later deleted) contains a note that said: “Dear specialists, please shut your mouth about my jersey that’s hanging from the rafters of our arena…”. Allhockey.ru picked up the story, publishing the picture. Kuznetsov screengrabbed that post adding a caption that said “Leave me alone, bastards!”.
Jaynen Rissling chases down Erik Benoit. (Photo credit: Kevin Hiscock/Calgary Hitmen)
As the CHL regular season winds down, a few Caps prospects are heating up. Three of four are playing on powerhouse teams and will be looking to make a splash come playoff time.
Recently, Caps prospects Jaynen Rissling (a seventh round pick in the 2012 draft) of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen and Tom Wilson (first-round selection in 2012) of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers, each posted big performances.
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