There was a lot to do today as the Caps rookie prospects went through several drills before getting down to the fun stuff: a scrimmage.
At the end of one drill Neuvirth started to skate away from the net and took a slapshot off the back of his leg. He hit the ice and was down for a minute, but otherwise looks ok. He has a plain white helmet, but I'm intrigued by the Hershey-colored pads. Hopefully that means something.
It's only 15 minutes until the actual scrimmage, and the rookies are running what might as well be a scrimmage already. Technically it's a drill being run at one end of the ice, but it is definitely a game situation drill of 5-on-5 in the zone. There are occasional whistles and the rotation of players, but these guys are going all out and fighting for the puck all over the zone. It looks like the focus is working the puck in the corners and along the boards.
The rookies are in the locker rooms as the Zam is doing a thorough resurfacing of the ice. So with a fresh sheet, a trio of refs, and the guys back on the ice, it's scrimmage time.
After the first period of play a few things stood out to me. Viktor Dogvan has the skills to be an impact defenseman in a year or so. He made a couple small mistakes but showed some good moves and solid positioning. On the other hand, his partner, Sean Collins, just doesn't look like he can hack it with the big boys. He's also the oldest player at rookie camp, as he turns 25 in October. Also, Josh Godfrey hasn't impressed me as much as I thought he would. He's had a few turnovers in front of his own net and hasn't shown much offensively. And man is Oskar Osala is a big guy. At 6'4" he's tallest only behind Eric Mestery, who stands 6'5".
