Tuesday, the Washington Capitals finally got back to full strength on defense as Matt Niskanen returned to the lineup after being out for a month due to a thumb injury. Their full health on the backline lasted only 34 minutes of play.
With 6:02 left in the second period, Christian Djoos played his last shift of the night.
By Chris Cerullo 3 years ago
Capitals defenseman Christian Djoos loves the puns on his last name and there’s a new one floating around the Twittersphere.
Earlier this week, Twitter user @wholegrainne, a talented contributor at Canucks Army, had this to say.
By Madeline Dement 3 years ago
Twelve games into the season, not much has gone as planned for the Caps. Among other factors, injuries to important players and struggles on home ice have the Caps at just eleven points, putting the team on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference playoff race.
But there have also been bright spots. One such spot is Christian Djoos. Through nine career games, Djoos has shown he’s capable of holding down a full-time job in the NHL, which is remarkable for a team as thin on the blue line as the Caps.
By Patrick Holden 3 years ago
Swedish defenseman Christian Djoos is one of the best stories of the Caps young season. Saturday night at Rogers Place, he had an unlikely cheering section.
According to The Washington Post’s Isabelle Khurshudyan, distant relatives of the Djoos family live near Edmonton, Alberta. During the Caps-Oilers game, Djoos was cheered on by 10-20 members of his family. The crew even held up a sign that said the Christian Djoos #29 Fan Club.
NBC Washington captured the family during a stoppage in play.
Christian Djoos was drafted late in the 2012 NHL Draft and never considered a top prospect, but the undersized 23-year-old is currently cementing a top-six role on the Caps defense.
After playing for SHL Brynäs and the AHL Hershey Bears, Djoos earned a roster spot in the NHL this past October. The Capitals, in need of defenseman after losing Karl Alzner, Nate Schmidt, and Kevin Shattenkirk during the offseason, gave Djoos a shot after proving himself during training camp.
Although he has made several brutal turnovers that have led to goals — not an uncommon trait for a rookie defensemen who has been forced to play big minutes quickly — Djoos has become one of the early bright spots on a Caps defense struggling to find an identity.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
On Monday, the Washington Capitals participated in their annual canine calendar photoshoot with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. Taking photos for the 2018 calendar, the Caps wore suits while the dogs dressed equally as fancy with bow ties and pearls. Some pups even wore, prepare yourself for this, scarfs.
Capitals players Nicklas Backstrom, Madison Bowey, Alex Chiasson, Christian Djoos, Tyler Graovac, Philipp Grubauer, Braden Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Aaron Ness, Dmitry Orlov, Devante Smith-Pelly, Jakub Vrana, Nathan Walker, and Tom Wilson were all photographed with dogs available for adoption through Homeward Trails. The dogs won’t be available for long after their day in the spotlight!
Jay Beagle, John Carlson, Taylor Chorney, Brett Connolly, Lars Eller, Matt Niskanen, Brooks Orpik, TJ Oshie, and Alex Ovechkin all posed with their own dogs.
Aside from the puppies (one of which Tyler Graovac tried to smuggle, or maybe even snuggle out in his pocket), Ovechkin’s two-year-old, 105-pound black lab Blake was definitely the star of the day.
While the official photos won’t be seen until the release of the calendar on November 20, we hope these adorable photos will hold you over until then.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
Christian Djoos is starting to become popular among fans, but there might be someone on the Capitals bench who’s feeling the Djoos more.
Djoos’ former defense partner in Hershey Madison Bowey, gave the Swedish defenseman a congratulatory back massage after Djoos scored his second career goal. Bowey couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he looked up at the highlights on the jumbotron.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
The Capitals have had only one goalscorer on their defense this season, but he’s scored again tonight. With moves you might not expected from a 7th round draft pick rookie defenseman, Christian Djoos got the Caps on the scoreboard late in the second of a miserable game.
By Peter Hassett 3 years ago
When Christian Djoos was drafted by the Capitals in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Draft, he defied all odds by making the NHL five years later. According to TSN, only approximately 10% of seventh-round picks ever become NHL players.
Last Wednesday, Djoos made a splash (get it?) in his NHL debut becoming the first defenseman in Capitals’ history to record two points in their first game.
To celebrate, we made a new shirt.
The Djoos is Loose, you guys, and we are happy to welcome this adorable little Swede onto the team.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
The Capitals took to the ice Thursday afternoon after the team’s 3-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins the night before. After giving up three goals while on the penalty kill, the Capitals spent over half their practice time going through special-teams drills.
Check out the photos after the jump, which include lots of smiling faces. Caps take on the Devils in New Jersey Friday night.
By Cara Bahniuk 3 years ago
