Washington Capitals 2012 fifth-round pick Connor Carrick made his NHL debut tonight in his hometown of Chicago. And on National TV, Pierre McGuire showed him the respect and dignity he deserves. By getting his name wrong.
Ugh, Pierre. C’mon.
When Orland Park, Illinois-native Connor Carrick arrived at Washington Capitals’ training camp in September, he hoped simply to get out of Tom Wilson’s shadow and make a name for himself. After an explosive camp, the diminutive 19-year-old defenseman is now a known entity among fans.
On Tuesday, Carrick is expected to be named to Washington Capitals’ opening night roster. He may play against the Chicago Blackhawks, his favorite team growing up as a kid in Illinois.
Carrick made the roster because he is a smart, smooth-skating defenseman who plays with the poise of a 30-year-old. He lacks the talent of a Dmitry Orlov. He does not have the size of a Tyson Strachan. But those players are in Hershey and Carrick is with Washington because he consistently got the puck on net and played nearly flawless defense– though he had some challenges facing the Flyers on Friday.
Carrick finished the preseason tied for third on the team in points with one goal and four assists in five games. Carrick had the same amount of points as a certain reigning Hart Trophy winner (four goals, one assist).
Tyson Strachan didn’t make the team; will Tom Wilson? (Photo credit: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports)
With the deadline to submit opening-day rosters approaching at 5:00 PM Tuesday, the Washington Capitals moved towards finalizing their 23-player roster with a flurry of moves on Sunday.
The Caps assigned defensemen Michal Cajkovsky, Dmitry Orlov, and Tyson Strachan (who cleared waivers at noon) and forward Dane Byers to the American Hockey League’s Hershey Bears. They have also placed forward Joel Rechlicz on waivers. Today was the final day players could be put on waivers before rosters must be set, meaning the Caps won’t be able to demote any more players who have those rights.
That leaves Washington with 21 players on the roster (13 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders) and three prospects trying to crack the lineup: Connor Carrick, Tom Wilson, and Michael Latta.
By 10 years ago
During the mess that was Monday’s brawl-filled Capitals-Bruins game, one play jumped out at me.
With the Caps on the powerplay, defenseman Connor Carrick got the puck. He was the lone guy on the point — with Mikhail Grabovski at his right and Troy Brouwer to his left. Bruins veteran Daniel Paille went after Carrick, thinking he could cause the youngster, playing one of the hardest positions in hockey– powerplay quarterback, to cough up the puck or surrender the blue line.
What would you expect from a 19-year-old on this play? Keeping the puck in the zone and dumping it in would be satisfactory, but that’s not what Carrick did. Instead, he faked an easy pass to Brouwer and then backhanded the puck to Grabovski. No one on the ice except Carrick seemed to expect that play. He kept the Bruins in their own end with a simple, smart pass– showing NHL-quality poise in the process.
By 10 years ago
Photo credit: Jared Wickerham
It’s been a productive day for Connor Carrick. After signing his first pro contract with the Capitals, he scored his first NHL preseason goal. It’s not really an “NHL” goal, but it’s still awesome.
By 10 years ago
Carrick signs his deal. (Photo credit: @CapitalsPR)
Capitals defensive prospect Connor Carrick has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the club, according to Mike Vogel. Via CSN’s Chuck Gormley, Carrick’s deal carries a $550,000 NHL salary in years one and two, and a cap hit of $575,000 in year three.
By 10 years ago
Connor Carrick (#58) waits for the puck drop with Tom Wilson and Aaron Volpatti. (Photo credit: Samantha Pyear/Q Net News)
We received this question on Wednesday:
@russianmachine Is Connor Carrick in the same ‘OHL or NHL’ limbo that Wilson is in? — Thomas Martin (@temartin84) September 18, 2013
We’ve got your answer.
By 10 years ago
Photo credit: Chris Gordon
Last week, RMNB’s Chris Gordon wrote an article about Washington Capitals prospect Connor Carrick, explaining why the 19-year-old defenseman deserves your attention. Read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it read it.
While 2012 first-round pick Tom Wilson received all the glory last year after appearing in Hershey’s and Washington’s playoff series, Carrick — Wilson’s teammate on the Plymouth Whalers — led all OHL defenseman in playoff scoring and earned himself a post-season invite to the Bears as well. Caps assistant coach Calle Johansson believes that Carrick, with the right coaching, has the potential to be a top-four defenseman in the NHL, which would be a huge return on investment on a fifth-round pick.
A lot of good material from my interview with Carrick ended up on the cutting room floor. He’s a thoughtful, charming dude, motivated to make the most of his opportunity in hockey. My favorite part of the conversation was a story he shared about playing playoff hockey against the London Knights with Tom Wilson.
Carrick peeks out from behind Wilson at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in July. (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)
Two thousand twelve first-round draft pick Tom Wilson is fawned over, with good reason. At 6′ 4″, he’s a mammoth dude who scores goals, hits hard, and unleashes a myriad of expletives — the personification of a hockey player. When Caps fans think of the Plymouth Whalers, Wilson is usually the only one who comes to mind. There is, however, another Washington prospect playing in eastern Michigan: fifth-round pick Connor Carrick.
By Chris Gordon 10 years ago
Tom Wilson and Madison Bowey during Caps Development Camp in July. (Photo credit: Chris Gordon)
[Editor’s Note: Fedor has reported on Washington Capitals prospects for RMNB for the last three years. This year we’re proud to introduce his prospect rankings. The rankings will be updated three times during the season– with the goal of updating you on how prospects are or not progressing. The first edition of the rankings come on the second day of Rookie Camp, as Caps prospects jockey for position within the organization.]
The Washington Capitals have re-stocked their prospect pipeline over the past two NHL drafts, giving fans a wealth of new players to get excited about in addition to a few solid free-agent prospects signings.
The 2012 Draft is turning out be a sterling spot on George McPhee’s resume. After picking Filip Forsberg and Tom Wilson in the first round, GMGM made a few strong picks in the latter rounds with Thomas DiPauli, Connor Carrick, Riley Barber, and Christian Djoos– all of whom have been invited to their junior national team camps and left good impressions.
Depth on defense is an area of strength for this crop of talent, with more than a few prospects ready to compete for roster spots as soon as they open.
Below, check out inaugural edition of the RMNB prospect rankings.
By 10 years ago
