Capitals' youth movement is example for Nationals, Wizards to follow

"A decent-sized crowd gathered at Kettler Capitals Iceplex last week to watch the Washington Capitals put their recent draft picks and invitees through their paces during their summer development camp. Sure, the frigid temperatures inside Kettler might have been a draw, but for a midweek morning in July, the head count was high.

On the ice, the youngsters played three periods to a draw before a shootout decided the outcome. Off the ice, the players emerged from the locker room in their long shorts and T-shirts, and I wondered if their mothers were waiting to drive them home. It's a known fact that hockey players seem to shrink when they shed their pads; these kids got smaller and younger.

The Capitals were one of the younger teams in hockey last season, when they also had the best record in the regular season. This season, they'll be even younger. They are the leaders of a youth movement in our nation's capital that has nothing to do with the annual influx of summer interns and school tour groups.

The Caps are at the apex of their much-discussed rebuilding plan -- they have actually reached the point where they are filling roster spots with talent from their minor leagues, rather than having to dip a toe in the free agent pool every summer. (Stan Kasten, take heart.)

Caps fans have been clamoring for a veteran defenseman since the team's ignominious elimination from the playoffs in the first round, but they might as well save their breath. Karl Alzner, 21, and John Carlson, 20, who started last season with the AHL Hershey Bears, the Caps' top minor league affiliate, are in Washington to stay. "

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/20/AR2010072002698.html