Caps Briefing: Werner Loaned to Falcons
Professional hockey players come from all over the world. They come from South Africa, Canada, Kazakhstan, Norway and there is even one from Washington, D.C. Well, okay, two come from the Washington area. Jeff Halpern from Bethesda signed with the Capitals as an undrafted free agent in the 1990s. When the Caps declined to sign him two years ago, he joined the Dallas Stars, who have him in a five-year, $10 million contract.
That leaves Stephen Werner, the first professional hockey player born in Washington, D.C. Local hockey fans have watched his progression with anticipation, looking for a sign that D.C. is just as capable of rearing hockey players as places with year round outdoor ice. The Capitals drafted Werner in the third round in 2003, and waited while he finished college as a star player for U-Mass Amherst.
Last spring, he graduated and joined the Caps minor league system. After starting the season at the lower level with the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays, Werner earned a promotion to the AHL Hershey Bears. After putting up five points in eight games in Hershey, however, Werner was lent to the Springfield Falcons last week.
In his second game with Springfield, Werner exploded for two of the Falcons' three goals. This means that Springfield is giving him more playing time in better offensive situations than he could get in Hershey this year, so the loan could be a positive sign for his development. Of course, it could also mean that he isn't getting along with people in Hershey and asked the team for a chance to return to western Massachusetts.
For an historical precedent, we look back to the 1990s, when the Capitals had two strong goalies in their minor league system in Portland, and they lent the less accomplished of the pair to the Rochester Americans for a year. That goalie eventually wound up playing for the Capitals. His name was Olaf Kolzig.