Caleb Herbert

History

2007-08: Caleb Herbert finished with 1 goal and 3 assists with 6 PIM in six games for Bloomington-Jefferson HS as he missed most of his sophomore season after suffering a broken leg.

2008-09: Herbert began his season with Team USA at the 2008 Ivan Hlinka U-18 tournament in Slovakia. He scored both of his goals in the team's final game, a 6-5 win over Switzerland, and was named player of the game as the USA finished 1-3 in the tournament. In 24 games with Bloomington-Jefferson he scored 26 goals with 20 assists and 30 PIM. The Jaguars won the Lake Conference with a 24-1 record and thumped Shakopee and Burnsville in the Section 2AA tournament before falling to perennial power Edina, 5-0.

2009-10: Herbert was the co-leading scorer of the pre-season Minnesota High School Elite League and then led Bloomington-Jefferson to a second straight sectional final appearance. In 24 games for Team South East in the MHSEL, he scored 15 goals with 27 assists and had 40 PIM in 24 games. During the high school season, he scored 26 goals with 29 assists and had 42 PIM. The Jaguars, after finishing fourth in the Lake Conference during the regular season, avenged an earlier 3-1 loss to Burnsville with a 4-3 overtime win to advance to the Section 2AA finals of the Minnesota State Tournament. Herbert scored twice, including a third-period, power-play goal to tie the game at 3, and also had an assist. Edina eliminated the Jaguars for the second year in a row in the sectional final, 4-1. Herbert was a finalist for the Mr. Hockey award. He was selected by the Sioux City Musketeers in the 2010 USHL Entry Draft and committed to playing college hockey at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2011-12.

2010-11: Herbert scored at nearly a point-per-game pace for the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers and also competed in the 2011 U19 World Junior A Challenge. Herbert led the Musketeers with 23 goals and had 27 assists with a -8 plus/minus and 61 PMs in 51 regular season games. He was held scoreless in three playoff games vs. Sioux Falls and was -1 with 4 PMs. In four games at the Junior A Challenge he had 2 goals with 1 assist and 6 PMs.

2011-12: Herbert stepped right into the lineup for Minnesota-Duluth as a freshman; finishing as the Bulldogs' fourth-leading scorer. Playing both center and winger and often matched with senior Travis Oleksuk and Lightning prospect J.T. Brown, Herbert scored 14 goals with 19 assists and was plus-16 with 30 penalty minutes. Minnesota-Duluth finished second in the WCHA; falling to Denver in the semifinals of the league tournament in double overtime. In the NCAA tournament they beat Maine before falling to national champion Boston College in the Northeast Regional.

 

Talent Analysis

While he doesn’t possess much size, Herbert has high-end offensive skill, a good mind for the game, and great speed. Herbert is a long-term project at this point, as he will have to add some bulk and strength and has yet to face a higher level of competition - which he should see both in the USHL and in college. Herbert was a teammate of New Jersey Devils’ 2010 draft pick Joe Faust at Bloomington-Jefferson.

 

Future

Herbert at this point is undersized for an NHL scorer but his skating ability and stick handling and passing skills - along with his sense for finding open areas and creating scoring chances - are an attractive skill set that few players have. Herbert will be challenged to show he can demonstrate those skills against faster, bigger players as he moves up the ladder in hockey. At the least, he should have a successful college career and if he can continue to develop he projects as a scoring centerman who makes the players around him better. With several world class forwards already in Washington, the Capitals could afford the luxury of allowing a player like Herbert time to develop.