Photo credit: Chris Gordon

Olie Kolzig is remembered as the greatest goalie in Capitals history. A staple in Washington’s net for over a decade, Kolzig led the team to their only Stanley Cup Finals appearance and became one of the franchise’s most beloved players. These days Kolzig has a different role. In his second year as associate goaltending coach, Kolzig spends his time mentoring the club’s young netminders in both minor leagues. The influence of a veteran has apparently rubbed off on the players– Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth recently added the German goalie’s likeness to his mask, a gesture Kolzig deeply appreciated.

On Sunday, I spoke on the phone with Olie The Goalie, who was in Hershey scouting the Bears game. As the NHL season approached, Kolzig gave me his thoughts on the Caps goalie duo, the distractions Braden Holtby faced last season, and what he sees next for Alex Ovechkin. He even told me what he thought of Tom Poti‘s return to hockey and what that could mean for the organization.

What are your thoughts on Philipp Grubauer’s first AHL win last Saturday?

He really played fantastic. He played the way he’s played the last two years. He looks like he’s been there, done that. He’s very calm in the net. He made three or four huge saves (Saturday), was great in the shootout, and after the game you couldn’t tell it was first AHL win. He’s only lost one game in regulation since the end of November. This guy knows how to win.

Sergey Kostenko was really impressive in development camp. What have you thought of him in Reading so far?

He’s probably the lowest guy on the depth chart. I think Brandon Anderson is ahead of him. Sergey just stepped back into game action a few weeks ago so he’s a little behind — his conditioning needs to improve a little bit — but based on development camp if he puts an attention to detail in his game, improves his work ethic, he would definitely pad the depth chart.

Do the Capitals almost have too many talented goaltenders in the system right now?

A couple years ago, yeah, we had too many guys in the net with Varlamov, but I think we’re staggered pretty nicely with Michal and Holtby up in Washington, Grubi has his first real chance to play at the American Hockey League level. You’ve got Kostenko and Anderson in their first year’s in the ECHL. We’re staggered nicely. In a couple years it could be different scenario, but it’s not a bad situation to have when you’re that deep at that position with injuries and trade value if that ever happens to be the case. It’s better to be rich than poor.

Obviously, I benefited from the years that we weren’t as deep in net, allowing me to play as many years as I did in Washington. Now that I’m on the coaching side, it’s definitely nice to have that depth.

Braden Holtby and Michal Neuvirth are two talented goaltenders that have proven worthy of being starters in the NHL. Do you think with the shortened and compressed season, it really gives the Capitals an advantage? Also, do you think they’ll mostly split games this year?

I don’t have any insight into that. I know that Adam has mentioned that Holtby would be the number-one guy going into the season. I’m a big Michal Neuvirth fan. I really think he’s a talented kid, and I think it’s fantastic that we have two guys with that ability especially in such a condensed season where there’s such a premium on winning every night. Not only is it physically draining, it’s mentally draining as well. You have two guys that can share the load — not only body but a fresh mind. I think we’re a lot further ahead than a lot of people believe.

How much has Braden Holtby grown since you started working with him? I talked to Mark French a few weeks ago and he said that this is the best he’s ever seen him play in his career. I’ve also talked to Holtby, and he’s said that the key for him is how calm he’s become in the net. What have you seen that’s helped him get to the next level?

I think it’s maturity. The beginning of last year he was dealing with a lot of issues that not a lot of people know about. That played a lot on his mind. When he was in net, maybe he wasn’t totally thinking about the game. Once all that got resolved, his game really started to become consistent. I think the stretch he had in the spring with the Caps obviously solidified his confidence in his ability to play in the NHL. And obviously the birth of his son. It matures you as a person real quickly. So I think a lot of things came together in his life in the spring. Now he’s really enjoying what he’s doing.

When the lockout happened, he could have come down here with a bad attitude — not a bad attitude — but an ‘I don’t care’ attitude, ‘I shouldn’t be down here,’ but he came down with a great attitude. He’s worked hard. He’s been one of the best goalies in the American League this year. He’s given them an opportunity to win every night. And that’s a great sign of maturity on Braden’s part.

