In front of a sparse Monday morning crowd, the Capitals’ rookies took to the ice for their second day of Rookie Camp. The prospects were put through a extended practice that consisted mostly of tedious timing drills. The usual suspects, guys like Cody Eakin and Marcus Johansson, impressed the coaches with their skill while RMNB worship idol, Stanislav Galiev, showed-off his blazing speed. Trevor Bruess also showed improvement throughout the session, darting easily through the timers that were set up to record their speed.

Bruce Boudreau noted that all of the players were in great condition for camp. And it’s true. The boys were moving faster and looking less winded after each and every drill. However, the session ended with the dreaded set of Herbies, which we can only describe as the worst suicides on earth. The sprints included skating back and forth repeatedly across varying widths of the ice, full throttle. By the end, all of the players were doubled over, struggling for air.

During the drills, I did manage to notice that Galiev and Dmitry Kugryshev spent most of practice standing together, speaking in their native Russian. Sadly, they were separated for most of the session from their fellow countryman, Nikita Kashirsky whose group spent more time training off-ice today.

Not long after the rookies left, the veterans made their way out of the locker room. There were many new members joining the skate today like Brooks Laich, Michal Neuvirth, John Carlson, and Andrew Gordon. They put together their own makeshift practice, including a very informal scrimmage of white versus black. There were a lot of smiling faces as the guys returned to work. It was nice reminder that we’re less than a month away from Opening Night!

Make sure to check out all the photos from the day of hockey below. Photos of the Caps veterans are on the very bottom.

Pictures From Day 2 of Rookie Camp

Photos from the Caps Informal Practice

RMNB’s resident casanova and now photog for the Examiner, Neil Greenberg, spent the week at the Capitals development camp.  What follows are his thoughts on the experience.

What a week.

Overwhelming. Fulfilling. Humbling. No other words can describe it.

From when I said yes to cover it for the Examiner to when Kelly showed me where I could and could not go to when I got in my truck at the end of Fan Fest: total euphoria.

Not going to lie, I was overwhelmed when Michael asked me if I would be interested in taking pictures at the Camp for the Washington Caps Examiner – and would be jealous, too, of someone in that position. Of course, I could not say yes quick enough.

What an honor, right? Two things I am passionate about mashed up together for a surreal experience: the chance to cover the sport I love through art – despite being told that becoming an artist would never work for me. Specifically, “Neil, you can’t be an artist.” I tried everything: playing instruments (violin and saxophone), drawing, painting and even writing. In fact, most of my childhood I was told I couldn’t do stuff. Not shouldn’t – can’t. Told that if I tried to chase that dream it would end in certain, perhaps orchestrated, failure.

Luckily in my adult life, free from childhood negativity and sabotage, I found photography. And by “found”, I mean a mail-order bride girlfriend I was living with told me I needed to get a life out more and, if I didn’t enroll in a class at Montgomery College, she was going to kill me could no longer guarantee my safety at home. Hello, Photography Basics 101. (Goodbye, what’s-her-name.)

Then I realized that’s what Development Camp is all about. No, not being threatened encouraged by your live in girlfriend to explore other interests besides video games and comic books art, but chasing a dream and showing everyone who doesn’t think you can make it exactly what you have burning inside.

We saw it in the skating drills.

Joe Finely skating drill on Day 3

We saw it in the scrimmages.

Stephen Della Rovere vs Trevor Bruess

We saw it in the way the players interacted with the fans and the media.

Marcus Johansson poses for a camera other than mine

Everything they did was under a microscope – constantly being evaluated against what it takes to be in the NHL.

Evgeny Kuznetsov & Dmitri Orlov concentrating on hockey. Or maybe thinking about The Red Rockers.

Photography is similar. Not in the physical sense, although I have thrown some elbows to maintain my little spot among the other photogs (sorry, Addison, and welcome to the RMNB team!), but in the mental sense. You have to be better than the person next to you. Your work has to shine through in the little things otherwise people will continue to think and label you as not being ready. Or worse: You can’t.

Sure, I was half joking when I tweeted Cody Eakin and I were BFFs, but what struck me was how after the scrimmage he shook my hand and asked where I was posting the pictures so he could take a look. Here’s a potential future NHLer asking me to see my photos when I should be asking him to sign someone else’s with his autograph. Humbling for sure, but also vindicating.

Cody + Neil = BFF 4eva

That’s what I saw this week and tried to show through my photos: Winning the battle while struggling to fulfill a dream – even when others immediately around you are doing the same.

