Four Fine Goalies Show Caps Fans What They've Got

Rob Taggart is a Level Three USA Hockey coach with six years coaching experience at the midget level and three at the high school level. In that time he has worked as a head coach, assistant coach and goalie coach.  Rob has been playing hockey for 22 years and played for the University of Maryland Terrapins during the 1999-2000 season.  We don't know jack about hockey, but he does.  You can follow him on Twitter @GoonTendy

On Tuesday morning, fans that gathered at Kettler Iceplex to watch their beloved Washington Capitals take on their ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, and two very different goalies stood in their respective creases.  In the Caps net was the Royals Brandon Anderson, long time WHL player who was signed by the Caps back in 2010.  On the Reading side was 2012 playoff hero Braden Holtby, and the presumed starting goaltender for the Washington Capitals.

Anderson looked to be in awe of his surroundings. Not surprising as he was backstopping for one of the biggest names to ever play the game in Alex Ovechkin. When handling the puck, Anderson played with a nervous look and many times he seemed surprised to look into his glove and find the puck after a shot.

Holtby was a different story. He turned shots away with ease and swallowed up rebounds with nonchalance, despite giving up four goals to his Capitals teammates.  He didn't look like a rookie at all, much of which can be attributed to his 14 game playoff run with the team this past spring on an injury call-up. The time spent in Hershey with the Bears, during the lockout, didn't hurt either.

Halfway through the scrimmage the Royals other goaltender, 2012 7th round draft pick Sergey Kostenko, took the ice for the Caps and veteran Capitals goaltender Michal Neuvirth stepped in for the Royals.

For Kostenko this was his chance to show Caps general manager George McPhee that he was worth the $100,000 they paid for his recent shoulder surgery. It may not be too long before we see Sergey up in Hershey playing alongside former Russian teammate Dimitri Orlov.  Kostenko was one of the standouts at Caps rookie development camp this summer.

For Neuvirth this was his chance to show that he's still an important part of this team.  The Czech goaltender believes he is a starting caliber goalie, but over the years has mostly been relegated to a backup role behind Jose Theodore, Thomas Vokoun, and now rookie Braden Holtby.  Neuvy also gave up 4 goals to his Caps teammates.

But neither goalie showed anything flashy or brilliant that would boost their reputations significantly.  However, both played excellent, stay home, position hockey.  Each goalie played the angles tightly giving up little daylight for players to aim for.  Most shots ended up hitting them square in the gut where they were quickly smothered.

The score doesn't typically mean much in a scrimmage, but in the end the Caps handed the Royals a rather hefty defeat earning the two prospects Anderson and Kostenko the prized shutout victory.

But regardless of the score the Caps are definitely the winners in this one as it looks like they will have very solid netminding for many years to come.

David Vallorani: A Familiar Face To Watch For On The Reading Royals

The Washington Capitals will scrimmage their new-ish ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, today at Kettler Iceplex.  The Royals are currently 2nd in the ECHL in wins and are a top tier squad.

It won't be a full game and Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby will play goalie for each team and switch at the half. More on the game from the Reading Eagle:

"The game will include three 20-minute periods and will have referees. There will be no penalties and no special teams. Admission is free."

Before you head out to Ballston, check out one of our favorite Reading players that we saw playing this summer at Caps Rookie Development Camp.

David Vallorani:  At 5'8"Vallorani is not the biggest guy on the ice.  But he plays hard, shows a lot of heart, and after a great D-Camp he earned a contract with the Hershey Bears.  Vallorani was assigned to start his career with the Royals.  Read how the former UMASS-Lowell forward impressed the crowd over the summer.

He may be small, but Vallorani has been impressive all week, displaying his offensive talent with a number of shot attempts on goal and several great centering passes.  He knows how to get the puck to the net, a skill that most of the other players at development camp are lacking.  The four year senior has scored 3 goals in 3 scrimmages and has made his case for being signed by the Capitals organization at some level.

Vallorani has tallied 25 points in 35 games in the ECHL this season so far, which ranks 11th among all rookies. He is tied for 5th on the team in scoring.  It will be interesting if he can repeat some of the magic from his surprising D-Camp performance against the big boys.


Stanislav Galiev was also at D-Camp and has had a disappointing season for the Hershey Bears.  The Russian was sent down to the ECHL on Monday for the second time this season and has 0 goals and 1 assists in 17 games with the Bears.  He also has 13 points in 12 games for the Royals this year.  Not sure if he is in VA for the game or not, if he is, keep an eye on him.

David Civitarese and goalie Sergei Kostenko were both at D-Camp as well.  Civitarese was recently activated from Reserve and should play.  The Reading goalies are not scheduled to play with Neuvirth and Holtby supposed to man the nets for both teams.  Kostenko, Russian goaltender and 7th round pick in last year's NHL Draft, also had a very good rookie camp which included a nice little showdown with first round pick Filip Forsberg over the summer that was quite interesting.  It's ashame we won't get to see him.  You can read about it here.

Sergey Kostenko Signs With Hershey Bears

The Hershey Bears have announced the signing of 2012 7th round draft pick Sergei Kostenko from Russia.  Kostenko got out of his contract in Russia, so was free to sign anywhere.

Kostenko had a good showing at Caps Development Camp which helped him earn his contract.  The Russian goalie's shining moment at camp was when he stonewalled Filip Forsberg on two breakway shots in a row, garnering a large round of applause by the onlooking crowd.

Kostenko and fellow development camp participant Brandon Anderson have contracts with the Bears and both may spend time in the ECHL.

D-Camp Day 4: Kostenko Say, No Borscht For You!

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We will be live at Kettler each day at some point for Development Camp.  So follow us on Twitter @Dru90 @Camcoco10 and @TheDugsSports for live-tweets and check back all week for coverage.

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Sergei Kostenko was the 203rd player selected in the 2012 NHL Draft.  The Washington Capitals used their final pick, a seventh rounder to select the goalie from a junior hockey team in Russia.  But on Thursday afternoon, Kostenko looked more like an NHL veteran than a 19 year old in his first NHL development camp.

Kostenko made a number of saves that had the people in the crowd's jaws hit the uncomfortable metal bleachers at Kettler Iceplex.  The fans reacted with "oohs" and "ahhs" as well as a number of loud ovations for the Russian goalie.

The highlight of the Thursday scrimmage was a quick battle between first round draft choice Filip Forsberg and Sergei.