Capitals Spring Prospect Rankings

Spring arrived today and that means we are due for another prospect update from the Washington Capitals. Our last update was on the 4 prospects that the Caps sent to the World Junior Hockey Championship and we last ranked the system back in November with a look at the top 10 prospects. Today we will take a look at the top 10 prospects with honourable mentions, which will cover all 16 prospects currently with the team. We'll only go into detail on the top 10.

There were lots of changes from #2 down but the #1 prospect in the system remains the same. Here is this Spring's list:

#1 - Dennis Cholowski D 6'0" 170 lbs - St. Cloud State Huskies (NCAA)

Dennis remains at number one in our rankings as he has the highest ceiling of all the Capitals prospects. Stat watchers might question this due to him only scoring 1 goal in his freshman year, but there is so much more to Cholowski's game than offense. He's a good skater, makes a good first pass, and is rarely out of position. He'll need to work on his shot going forward but once he starts filling out that should come naturally. He'll be at St. Cloud State for another 2 years at least.

Stats - 36GP 1G 11A 12P 14PIM -9

Projection: Two-way 1st pairing LHD

GM Says: "Be patient with him, he'll take longer to develop than some on this list but will make it worth your while."

#2 - Kale Clague D 6'0" 176 lbs - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

A pure offensive defender by nature, Kale does his best work with the puck on his stick. He is hard to pin down and has moves to spare while going through the neutral zone, a real shifty kid. The area's for concern are his shot, which needs a lot of work and just bulking up and getting stronger to take on bigger competition. Clague also has very good vision on the ice and is able to spot passing lanes easily.

Stats - 48GP 5G 35A 40P 41PIM -8

Projection: Offensive #4/5 LHD

GM Says: "Oh boy is this kid exciting to watch, we were lucky to grab him where we did."

#3 - Nicholas Roy C 6'4" 205 lbs - Chicoutimi Sagueneens (QMJHL)

Roy moves down a spot but looks like a real safe bet to make the pros due to his hulking frame and soft hands around the net. He saw another bump to his PPG and has steadily improved year by year. He can throw his weight around, uses his body well to shield the puck, and has good skating for a big man. He's also looked very good at finding his teammates, specifically on the power play.

Stats - 53GP 36G 44A 80P 46PIM +30

Projection: 2nd/3rd line power center

GM Says: "Size doesn't matter in today's NHL, but man do you ever get excited when someone like Roy is developing in your system."

#4 - Jordan Schmaltz D 6'2" 190 lbs - St. Louis Blues (NHL)

Schmaltz made his NHL debut this year and will have a chance to compete for a spot on Washington's EHE blueline in training camp next year. He has seen steady improvement since turning pro, in particular with his strength with and without the puck. Jordan was drafted as a smooth skating puck mover but has developed into more of a two-way defender. He's quite good at getting a wrist shot through traffic from the point but will need to develop a heavier slapper in order to succeed on the PP. 

Stats - 42GP 3G 22A 25P 22PIM +4 (AHL)

Projection: Two-way 2nd pairing RHD

GM Says: "Maybe the closest to being ready for a full time pro spot, we like how he's rounded out his game."

#5 - Victor Mete D 5'10" 181 lbs - London Knights (OHL)

Don't let the naysayers change your mind on Mete, he may be small but he's very strong on his feet and is willing to go into the gritty areas to win a puck battle. Victor had an amazing year and will more than likely be back in London for a fourth year, where he will need to continue to work on honing his craft. He added a lot of muscle to his frame in the off-season and it showed in his skating and his work against bigger opponents.

Stats - 50GP 15G 29A 44P 14PIM +36

Projection: Puck moving 3rd pairing / PP specialist LHD

GM Says: "I walk away impressed every time I see him live."

#6 - Sonny Milano LW 6'1" 205 lbs - Cleveland Monsters (AHL)

Milano gets lost a bit in the system having graduated from junior hockey and his youtube videos getting burried by newer fresher talents. He has added some strength last off-season and is continuing to work on his weak areas like his play away from the puck and his release on his shot. He still has amazing puck skills and has seen a big improvement on using his linemates better. Despite being only 20 years old he is in his 2nd full year in the AHL and will need to earn the coaches trust to play at the next level.

