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Capitals rookie review 2003-04
Written by: Seth Keggins on 04/07/2004 
With the Capitals early elimination from the 2003-04 playoff picture and mass exodus of high profile players (and their contracts), there was ample time for the team to get a look at many young prospects this season.
The table below shows the 14 rookies’ stats, in order of points per game. Further below is a player-by-player review.
Statistical Summary 2003-04
|
|
Pos. |
GP |
G |
A |
Pts. |
PPG |
+/- |
ATOI |
PIM |
Shf/G |
|
Semin |
LW |
52 |
10 |
12 |
22 |
.423 |
-2 |
12:37 |
36 |
15.5 |
|
Boumedienne |
D |
37 |
2 |
12 |
14 |
.378 |
-10 |
23:02 |
30 |
27.8 |
|
Fussey |
RW |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.250 |
-1 |
8:16 |
0 |
12.5 |
|
Morrisonn |
D |
33 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
.242 |
+10 |
18:14 |
10 |
25.0 |
|
Laich |
C/W |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.200 |
-1 |
10:34 |
2 |
18.0 |
|
Gordon |
RW |
41 |
1 |
5 |
6 |
.146 |
-9 |
13:10 |
8 |
18.8 |
|
Tvrdon |
C |
9 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
.111 |
-3 |
10:40 |
2 |
15.1 |
|
Eminger |
D |
41 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
.098 |
-11 |
17:32 |
45 |
23.3 |
|
Cutta |
D |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
-1 |
13:54 |
0 |
18.0 |
|
Hajt |
D |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
10:44 |
2 |
15.6 |
|
Mink |
LW |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
-1 |
5:32 |
2 |
9.5 |
|
Podkonicky |
C |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
-1 |
3:34 |
0 |
4.5 |
|
Stroshein |
RW |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
-1 |
7:15 |
14 |
11.3 |
|
Yonkman |
D |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.000 |
0 |
5:00 |
0 |
10.0 |
Alexander Semin ( Age 20) LW - Semin started the season with very few minutes under then coach Bruce Cassidy. As the season wore on, more ice time was granted to the winger under strict watch for defensive responsibilities and how he handled the North American game. Semin led all Caps rookies this season in points scored per game and now resides on the power play as well as the top scoring line. He has shown that his passing was underrated, however his overall body strength will need to be addressed this offseason.
Josef Boumedienne (Age 26) D - Boumedienne started the season in Portland of the AHL, before being recalled midway through the year. He played 5th/6th defenseman minutes until losing Brendan Witt and fellow rookie Steve Eminger to injury. Boumedienne had shown he is capable of making clean crisp outlet passes as well as being creative on the offensive side of the puck. However, there are still some struggles when pressured by strong forechecking and he is prone to occasional turnovers in the defensive zone.
Owen Fussey (Age 21) RW - Fussey was called up briefly after the trade deadline to help fill the gaps left behind after the big trade exodus in Washington. He played as advertised, with sound forechecking and a poise for the puck. Though he did not score a goal while up with the NHL club, he did record his first point (an assist on March 12th against the Chicago Blackhawks).
Shaone Morrisonn (Age 21) D - Morrisonn broke out during the early to mid-season with the Boston organization, after being recalled from Providence. He began racking up respectable minutes as well as a few points. Morrisonn is not afraid of the rough going and was a +10 with the Bruins before being traded to the Capital organization. He is a smooth skating defenseman who is also good with distributing the puck, although he was demoted to the Capitals minor league team to gain valuable experience and also help reach the AHL playoffs.
Brooks Laich (Age 20) C/W - Laich struggled after being traded from the Ottawa organization. His bout with mononucleosis was the only thing holding him back from perhaps being the top-scoring rookie in the AHL this season. However, he also struggled in his first few games in the Washington minor league affiliate. He was called up (along with Owen Fussey) despite this and he was able to crack the score sheet. Laich was awarded the primary assist on a goal scored against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 12th. He showed good playmaking ability, but will need to continue to work some on the defensive side of his game.
Boyd Gordon (Age 20) RW - Boyd Gordon made an immediate impact scoring his first NHL points in his first two games with Washington. He scored 1 goal and 2 assists in his first two games this season, though conveniently he was on the top line with Jaromir Jagr. After the first 7 games of the season, his ice time decreased reaching a season low (6:37 minutes of ice time) on November 8th against San Jose. Gordon was later demoted to the Capitals minor league affiliate to gain valuable ice time and possible playoff experience.
Roman Tvrdon (Age 23) RW - Probably the nicest surprise at the end of this season was the play of Roman Tvrdon. Once pegged as a sound two-way forward, injuries have plagued him over the last two years. Though he had not scored a goal in his 9 games with the Capitals, he did come close on several occasions. He also tallied his first NHL assist on March 27th against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tvrdon’s ice time also steadily increased over last several games, starting at 5:00 minutes of total ice time and ending at 16:00 minutes of total ice time.
Steve Eminger (Age 20) D - Eminger made the big squad for the second time in as many years and after 41 games (sandwiched in between an injury sustained by a hit from Donald Brashear) he was sent down to the Capitals minor league affiliate Portland. Though he has yet to register his first NHL goal, Eminger does have 6 assists under his belt. Typically known for his great passing ability and good defensive coverage, Eminger struggled as a rookie and is still struggling to produce points at the AHL level suggesting he may be concentrating on his defense more.
Jakub Cutta (Age 22) D - Cutta began the season on the top defensive pairing on the Capitals AHL affiliate. Though after suffering a concussion, he struggled getting back into the flow of the game once he returned. He was farther set back when teammate Garrett Stroshein mugged him in practice. However, with the make shift line-up in Washington Cutta was called up to fill in for the injured Brendan Witt over the final few games of the season. Like Tvrdon, Cutta was a welcome surprise with his poise on blueline as he remained up with Washington despite the return of Brendan Witt from injury. He finished a –1 defensively over a period of three games and averaged nearly 14:00 minutes of ice time.
Rounding out the rest
Defenseman Chris Hajt (Age 25) was called up briefly at the mid-point of the season with an injury to Sergei Gonchar. He looked slightly lost and overwhelmed at the NHL level, thus was returned soon after. He was prone to turnovers and was keenly out of position on many occasions. The same goes for center Andrej Podkoniky (Age 25), who also looked very lost on the ice. He averaged only 3:34 minutes of ice time during his brief stay in Washington. On the other hand, right wing Graham Mink immediately showed chemistry with current Caps winger Trent Whitfield, though he only played two games and could not find the net. Finally, Garrett Stroshein battled in his first game in the NHL with pugilist Doug Doull of the Boston Bruins. His skating ability still need vast improvement, though his size and toughness may be something to look forward to in the future.
Copyright 2004 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
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