Young Installments

As the Capitals produced the NHL's best record in each of the previous two seasons, the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy winners were stacked with veterans and the benefit of good health.
It was ideal for the regulars in the lineup, but less so for the team's top prospects who had to patiently wait their turn to become fulltime NHLers.

Only one rookie, Zach Sanford, played more than 25 games with the Capitals over the two-year stretch and even that was by the slimmest of margins. Sanford was dealt to St. Louis at the 2017 Trade Deadline with just 26 NHL games on his resume.
But after the Capitals lost six regulars last summer via trade, free agency and the expansion draft, the door finally opened for a quartet of prospects to take on fulltime work in the NHL this season.

It has been 36 years since the Capitals last had four rookies each play at least 50 games in the same campaign, but Madison Bowey, Christian Djoos, Chandler Stephenson and Jakub Vrana are all on pace to hit the mark this season.
Bowey and Djoos could also become the Capitals' first tandem of rookie defensemen to play as many as 50 games in the same year since 1980-81.
"It's the lifeline for any organization," Capitals head coach Barry Trotz says of player development.
"The young guys have done a really good job. We are where we are [in the standings] because of the combination of good veterans and some good production from our young guys."
How much the Capitals were going to get from their young players was among the most pressing questions coming into the season.

While Djoos and Vrana made the Capitals 23-man roster out of training camp, Bowey and Stephenson were recalled from the AHL's Hershey Bears within the first few weeks of the regular season. The four rookies spent the previous two years as teammates in Hershey and they agree that making the jump to the NHL together has made for a smooth transition.
"You definitely feel more comfortable around the guys," says Stephenson, who had a nine-game cameo appearance with the Capitals in 2015-16 and appeared in four games last season.
"Those other call-ups, you're just trying to fit in and blend in with the guys. But it's been awesome this year, being more comfortable on and off the ice."

While Stephenson and Vrana (21 games last season) had previously flirted with the NHL, Djoos and Bowey both made their NHL debuts this year after playing more than 230 games combined with Hershey.
"It's been a long [journey] for all of us," says Bowey, the Capitals' second-round pick in 2013 NHL Draft. "It was nice seeing some familiar faces especially for the first month. But the older guys did a nice job of bringing us in and making sure that we really are a family here."
Among those veterans helping the rookies navigate through the grind of their first NHL campaign is 37-year-old defenseman Brooks Orpik, Bowey's primary defensive partner.

"They've come in, they're ready to learn and they have a great attitude every day," Orpik says of the Capitals rookie class. "Learning from mistakes and how you respond to mistakes is crucial in this league. You want to learn from them, but you also want to wash them away, and they've shown a good ability to bounce back after they do make mistakes."
In early December, after weeks of living out of a hotel, the rookies were told to find their own place. While they were advised not to get too comfortable, it was a clear sign that the organization believed in their NHL staying power.
The notice was especially rewarding for Stephenson, 23, who was expected to make the team out of training camp, only to be placed on waivers and sent to Hershey to start the season.

An Andre Burakovsky injury in mid-October led to a Stephenson recall and although he was first told to only pack enough for two weeks, Stephenson never left.
"Before he went on waivers," recalls Trotz, "I told him that if he gets a chance to come back, make sure that you never go back. And that was really on him. The message was heard, he took it to heart, he's come back and he's played very well."
Stephenson scored his first career goal in his first game of the season and has become a fixture among the Capitals' bottom-six forwards. The Capitals' third-round pick from the 2012 draft has also seen time on the penalty kill and in 3-on-3 overtime.
"Chandler can be a really good hockey player," Trotz says. "He's just starting to scratch the surface at this level and that's nice to see."

Djoos perhaps had the longest journey to the NHL, breaking through as a 2012 seventh-round pick. The 6'0", 169-pound defenseman has come as advertised as a smooth skater with terrific poise and patience with the puck.
In a win over New Jersey on Dec.30, that left the Capitals alone atop the Metropolitan Division, Djoos was the catalyst with a goal and an assist in the opening 10 minutes.
"He's getting better and better, learning how to defend and using his positioning and his stick work to defend," says Matt Niskanen. "He's kept his confidence throughout with the puck, you can see his ability and he's got the guts to play. He's very skilled."
Although growing pains have been inevitable along the way - each rookie has sat as a healthy scratch at least once - the prospects have done enough to show that they're here to stay. That bodes well with the level of play set to intensify leaguewide during the second of the season.

"Those guys are ready for it," Orpik says. "They've gotten better and better as the season has gone on, so I don't think it's going to be too much of a surprise to them. With the way they work and the way they learn, I think they're going to keep getting better as the schedule ramps up."
"This is where the big players and the top guys really step up," notes Bowey. "For me, it's just making sure that I step up my game too. I always love the playoffs and the intensity so I look forward to coming to every game ready to work and helping the team."