Stats - 51GP 15G 19A 34P 18PIM -5

Projection: Top 9 scoring LW

GM Says: "He's trying to earn the coaches trust, we'll re-evaluate him in training camp."

#7 - JT Compher C/LW 6'0" 183 lbs - Colorado Avalanche (NHL)

He was a stand out last year with Michigan in the NCAA and carried his success over to the pros this year. He was able to prove he didn't ride Connor's coattails in college by putting up good numbers on a fairly weak AHL team. He was recently called up and looks like he may be a fixture in the NHL. He plays a strong defensive game by winning puck battles and is a tenacious forechecker, he does need to work on his faceoffs to be trusted taking key draws and could always stand to improve his skating.

Stats - 41GP 13G 17A 30P 22PIM +2

Projection: Bottom 6 two-way center

GM Says: "We'll be signing him in the off-season, he should compete for a spot in camp."

#8 - Julius Nattinen C 6'2" 192 lbs - Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Julius will get an opportunity to suit up in the Memorial Cup this year as Windsor plays host. He's taken on a less visible roll than the opportunity he got with Barrie a year ago with Brown and Vilardi ahead of him and Bracco coming in mid-season. Because of this his stats have taken a bit of a hit this year. That said he sees the ice very well, uses his big frame to his advantage, and has been great at winning faceoffs.

Stats - 51GP 13G 25A 38P 16PIM -2

Projection: 2nd line playmaking C

GM Says: "He reminds me so much of a young Mikko Koivu, fingers crossed."

#9 - Jordan Greenway LW 6'5" 229 lbs - Boston University Terriers (NCAA)

The massive Jordan Greenway put together another good year at BU working throughout the line-up with a variety of different linemates and managed to improve on his freshman year. Jordan can be impossible to move off the puck and he has shown good playmaking skills to go along with his above average puck skills. Some are expecting him to sign a pro contract this year while others feel he can benefit from another year in college.

Stats - 35GP 10G 20A 30P 78PIM +11

Projection: Middle 6 power forward LW

GM Says: "He's got a high ceiling, we'll give him every opportunity to hit it."

#10 - Spencer Martin G 6'3" 201 lbs - San Antonio Rampage (AHL)

Since 2014-2015 Martin has struggled to stay healthy, but when he was healthy he showed signs of why he's been highly touted. This year he even earned a call-up to the big club getting in 3 games of action. Despite his terrible stats he played quite well, it's not his fault the Avs are a tire fire this year. Martin uses his size to his advantage and makes small smooth movements in net. He's great at getting over post to post and has been good in the shootout. He needs to do a better job protecting the top of the net going forward but has been making good strides this year.

Stats - 40GP 17W 18L 1T 2.91GGA .905SV%

Projection: Tandem/Back-up goalie

GM Says: "We were lucky he was still around in the 7th round in 2015. Has pro upside."

How are the rest ranked?

#11 - Kevin Roy W - San Diego Gulls

Projection: Boom/Bust offensive top 6 winger

GM Says: "We like his offensive game but he will need to be in a sheltered roll to succeed."

#12 - J.D. Greenway D - Wisconsin Badgers

Projection: 2nd pairing Two-way LHD

GM Says: "Wisconsin is the perfect place for a defenceman to develop, he'll be due to break out next year mark my words."

#13 - Anthony Stolarz G - Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Projection: Tandem/Back-up goalie

GM Says: "Goalies are a crap shoot to predict, he has starter upside but he'll need the perfect situation to get there."

#14 - Ian McCoshen D - Springfield Thunderbirds

Projection: 3rd pairing shutdown LHD

GM Says: "He moves quite well for a shutdown defender, there maybe some untapped offensive potential in there yet."

#15 - Nathan Noel C/W - Saint John Sea Dogs

Projection: Bottom 6 utility player/PKer

GM Says: "High ceiling, low floor. A wait and see type of prospect, he could make the top 10 next year or could be off the list entirely."

#16 - Gabriel Gagne C/RW - Binghampton Senators

Projection: Bottom 6 utility player

GM Says: "Don't sleep on him yet, bigger players sometimes need longer to develop."