Ovi seems to have a pep in his step at training camp. He’s the first guy over when Oates does instruction on the board. He looks like he’s flying out there. A few of the guys remarked about that in the locker room. I know you’re up in Hershey scouting, but what do you think Adam Oates is going to do for someone like Ovechkin?

I think first of all, Ovi and the skill guys are really going to thrive under Adam. Obviously, when you had the credentials that Adam has — he was such a great two-way player — he can really relate to the skill guys. He was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame. He has such a great attention to detail. You would be very stupid not to listen to what he has to say or not be very enthusiastic to play for him. He’s gonna get those offensive guys going so that they can show off their ability. He’ll demand responsibility in your own end as well. That’s what’s great about Adam: not only was he a great playmaker and skill guy in the offensive zone, the responsibility he has in his own end was second to none. Penalty-killing, he was one of the first guys called upon. The power play he was one of the first forwards called upon. I think guys like Ribeiro, Nicky Backstrom, Marcus Johansson, Mike Green, I think all of those guys are going to benefit with Adam being coach.

Last year when Ovi played for Dale Hunter, the Capitals played a much different brand of hockey. They really played tight defensively. Do you think it benefited Ovechkin to see how important the other side of the game is and that you can win that way?

No question. When Dale came in, the team really struggled on both ends of the ice. They couldn’t keep the puck out of the net. They couldn’t score goals. Dale’s philosophy as coach was the only thing we can control is how we play in our own end, so we’re going to tighten things up and win games 1-0 and 2-1. That’s the philosophy that he went with. People could argue that it hurt us ultimately in the end, but I’m a big believer that if we wouldn’t have played that way we wouldn’t have made the playoffs. I think a guy like Ovi seeing the defensive side and being called upon to be responsible in how own end, I think it was a great lesson for him to build on. Now he’ll play under Adam, he’ll have that defensive responsibility, and then he’ll be allowed to show off his talent in the offensive zone. Ovi’s going to be a very happy hockey player.

Since you’re at the Hershey game, how is Tom Poti doing in his first game in two years?

He looks good. It’s amazing. He looks like he hasn’t missed a beat at all. He looks good out there. It’s actually pretty incredible. If he can somehow come back and play for Washington, that’s going to be such a huge bonus for us. It would give us so much depth.

Depth is going to be so important this year especially with 50 games in 100 nights.

For sure. You never know who’s going to go down with injury.

Do you have any advice for guys trying to prepare themselves for this lockout shortened-season? Is it a real grind?

In ’94-’95 I went through it and — you know what– everybody was just so excited to play again, it didn’t really bother anybody. We were just so happy to play hockey, it kind of outweighed the grind of the schedule. I think the guys are going to be excited to be playing in front of the fans. It’s going to be good to be playing again.

Additional reporting by Chris Gordon.

Photo credit: Ian iPad

Over the offseason the Hershey Bears saw several key veterans sign elsewhere, such as future AHL Hall of Famer Keith Aucoin, 2011-12 AHL leading scorer Chris Bourque, and fan-favorite enforcer Joel Rechlicz. The team also had to deal with a peculiar problem due to the lockout: two head coaches, Mark French and new Caps bench boss Adam Oates. Capitals general manager George McPhee mandated that Hershey learn Oates’ new system, so that the organization’s minor league players could be used to it by the time NHL games started being played. All this change has seen the team scuffle to a .500 record through 34 games this season (16-16-1-1).

But now things are starting to look up. Before it was announced that the lockout had been lifted, Hershey had been getting its best goaltending of the year from Braden Holtby, who was recently named AHL player of the month for December. Stan Galiev, who had been struggling with his transition from junior hockey, is starting to look more comfortable on the ice and more worthy of his #29 prospect ranking from Hockey Prospectus. The organization also has a surplus of quality goaltenders in the ECHL knocking at the door of the AHL: Philipp Grubauer and 2012 seventh-round pick Sergey Kostenko.

On Saturday, after the Bears’ 3-1 loss to the Binghamton Senators, I asked French if this is the best he’s seen Braden Holtby play, if the sky is the limit for Riley Barber, and if Caps fans should be worried about Galiev’s early season struggles.

My full Q&A with French is below the jump.

