The Maryland Sports Blog

Dmitry Orlov is widely considered to be the Washington Capitals’ top prospect, and though his NHL career so far has been very short, he’s proven that he won’t be considered a prospect for very long.

Dmitry Orlov has been a bright spot for the Capitals this year.

Orlov was the 55th overall pick by the Washington Capitals in the 2009 NHL draft. He made his North American debut with the Hershey Bears on February 26, 2011. Unlike most European players, he has made a seamless adjustment to the North American style of hockey. He made his NHL debut on November 21, 2011 against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Orlov’s greatest strength is his sheer athletic ability. He moves extremely well on the ice and he is able to create a lot of chances with his speed, agility, and raw power. His slap shot is very impressive, especially if you consider that he is relatively small for a defenseman, as he’s just 6’0″ and roughly 200 pounds (The Internet Hockey Database lists him at 195, the Capitals website lists him as 210). Orlov can dominate from the point on power plays with his slap shot, and he’s become more aware of what he needs to do to help his team win. He’s gone from shooting the puck virtually every time he touched it to being smart enough to fake the shot to create chances for his teammates. He is also very good at getting the puck out of his defensive zone.

Orlov, while he does have a ton of raw athletic ability, still needs to mature a little bit. His positioning on defense still needs some polishing, and he tends to take penalties. With all that being said, I am impressed by his maturity if you consider he’s barely 20 years old.

I don’t think Orlov is going to stay up for good… yet. It would be wise for the Capitals to send him down once Mike Green comes back. Plus, the Capitals want to keep him as long as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get called up during a playoff run though. Orlov’s future is very bright, and I can’t wait to see what he can do. The sky is the limit with him.

For Orlov’s career stats, click here.

When you think of the Washington Capitals, you think of one person: Alex Ovechkin. He is the Capitals’ captain, and for better or for worse, the team tends to mirror his

Ovechkin will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game, and the best Russian-born player to play in the NHL.

intense all-out personality.

Ovechkin was drafted by the Capitals with the first overall pick in 2004. He officially joined the Capitals in 2005, a year later than planned thanks to the NHL lockout. From day one, he showed that he was worth all the hype. His accolades include:

• 2005-2006 Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie Of The Year)
•  First Team All-NHL 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
• Sporting News NHL Player Of The Year 2008, 2009
• 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 All-Star selection
• Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) 2008, 2009
• Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (top goal scorer) 2008, 2009
• Art Ross Trophy (NHL points leader) 2008 (112 points)

As you can see, Ovechkin has quite the resume. He put an exclamation point on his resume in January of 2010 when he was became the team captain for the Capitals.

Even though Ovechkin is definitely one of the best goal scorers in the world, I wouldn’t classify him as a sniper. I would classify him as a power forward. If you’ve ever seen him play, he’s extremely physical. With his 6’3″ 225 pound frame, not only can he dish out the big hits, but he can take them as well. Since he became captain, Ovechkin has taken a different approach to his contributions on offense. Before, he was almost a pure shooter. Since then, he is focused more on spreading the puck around and drawing double teams. It might affect his stats, but he helps everyone around him by drawing that extra attention. As one of Ovechkin’s harshest critics before this sudden change, it’s been wonderful to see Ovechkin turn into a true captain. He’s been working harder at practices and he rarely takes a day off.


Ovechkin is also an incredibly competitive player. He’s obsessed with winning, and absolutely hates losing. Sometimes, this can cause a conflict of interest with Bruce Boudreau. Ovechkin always wants to be on the ice, but Boudreau has to do what’s best not just for Ovechkin, but the team as well. I believe the media makes way too much of it when they appear to disagree on something. It’s not like they hate each other, they have a deep respect for each other. They’re just two extremely competitive guys who both want to win.

Ovechkin is not without fault. His leadership has been called into question due to the Capitals’ inability to live up to their full potential in the postseason and win a Stanley Cup. That criticism might be justified, but he’s still young. Even Michael Jordan took a while to start winning championships. He also has a tendency to be a bit reckless with his style of play. He’s going to have to make adjustments to his style of play as he gets older if he wants to prolong his NHL career. He still has a tendency to be a bit selfish with the puck, but he has good intentions and he’s improving in that area. Ovechkin also tends to be extremely hard on himself. He just needs to realize that even if he’s not getting points, he’s still being productive in other ways.

For Alex Ovechkin’s career stats, click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKO4ajKI-jc