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 sai ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ryan Davenport
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November 30th, 2010 by Ryan Davenport Leave a reply »
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