With the lockout ending, do you think there’ll be a lot of turnover on Hershey’s roster. Are you looking forward to getting a guy like Philipp Grubauer back on the team? 

It’ll be interesting. It’ll obviously create some roster instability. I think Phillip has displayed that he can play at the American League level. At the same time we’ll be losing a darn good goalie as well.

Is this the best you’ve seen Braden Holtby play?

Probably consistently. I can think of back-to-back games in Norfolk last year where he was unbelievable. But it’s probably the most consistent I’ve seen him play over a long period of time.

Stan Galiev has been shuttled up and down this year between Reading and Hershey. Even at the beginning of the year, he told RMNB he was still getting used to playing in a new system. Have you seen a big improvement from him lately? Tonight he had a pretty strong game.

I think his game, right before we went to break, was the best game we’ve seen him play. And tonight, I really liked the intensity he played with. He’s a skilled player, but when we sent him down our message to him was “you need to play more consistently with a higher compete level.” And we wanted him to go down and try to generate a little offensive confidence. I think his two most recent games we’re seeing some results.

Should Caps fans read into the fact that the 29th rated prospect in the NHL started off so slow? Is it going to take him a few years to develop? Did playing in the QMJHL hurt him?

I think it’s a pretty big jump [from the QMJHL]. It’s a change of the system. Certainly a big change in the game. The Q is a good league, but it’s very offensive, so now we’re asking him to pay a lot of attention to different details of the game. I think the problem you have with young guys is they start thinking too much, instead of reacting instinctively. Stan, you like that he’s trying to do these things, but it probably takes away from his game. I think his game is beginning to be a little bit more defined of what he’s going to be as a pro.

How has implementing Adam Oates’ system been going? And if the NHL season starts in a few weeks, what should Caps fans expect?

Some of our success as of late… I think it takes time to implement a new system. Like I talked about with Stan, guys are trying to understand this new system, but they’re not reacting to it. We’re getting to the point where guys know it now, they know what they need to do. So I think it takes some time. I think the NHL player can maybe make the jump a little bit quicker. You know, it’s a proven system. New Jersey used it last year and went a long ways. I think there’s some really good parts. I think it’ll play really well into some of the Capitals more skilled players for sure.

What kind of upside do you see with Cameron Schilling and Mattias Sjogren? Over the next year or two, are they going to be knocking on the door at the NHL level?

Let’s start with Sjogren. We’ve seen an improvement in his game. I think he’s a checking forward. He’s a big body guy. With our team he’s been put in a checking role, and that’s where I think he transitions to at the NHL level. I think he’s more comfortable playing the North American game. With Schilling, he can skate at the NHL level right now. He’s got a real good work ethic and compete level about him. I think he’s just got to mature a little bit. He’s benefiting from his time down here and I can certainly see him as a guy that transitions to the NHL at some point.

Team USA won the World Junior Championships on Saturday. I’m not sure if you can get a guy like Riley Barber on the team this year. But what type of player do you think he is?

I’m like everybody. He kinda jumped out at me during the World Juniors. I think he’s probably going to stay in college a few more years to develop but he’s certainly a guy who can play with pace and got some real good skill to him.

Do you think Barber could grow up to be a Top 6 guy?

I’d have to see him play a little bit more but I was certainly encouraged by what I saw at the World Juniors.

Last question. When I went to Development Camp I got a lot of good reports about goaltending prospect Sergey Kostenko… about how well he played even with a bum shoulder. He told RMNB that he could barely hold his goalie stick before he got surgery. I don’t know how much tape you’ve seen of him– he recently got his first win, but are you guys excited about him as a player?

I think it was good to get him over to North America. I think with Reading especially, if there’s an NHL season, with Philipp getting moved up to the AHL, he jumps into a situation where he’s playing more. Like you, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw at Development Camp and I certainly — from what Dave Prior and Olie believe — I think he might be a good diamond in the rough.

so sick))))) (Photo credit: @kostenkosergey1)

Three months after having surgery to repair his wonky shoulder, Washington Capitals 7th-round pick Sergey Kostenko made his professional debut for the Reading Royals on Friday. And it went about as well as you’d expect. The 20-year-old Novokuznetsk-native made 25 saves and picked up the victory, despite showing some rustiness in the third period where he allowed three goals in seven minutes. The best part of Kostenko’s debut however, came in the second period when he picked up a secondary assist on a goal by Yannick Tifu. Um, awesome. Do all Russian goaltenders have offensive upside like this?

