A hockey-starved crowd filled the Kettler bleachers Saturday for the final scrimmage in the Washington Capitals’ 2009 development camp for prospects. The Blue and White teams went at it for a full three periods Saturday with the White team winning, as they’ve done in every game this week. Of course, which teams won and lost was of less concern than the young players’ individual performances — DCist was there to dig out the good stuff.

Have the Caps Found Another Varly?
Accurately predicting which of these guys may end up in a Capitals jersey this season is difficult; after all, there’s still two months to go before preseason begins. Six players accomplished the jump from summer camp to the big time last year, including goaltender Simeon Varlamov.

Braden Holtby, an 2008 draft pick and a goalie like Varlamov, played for the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades last year and spent time in Hershey practicing with the Bears during the AHL playoffs. In this, his second development camp with Washington, Hotlby allowed three goals in three scrimmages (though each goalie only played a period and a half of each game). Not bad, especially since he reminds Boudreau of the rookie marvel who won a franchise record five consecutive playoff games last season.

“You could tell,” Boudreau said. “Just like Holtby you can tell is not bad, and we feel that…Varly was the same way.”

Holtby said he and his goalie coach worked out a system last year to keep his mind from wandering in the net: dividing each period into 5-minute increments, the same system used by USA goalie Jim Craig during the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid.

“That’s one of the biggest things as a goalie. You have so much time alone,” Holtby told DCist. “You want to keep your mind busy so you’re not thinking the negative thoughts.”