The Washington Capitals have an impressive group of prospects that are often overlooked. That might be changing for five of them. Five Capitals prospects have been invited to WJC (World Junior Championship) camps for their respective countries. Defenseman Connor Carrick and forwards Riley Barber and Thomas DiPauli were listed on the preliminary roster for the United States. Defenseman Christian Djoos and forward Andre Burakovsky were listed on the preliminary roster for Team Sweden.
I’m not at all surprised by the selections of Carrick, Barber, and Burakovsky. I am, however, surprised that DiPauli and Djoos were included. DiPauli is a solid two-way player but he’s been dealing with injuries so far this season, playing just 7 games, and he’s been struggling- only one goal this season. Djoos has been struggling mightily with just one assist in 26 games, but in fairness, he is very familiar with the WJC and he usually does well in these kind of tournaments.
I am shocked that Madison Bowey wasn’t included. With 25 points in 25 games, Bowey’s exclusion makes absolutely no sense. He was terrific for Canada in the 2013 Under 18 World Juniors, scoring the game winning goal in the gold medal game. He’s only 18, which means him a little young for the tournament, but looking at the roster, he deserves a spot over at least half of the defensemen. Chandler Stephenson is another Capitals prospect who I feel was snubbed, but that’s just me being biased. With 36 points in 27 games, I’m sure he was at least considered.