Anyways, help us congratulate Sergey on his big night by shooting him a nice tweet here: @kostenkosergey1!

During Capitals Development Camp this past July, seventh round pick Sergey Kostenko came to America for the first time in his life. Despite not knowing a lick of English, the 20-year-old Russian goaltender was impressed by how the organization treated him. So much so that he negotiated out of his KHL contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk to sign an entry-level contract with Washington a few days later.

“They take a very good care of the players here [in America],” Kostenko told RMNB’s Igor Kleyner during an interview in Reading, Pennsylvania, where Kostenko is rehabbing a shoulder injury with the ECHL’s Reading Royals. “Even the smallest things, like they asked me in Washington: ‘do you want to get your mask painted?’ And I said, ‘of course!’”

Last year, when Kostenko played for the Kuznetsk Bears of the MHL (Metallurg’s minor-league affiliate), he admitted that he was the only player in the league that wore a painted mask. “My coach was joking that I was a fashionista,” Kostenko recalled with a chuckle. In comparison to modern-day NHL goaltenders’ headwear, Kostenko’s mask design was simple. Painted orange to match Kuznetsk’s color-scheme, it included English phrases like “God Bless Me” in a messy typeface.

This being one of the premier organizations in the league, the mask could not stand. So the Capitals and Kostenko called up renowned mask designer David Gunnarsson and commissioned him to paint Sergey a new bucket. The Swedish artist, who has worked with almost all of the organization’s goalies, has recently churned out Braden Holtby’s capitol-themed mask, which honors his son Benjamin and Michal Neuvirth’s new mask, which features Caps great Olie Kolzig on its side.

The Kuznetsk Fortress as painted on Kostenko’s new mask.

Gunnarsson grilled Kostenko on the specific elements he wanted on his new mask. “I described everything in detail,” the young Russian said. “I wanted The White House on one side and the Kuznetsk Fortress on the other, with my motto Never Back Down in English on the back. The artist said he really liked my ideas.”

While including The White House was a tad obvious, the Kuznetsk Fortress has special meaning for Kostenko, a native of Novokuznetsk, Russia. The fort, built about 200 years ago, was a huge part of Russian defense line against the Chinese. It’s the most notable landmark of Kostenko’s hometown.

Meanwhile, Kostenko also requested to have Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s logo imprinted on the back of his mask, to honor friends who died in last year’s tragic plane crash. “Never Back Down!” and “I Love My Family” were also elegantly painted on the backplate in the RMNB logo typeface, Russian.

In November, Kostenko received sketches from Gunnarsson. After Sergey gave approval, Gunnarsson began the involved painting process. This past weekend, after months of waiting, Kostenko got a surprise in the mail: his new mask.

The first thing the goaltender did was post photos on Twitter. Kostenko, who is close to starting his first game in Reading, will now make his debut it in style.

“[The Capitals] all but tie your skates,” beamed Kostenko. Now it’s up to him show his appreciation.

Photos of Kostenko’s Mask

Photos via Sergey Kostenko. Interview and additional reporting by Igor Kleyner.

Photo credit: Kyle Mace of Sweetest Hockey on Earth

Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov has been in North America for parts of just three seasons, but he’s already had four head coaches, two broken noses (okay, the same nose broken twice), and has suffered through a benching that spanned the Caps’ entire 2011-12 playoff run.

Now, during a season Orlov should have started in Washington, he’s back with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, experiencing his first ever lockout.

On the first day of the lockout, Leonid Vaisfeld, general manager of Metallurg Novokuznetsk, expressed his interest in bringing Orlov home. “[Orlov] has a two-way deal,” Vaisfeld told Sports.ru. “So it’s up to Washington if they want to send him to the farm to learn English or let him come here, where I think it would be better for Dima’s development. As far as I understand he just wants to play at home.”

Way back in February of 2011, Orlov negotiated out of his contract with his KHL team to start his professional career early in Hershey. Now, while some of his friends are making big-time money playing in the KHL, Orlov– whose family is still in Russia– is staying the course in Hershey, doing everything the coaching staff has asked of him.

