AHL Report: Capitals prospects find stride, propel Hershey up standings

Long before the Washington Capitals won the 2018 Stanley Cup, they had built one of the strongest player-development foundations in the American Hockey League.

Washington had 14 alumni from its AHL affiliate in Hershey appear in the Stanley Cup championship run, including goalie Braden Holtby, defensemen John Carlson and Christian Djoos, and forward Jakub Vrana.
Lengthy Calder Cup playoff runs by players in Hershey before moving to Washington had prepared many for the rigors of an extended run through the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2018.
The affiliation between Washington and Hershey started in 2005 and has produced three Calder Cup championships and two more appearances as a Calder Cup finalist. Hershey has reached the Calder Cup Playoffs in 11 of 13 seasons during the partnership.

It has been a roller-coaster season for the next wave of Capitals prospects in Hershey during 2018-19.
With a new class of prospects turning pro, a roster overhaul at the AHL level, including 12 rookies playing in at least one game, and Spencer Carbery being named coach on June 26, 2018, growing pains were expected.
On Jan. 12, the season's midpoint, Hershey was 16-20-0-2 and in last place in the Atlantic Division.
A 16-0-0-1 run turned that around. Hershey has won 20 of its past 29 games (20-4-3-2) to make its way back into the playoff picture. Hershey has 79 points, tied for third-best in the Atlantic Division.
"Guys feel good about themselves, feel good about the team," Carbery said. "They feel like they can play with any team in the league."
The progress of rookie goalie Ilya Samsonov has been one of the biggest second-half stories in the AHL.
Washington selected Samsonov (6-foot-3, 200 pounds) in the first round (No. 22) of the 2015 NHL Draft. He had three strong seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League with Metallurg Magnitogorsk before coming to Hershey, but his first half was a struggle.
The 22-year-old is 17-13-2 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 33 games. In his first 16 appearances, he had a sub-.890 save percentage 12 times. Since, he has been above that threshold in 13 of 16 games, including two shutouts.
The Capitals have another goalie prospect in Vitek Vanecek (6-1, 187), a second-round pick (No. 39) in the 2014 NHL Draft. When Samsonov struggled, the 23-year-old Czech helped Hershey through the first half. He is 17-10-5 with a 2.76 GAA and .902 save percentage in 32 games.
First-half success came largely via the more experienced skaters, who had to shoulder the scoring burden.
Forward Riley Barber (second in the AHL with 31 goals) and established AHL forwards Michael Sgarbossa and Liam O'Brien were important early while prospects adjusted to the pro game. Nathan Walker and Jayson Megna offered further help, and Devante Smith-Pelly was added last month from the Capitals. Aaron Ness had to guide a young group of defensemen that includes Lucas Johansen, a first-round selection (No. 28) by the Capitals in the 2016 NHL Draft.

Barber has 10 goals in his past 15 games. The 25-year-old has 59 points (31 goals, 28 assists) in 61 games. Sgarbossa has had a career season as well. After scoring 16 goals in 68 regular-season games last season for Manitoba (Winnipeg Jets), the 26-year-old has 59 points (28 goals, 31 assists) in 61 games for Hershey. Ness ranks third in scoring among AHL defensemen with 47 points (four goals, 43 assists) in 63 games.
"I felt like the way [players like Barber, Sgarbossa, and O'Brien] were playing it pushed the other seven, eight, nine guys to elevate their games so that they could help contribute, score, and produce offensively," Carbery said. "I thought that was a catalyst."
One such player is rookie forward Garrett Pilon (6-0, 188), who was selected by the Capitals in the third round (No. 87) of the 2016 draft. He went 24 games without a goal to start the season, but his second-half growth has been impressive. The 20-year-old had a goal in three consecutive games earlier this month, including an overtime winner against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh Penguins) on March 19, and is up to 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 67 games.
"[Pilon] is playing the best hockey he has played all year," Carbery said. "We saw the flashes in the beginning of the year from Garrett, but now you're seeing a little bit of consistent play at a really difficult time of the year. You see his speed through the neutral zone, the plays he is making on entries."
Beck Malenstyn (6-2, 198), another rookie forward, has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) with a no-frills game that could translate well to the NHL. Shane Gersich, a third rookie forward, has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 57 games.
"We've got a ton of quality players," Carbery said. "We still have guys who are playing, guys who aren't playing, who are pushing one another to be better."