Bohumil Jank helping a teammate fight gravity

]]> http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2010/07/18/one-time-at-development-camp/feed/ 6 http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2010/07/16/day-5-of-caps-development-camp/ http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2010/07/16/day-5-of-caps-development-camp/#comments Sat, 17 Jul 2010 03:48:07 +0000 Russian Machine Never Breaks http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/?p=6113

Heart-throb Brooks Laich made an appearance at Kettler today. (Photos by Addison Huber)

Group A Observations

Braden Holtby still looks a little shaky in net, letting in a few goals he probably should have saved. This could be a function of the fact that he recently had LASIK surgery done on his eyes and they aren’t quite back to normal yet. It is also important to remember that Holtby went from starting to backing up Michal Neuvirth and did not play very much over the last two months of his season.

Anton Gustafsson continues to remain an enigma. It is clear that the young Swede pick has a plethora of talent, certainly worthy of him being first-round draft selection. However, there were times during the week when his motivation appeared questionable. For example, during offensive zone entry drills today, there appeared to be moments when Gustafsson would stop skating and lackadaisically enter the zone.

Evgeny Kuznetsov. Wow. Definitely the breakout prospect of 2010 Development Camp. After Marcus Johansson, Kuznetsov most likely has the best chance of being in a Capitals uniform sometime soon. Kuznetsov is pretty much the complete package: great passing, smooth skating, and hard shooting. Kuznetsov also has a number of intangibles that will likely help him make it to the NHL level. He has a natural hockey sense – he would always seem to be at the right place on the ice or able to put his passes in the right place. Kuznetsov also is an on ice leader: he quickly understands new concepts and teaches the other Russians, especially Dmitri Orlov who has a less firm grasp of English. Finally, he obviously loves the game – he plays with a permanent grin on his face and was always the first on and last off the ice during the practice sessions. It is obvious why the Caps had him ranked 12th on their draft board. The only criticism of Kuznetsov would be that his frame is not quite filled out, but the Russian has the ability to fix that with some weight room sessions.

Group B Observations

Philipp Grubauer and his awesome goalie mask.

Trevor Bruess looked a lot better in the drills today than in previous Days of Development Camp. Although he looked good in the two scrimmages, until today, he had not really stood out in the workouts. Bruess looked very comfortable in front of the net and scored several deflection-type goals. This fact is all the more impressive because of his smaller stature.

Stan Galiev continues to impress. The young Russian has an absolute cannon of a snapshot that he scored with several times. Galiev also has puckhandling skills reminiscent of another Russian Capital, Alex Semin. Galiev’s affinity for both getting in the crease and throwing hits, however, is most definitely NOT like Semin.

Marcus Johansson exudes a quiet confidence that is easily detectable. While not the flashiest player, Johansson can shoot and score with ease. Johansson delighted the crowd during the practice-ending shootout with an outside-in move on Taylor Nelson that separated the goalie from his skates. Finally, Mackan can flat out skate. Johansson is such a good skater that it appears he is just gliding over the ice, his skates barely making a sound, even on the less than spectacular ice surface at Kettler during Camp.

Braden Holtby Interview Highlights

Goals for 2010-11 season: “My goal is to play as many games as I can at Hershey so that if the NHL games come, I will be ready.”

On why he came to Camp: “There’s not much of a choice [on my part]. [The Capitals staff] talked a lot with me throughout the season… it’s tough becuase the [previous] season went so long, but these camps are fun.”

On being at Camp: “I think its better to be a veteran… I haven’t gotten the chance to show that… I’ve always been the young guy, the rookie.”

On hitting Kuznetsov the previous day: “There’s no off-ice issues; it was just the heat of the moment on the ice.”

On getting LASIK: “It went really well, just a few little things [aren't 100% yet]. I’ve had numerous problems with contacts: they’re not the best thing for a goalie.”

Russian(s) to the Bakery?

Chris Gordon of Caps Snaps catches Kuznetsov and Orlov housin.'

After Kusnetsov and Orlov came out of the locker room and fulfilled their media obligations, they appeared ready to make a mad dash for the gate to get out of Kettler and grab some lunch. However, in the course of their exit they saw the tabled high with baked goods that blog readers had brought for the media folk today. Seeing this glorious sight, Kusnetsov stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Orlov. The two Russians proceeded to HOUSE 2 or 3 red velvet cupcakes each in quick fashion, all the while being photographed by the assembled media. Kusnetsov seemed to love the attention and stopped, mouth wide open, posing for a picture and laughing. After eating their fill, they grabbed a plate and piled it full of cupcakes to take back to the locker room, all memory of their previous intentions forgotten.

Alex Semin’s Biggest Fan

There are many hockey fans and they come in varying degrees of intensity. The rarest type of fan is the extremely dedicated “superfan.” Throughout the course of my week covering Development Camp I noticed several dedicated people who had used their vacations or sick days to attend every weekday of Camp. One person in particular, sporting an away white Alex Semin jersey COVERED in signatures, really stood out, so I caught up with Feodora and asked her a few questions about her unique apparel.

How many signatures do you have on your jersey?
“I actually don’t know exactly, but over 100.”