RMNB caught up with Orlov on Saturday before Hershey hosted the St. John’s Ice Caps (for whom Orlov’s best friend Alex Burmistrov plays). RMNB’s Igor Kleyner asked him about the possibility of going home, how his English is progressing, and what it’s like playing under a Hall of Fame coach.  We also talked about what it’ll be like to play against his former teammate and good friend Alex Semin.

Igor’s transcript of the interview is below.

It appears your English has improved: you’ve been chatting with us for 10 minutes without any difficulty. Maybe we can get rid of translator and do the interview in English?

No, I am not ready yet! My vocabulary is still quite poor. Whatever [Ian] asked me, I just was nodding my head yes or no!

How does it feel returning to Hershey?

It feels right to return here. It’s not like anything depends on me – the league and the PA are talking, but without much success, so for now I am here, doing everything I can to help the team. It is disappointing that my second NHL season hasn’t had a chance to start yet, but I am happy with the situation here in Hershey; it is not a strange place for me, I know every player and the coaches, we have a good team.

Is it easier to play in the AHL now, having experienced the NHL for almost a whole season last year?

I wouldn’t say so. In fact, in a way, it is more difficult to play here, especially when we have three games, one after another. In the NHL, you are obviously surrounded by higher level players, so you get better passes for example. But nevertheless, you can work on becoming a better player and improving yourself here in the AHL as well, that’s just how it worked out for now, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Did you consider going back home to play for Novokuznetsk during the lockout? There were rumors that they were interested in signing you…

Well, it is possible that there were some discussions about that, with all the Russian players going to play in the KHL during the lockout – but I am here. I have a contract. I can’t leave. What will happen in the future – we’ll see, I am just hoping the NHL hockey will resume, they’ve been talking for a few days now. All we can do is wait and hope for the best.

On a personal level, would you like to return to Novokuznetsk to play at home?

I am not even thinking about that right now. Like I said, I have a contract here. What I want is to play in the NHL. That’s the reason I came here. I was really looking forward to my second season, but now, who knows how long this situation will go on and when and how it is going to end. It is disappointing.

Do you stay in touch with the guys who went to play in Russia?

Not much, really. Although I try to follow what is going on with my team [Novokuznetsk]. I watch the highlights of their games. They started the season well, and doing alright so far. I know all the guys on the team; I practiced with them during summer. So I am happy for them and hope their good luck will continue.

Photo credit: kuzrab.ru

Over the summer you had a chance to participate in the goalie practice session for the kids, which was organized by your friend and former Novokuznetsk teammate Sergei Bobrovsky. Was it the first time you were actually trying teach others some hockey instead of being a student?

I wouldn’t say I was really teaching anybody. Serega just called me one day and asked me to come help out a bit. My job was simply to shoot the puck, and he was showing the kids some exercises and goalie techniques. So it was really Sergei who was doing the teaching – I was just helping him out, and I was happy to do that. But it really turned out to be an interesting experience. I liked it a lot.

Whenever the NHL season finally starts, one of your Russian teammates will be wearing different colors, playing for a division rival – how strange do you think it will feel playing against Alex Semin?

Yeah, we had a very good and close relationship, and he always helped me out a lot with whatever I needed. It would have been great if he stayed with the team, but it just didn’t happen that way. It is sad that he left. Obviously, the more Russian players we have on the team, the more fun we have together. But he is a great player, so I am sure he’ll do fine with his new team.

With you usually playing on the left side of defense and Semin on a right wing, whenever the Caps face the Hurricanes, you’ll find yourself face-to-face with him. If it’s you and him in the corner, will you let up a bit?

Well, I am not going to hit him from behind or do anything else that’s dirty, but other than that, friendship stays off the ice.

With Semin leaving, Ovechkin will be your only Russian teammate.

[Ovechkin] is a great guy. He is a good leader of the team, and off the ice you can always count on him. Whenever I ask him for help, he is always there for me. And just being on the same team with him– it feels great.

With Adam Oates appointed as the Caps new head coach and helping out here right now, he is your fourth coach in the last 12 months. Does it affect your development in any way?

