Washington Capitals: Looking Down the Pipeline at 5 Prospects

With over a quarter of the 2010-11 season completed in most top junior, college and European professional leagues, a handful of Washington Capitals draft picks are showing signs of vast improvement.  

While the big club is stocked for the time being at all three positions, this upcoming offseason will bring change in the nation's capital with many key players' contracts set to expire July 1, 2011.  

A large factor of what has made the Capitals so successful in the past three seasons is their homegrown talent—players who were drafted and groomed for the NHL within the organization.  

In fact, both of the team's goalies and five of the top six scorers this season were drafted by the Caps, and the only player in this group who was drafted by another organization is Brooks Laich, who found success in the NHL after spending more than a season with the Capitals minor league affiliate in Hershey.  

In the post-lockout NHL, teams like Chicago and Pittsburgh have won Stanley Cups on the backs of their homegrown stars, illustrating the importance of drafting well in the salary cap era.  

With that being said, here are five Capitals prospects who have shown promise this season, and with continued improvement, could be NHLers in the not-so-distant future.  

5. Dmitri Orlov, Defense

Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images

SASKATOON, SK - JANUARY 4: Dmitri Orlov #9 of Team Russia skates with the puck during the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship Tournament Fifth Place game against Team Finland on January 4, 2010 at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canad

In the second round of the 2009 NHL draft, the Caps took 6'0'' Russian defenseman Dmitri Orlov.  

He looked to be somewhat of a long term project, especially because of the instability with NHL-KHL transfer agreements at the time, but has since become less of a stumbling block.  Orlov collected seven points with Novokuznetsk Metallurg in the KHL last season, and has already bettered that total this season with nine points in 27 games.  

He also contributed four assists in six games at the 2010 World Junior Championships, proving he can perform offensively against the best in the world in his age group.  

While his development since the club drafted him in 2009 has been impressive, defensemen typically take longer to develop, especially when a player has to adapt from the European game to the more physical North American brand of hockey.

However, as a second-round pick, if his offensive game continues to develop, he could prove to be a steal for the Capitals down the road.  

4. Cody Eakin, Center

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 28: Cody Eakin #50 of the Washington Capitals and Matt Bartkowski #43 of the Boston Bruins battle for the puck at Verizon Center on September 28, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

After taking current Capital Marcus Johansson and Orlov in the first two rounds, GM George McPhee and the Capitals scouting staff may have found a steal in the third round at the 85th pick in Cody Eakin.  

Eakin, after a solid 2008-09 season that saw him post 48 points, exploded for 91 points with the Swift Current Broncos in the Western Hockey League.  

Eakin was elected as the Bronco's team captain at the beginning of the season, and has performed at a high level since then, potting 27 points in the team's first 24 games.  One goal of Eakin's for the season is to make Team Canada's World Junior team, and he was recently invited to the team's selection camp.  

The Capitals have been high on Eakin, and his development had been encouraging.  His two-way play and leadership could land him a spot in the Caps lineup in a couple of seasons.  

3. Mathieu Perreault, Center

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

WASHINGTON - MARCH 28: Mathieu Perreault #85 of the Washington Capitals handles the puck against the Calgary Flames at the Verizon Center on March 28, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Mathieu Perreault could well turn out to be a late-round steal, as the Capitals nabbed him in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Draft.  

Though small in stature, Perreault has a big heart and quickly became a fan favorite during his stints with Washington during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.  

Perreault was a high scoring forward prior to his time with the Capitals organization, eclipsing 100 points twice while playing in the QMJHL.  He was a later-round pick, largely due to the fact that at 5'10''. Weighing in at under 160 pounds, he is undersized for NHL standards.  

However, Perreault performed admirably during his call-up last season, posting nine points in 21 games and a pair of assists in three games this year.

He was very close to making the Capitals opening night roster out of training camp.  

Though he has played in the NHL for short periods, Perreault is still a prospect and has a lot to prove if he is to become an everyday NHL player.  If he can take the next step and have a big offensive year in the AHL, he stands a decent shot to make the big squad next year.  

2. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Right Wing/Center

Harry How/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 25: Evgeny Kuznetsov, drafted 26th overall by the Washington Capitals, poses on stage during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at Staples Center on June 25, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Though the Capitals picked late in the first round of the 2010 draft at No. 26, they were able to add another very talented Russian forward to the organization.  

Evgeny Kuznetsov is an extremely gifted offensive prospect who seems to have improved a great deal since Draft Day 2010.  Many scouts have likened his puck-handling and shooting abilities to that of current Capitals star Alexander Semin, but he was considered to be slightly undersized.  

After putting up two goals and nine points with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL in 2010, Kuznetsov has already exceeded those totals this season, posting eight goals and 12 points through 25 games.  He appears to have the talent to play at the NHL level, but like many other Russian trained players, may need time to adapt to the North American game and rink.  

While he may be a season or two away, there is reason to believe there may be another Russian-born Capitals sniper in the pipeline.  

1. Braden Holtby, Goaltender

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 22: Braden Holtby #70 of the Washington Capitals tends net against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on November 22, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Capitals 5-0. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Image

Though the Capitals net is stocked with two talented young netminders in Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov, the team has another promising young goaltending prospect in Braden Holtby.  

Drafted in the fourth round in 2008, Holtby has moved up the ranks of professional hockey quickly, climbing all the way to the NHL for a five game call up this season.  Starting out in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays last year, Holtby moved up to the AHL and played very well behind Michal Neuvirth in Hershey en route to the Calder Cup championship.  

This year, he posted a 2-2-1 record during his call-up, and though he appeared to be overwhelmed at the tail end of his time in D.C., he played with a great deal of poise for a goalie who was playing the ECHL twelve months ago.  

Goalies can take longer to develop than players because so much of the position is based upon confidence, but Holtby has made some great strides towards becoming an NHL goaltender a couple of years down the road.