How long has it taken you to get that many signatures?
“Two years. I got this jersey in April of 2008.”

How did you get all those signatures? Do any of them have good stories associated with them?
“I got most of them by hanging out at Kettler, But, I actually got Alex Semin’s signature in the garage. I saw him coming out and I chased after him. I think it was the fastest I have ever run.”

Do you have any other jerseys? Do you have a favorite?
Yes, I have a practice jersey, a Hershey Holtby jersey, and a Kugyrshev jersey from last year. The Semin jersey is my favorite though, because they have never lost when I’ve worn it [to a game].

When and how did you get into hockey?
“In December of 2007 I was actually at a Wizards game and I went into the store at Verizon Center and saw the Ovechkin and Semin jerseys. I didn’t know there were Russians on the team and it got me interested.”

Is Semin your favorite Capital? Why?
“I’m from a Russian family, so that’s part of it. I think he’s the best player in the world because he’s a very raw player with lots of pure talent.”

What do you think of the new Russian prospects?
“[Evgeny] Kuznetsov is one of the most amazing players I’ve ever seen. I like Dima’s [Dmitri Orlov] physicality, and I think he’s a very sly player.”

Stanislav Galiev is certainly full of personality. (Photos by Addison Huber)

Day 3 was a busy day for the draftees and invitees at Capitals Development Camp. Both Group A and Group B were on the ice in the morning, and the whole squad took the ice in the afternoon for a scrimmage. The additional activity made for an extremely long day, one that not only left me exhausted, but also (and more importantly) left me feeling like a full-time member of the media. I also increased my attempts at multi-tasking: interspersing periods of photography with Tweets, especially during the afternoon scrimmage. Day 3 also provided a glimpse into the world of the best PR staff in the NHL when Nate and Kelly  invited all the bloggers in attendance to a roundtable to discuss ideas and innovations.

Group A Observations

Both groups were put to their first quantitative evaluation today, with the coaching staff giving the prospects a battery of skating tests, including blue-line-to-blue-line skating, straight-line speed, and S-curves. Because of the nature of the early part of the day, there was a notably decreased media presence around the Kettler practice rink. Evgeny Kuznetsov remained the class of Group A, using long, confident strides to fly around the ice. Dmitri Orlov also displayed impressive handling and speed, but did so by utilizing compact, powerful, quick steps. The Swede in Group A, Anton Gustafsson, looked a bit less confident than many other members of the group, was not as fast as expected, and almost fell several times. The biggest members of Group A, Joe Finley and Jake Hauswirth, both succumbed to gravity and took hard falls during the S-turn speed test. After the testing concluded, several players, including Kuznetsov, stayed on the ice to play keep away and shoot the puck around. Kuznetsov looked like a kid in a candy shop, skating with a smile stretching from ear to ear as he deftly moved the puck around the ice – clearly the kid loves to play hockey.

Group B Observations

Shortly after Group A finished their testing, Group B had their chance to show off for the coaches and assembled fans. As expected, Marcus Johansson was far and away the best skater from Group B, clearly having benefited from the increased level of competition in the Swedish Elite League. Johansson’s skating style is almost technically flawless, which allowed him to sail through all the tests with an easy grace. In addition to Johansson, Stanislav Galiev also put on quite a skating clinic and Dustin Stevenson displayed better than average speed (for a defenseman). On a slightly less positive note, Trevor Bruess did not leave a terribly good impression, especially for a prospect who has spent some time in the AHL. Bruess was not as fast as some of the other prospects and seemed a little hesitant at times through the corners in the turning speed test.

Scrimmage

The highlight of Development Camp day 3 was the first official scrimmage of the summer. The two groups ditched their color coordinated line jerseys for sharp-looking red and white team threads with gray highlights and piping on the sides. The two sides fought to a stalemate, leading Coach Boudreau to quip to the assembled bloggers: “next time we’re going to a shootout.” The MVP of the scrimmage was 2010 draft pick Kuznetsov, who potted two goals and an assist – while just missing a hat trick. His first tally was a Knublian deflection off a shot from the point that he garnered by holding a spot at the top of the crease. The physical play of several prospects stood out during the scrimmage: Stefan Della Rovere was throwing his body around, landing several crunching hip checks; Sean Wiles made some sacrifices blocking shots; and Cody Eakin played way bigger than his size, holding the puck and winning battles along the boards. The goalies were also fairly solid, stopping all the penalty shots except one. Most notably, Phillip Grubauer displayed good positioning, astute awareness, and keen anticipation of the puck. The most exciting moment of the scrimmage came after all-around nice guy Joe Finley crushed Zach Miscovic at the half-wall, leading to an exchange of pleasantries with fellow bruiser Anthony Pisano (Bridgewater, MJAHL). The two heavyweights calmly discussed the incident and ended with a hug, leaving all satisfied.

Extra Photos