Coaches change; it’s just a fact of life in hockey. They all come with their particular vision of the game, their own system. They try to help us understand as quickly as possible what the new system is; you just need to try your best to learn it. And then it’s simply following their instructions and giving your best effort in the game. You just adapt to the new system, and it’s not that big of a deal.

Are there any changes in the defensive system with the new coaching team?

Yes, there are some adjustments. The new approach is a bit more aggressive, attacking. I like it: jumping up into the play and joining the rush. But even now you have to judge the situation and make the right decision: whether to jump up or not, is it too risky or not. And if your team is ahead, maybe it’s not the right thing to do. But if we are behind, maybe you need to take more risks and join the attack, maybe create a scoring chance or draw a penalty, so there are many nuances that go into decision making process.

Calle Johansson was known for his sound judgment and ability to join the offense. How is he helping you develop your game?

Yes, I get a lot of advice from him. We watch video together, and he points out different things to me, what I need to improve or do differently.

Were you in any way involved with the Caps drafting your friend Sergey Kostenko this summer?

Not really. I just remember last year during the season I was surprised when our goalie coach Dave Prior asked me about Sergei – both as a goaltender and what kind of person he is. He mentioned that the team is interested in Sergei and monitoring his development, and I was a bit puzzled by that whole thing. I thought, do they really plan to draft him? And then in the summer, the team asked me to give them his phone number, so I guess they talked to him and decided to draft him.

I was watching the draft, and I saw that the Caps selected Sergey, so I called him right away to congratulate. I stay in touch with him all the time; I know he has not played yet (as he is recovering from shoulder surgery), but he is fully participating in practices, getting ready for his first game in America. His fate is in his hands now. He needs to be confident in his abilities and be prepared. Hockey is a bit different here, so he’ll need to adjust. He’ll be playing with the grownups now. The [ECHL] has decent teams and some good players, so he’ll need to be ready.

Interview by Igor Kleyner.

Sergei Kostenko during the MHL playoffs. (Credit: UfaHockey.ru)

According to a report by Alexei Estifeyev of Sport-Express, goaltender Sergei Kostenko voided his contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk by mutual agreement and will sign an entry-level contract with the Capitals in the next few days.

Kostenko, who was drafted 203rd overall in the 2012 draft, spent last year with Metallurg’s affiliate in the Russian junior hockey league, the MHL. His season was disappointing as he was unable to improve his prior season’s numbers or make the KHL team. He ended the year with 2.98 GAA, .897 Sv% and 15 wins in 40 outings (note: games that go to the shootout don’t count as wins or losses for a goaltender in the KHL). He also served on the Russian junior national team that won a silver medal at the 2012 WJC, but he didn’t see any ice time.

Nonetheless, Kostenko made an impression at development camp. After worries that he may not be able to attend due to visa problems, Kostenko managed to show up, turn some heads, and get some good buzz during the camp.

The Russian netminder is likely to spend much of the season with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, possibly battling for a starting gig with free-agent prospect Brandon Anderson. Yesterday, Anderson, an overage CHL player, was traded from the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Everett Silvertips (WHL) and can now choose between pro and junior hockey. As Everett Herald reports:

First off, the deal is Anderson or a fifth-round bantam pick for Maguire. If Anderson plays for Everett, the pick is returned to Brandon. If Anderson plays pro, the Tips get the fifth rounder.

[. . . ]

As for Anderson, [Everett GM Garry] Davidson said he had no idea whether he would play professionally next season or be returned to the WHL. As of now Davidson considers the trade to be Maguire for a fifth rounder [emphasis mine]. If Anderson returns to the WHL, it gives Everett some more depth at goaltender, as well as a veteran presence. If not, he still believes in Lotz. Davidson still fully expects Simpson to be a pro. And this means all three of Everett’s overage forwards could still return.

According to the CBA wizard @sk84fun_dc, since Kostenko is considered a 19-year-old for CBA purposes (he’ll turn 20 late in September), if he plays fewer than 10 games with the Caps (which we’d expect) his contract will slide, effectively becoming a four-year-long deal. That is, of course, if CBA rules regarding entry-level slide do not change.

Finally, here’s an overly large picture of Kostenko.

Photo credit: Sport-nk.ru