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C Connor McMichael - London Knights, OHL (2019, 25th, WSH)

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Meanwhile, Pronman still thinks his skating isn't good enough to think he'll be a top 6 forward.
 
It was pretty hard to see in real time, and given how beautiful the goal was, it probably won't be discussed, but McMichael had an incredible tip-pass to lead Akil Thomas into the zone on the game winning goal. It's really hard to see, but you can also hear the tip when you listen to the zone entry.

 
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Really liked what I saw from him at the WJC (and have been a big fan of him since last year), and he's having a hell of a junior season. Think he makes the NHL next year?
 
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Zaddy said:
Really liked what I saw from him at the WJC (and have been a big fan of him since last year), and he's having a hell of a junior season. Think he makes the NHL next year?
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I thought he already made it pretty tough to cut him this last preseason, if the Capitals weren’t among the league’s deeper teams I think he’d have already been there, so my gut says yes. At least a small cup.
 
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ImNeverWrong said:
this kid is putting up video game numbers in the OHL. how soon can he play in the NHL? This junior game is too easy for him.
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Barring a trade there really isn't a spot for him next year but they'll have to figure something out. He misses being able to play in the AHL by 15 days but I can't see how another year of juniors is beneficial to him.
 
I think the Caps will find a way to fit him in. One option is to play him on the wing. Yes , he is a center. But it might be a little easier for him to adjust to the NHL(remember he will be skipping AHL) if he can play wing in his first season and not worry about face offs and such.

Right now Caps only have 10 F signed for next year so there is room.
 
Evgeny Oliker said:
I think the Caps will find a way to fit him in. One option is to play him on the wing. Yes , he is a center. But it might be a little easier for him to adjust to the NHL(remember he will be skipping AHL) if he can play wing in his first season and not worry about face offs and such.

Right now Caps only have 10 F signed for next year so there is room.
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The Caps will have 11 forwards under contract next year once Backstrom re-signs and the other two, Boyd and Leipsic, are RFAs. I think the only spot they'd have would be 3LW which could work if they bump Hagelin down to 4LW and they don't tender Leipsic but we'll see. Tom Wilson was the last Caps forward who jumped straight from juniors to the NHL and Adam Oates made him a face puncher who got 7 minutes a night which wasn't much help to him.
 
Well, I think they can go with this type of a lineup next year:
Ovechkin - Backstrom - Wilson
Vrana - Kuznetsov - Oshie
McMichael - Eller - Panik
Hagelin - Dowd - Hathaway

They can play McMichael on that 3rd line and give him some PP and PK time as well. That should get him to over 15 minutes. Eller for example is averaging over 17 minutes this season.

The Caps big guns (Ovy, Backstrom, Oshie) are all aging so they do need to start developing the next group of stars.
 
If he has a good training camp, they'll make room for him next year. No use to him going to back to London for another year. I think he would have been just fine in the NHL this season, but unless something happens i don't see a way how he isn't in the Caps line-up in October.
 
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Evgeny Oliker said:
They can play McMichael on that 3rd line and give him some PP and PK time as well. That should get him to over 15 minutes. Eller for example is averaging over 17 minutes this season.
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Something in the area of 12-13 minutes is more likely unless he has another pronounced jump in play. I don't know that he'd get PP2 time unless maybe he takes Eller's spot and PKing also seems a bit doubtful initially.

It's up to him. A big summer in the gym and they ought to be able to manage his weaknesses and accentuate his strengths in a depth scoring role with the Caps next fall.
 
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trick9 said:
If he has a good training camp, they'll make room for him next year. No use to him going to back to London for another year. I think he would have been just fine in the NHL this season, but unless something happens i don't see a way how he isn't in the Caps line-up in October.
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Not sure I agree with “unless something happens i don't see a way how he isn't in the Caps line-up in October”. For example, Marner was similarly dominant on the Knights in his draft season as McMichael has been in his draft+1, and Marner still came back for another year. The Caps are a harder team to make than the 2015/16 Leafs too.

With that being said, I think he has a solid shot to make the team next year, likely as a winger. Far from a lock, though, he’ll need to have a GREAT camp. He’s a terrific prospect, it’s just very tough to make an elite team like the Caps as a 19 year old.
 
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ponder said:
Not sure I agree with “unless something happens i don't see a way how he isn't in the Caps line-up in October”. For example, Marner was similarly dominant on the Knights in his draft season as McMichael has been in his draft+1, and Marner still came back for another year. The Caps are a harder team to make than the 2015/16 Leafs too.

With that being said, I think he has a solid shot to make the team next year, likely as a winger. Far from a lock, though, he’ll need to have a GREAT camp. He’s a terrific prospect, it’s just very tough to make an elite team like the Caps as a 19 year old.
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Sam Steel is another example of a guy who put up massive points in his D+1 but didn’t make the jump next season
 
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nbwingsfan said:
Sam Steel is another example of a guy who put up massive points in his D+1 but didn’t make the jump next season
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Steel had Adam Brooks, though, whereas McMichael has...Merkley.

Marcus Johansson made the Caps at 19, although he already had plenty of experience playing against men. It likely comes down to physical/defensive play. The Caps might not be as hesitant to return him to junior since they know Hunter would stress pro details but my guess is they hope he's ready to be a third-line winger ASAP.
 
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Langway said:
Steel had Adam Brooks, though, whereas McMichael has...Merkley.

Marcus Johansson made the Caps at 19, although he already had plenty of experience playing against men. It likely comes down to physical/defensive play. The Caps might not be as hesitant to return him to junior since they know Hunter would stress pro details but my guess is they hope he's ready to be a third-line winger ASAP.
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I never said he shouldn’t make the team, I have no idea if he will. Just pointing out other players who put up big points in their D+1 but were still returned to junior. Frost is another guy recently.
 
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nbwingsfan said:
I never said he shouldn’t make the team, I have no idea if he will. Just pointing out other players who put up big points in their D+1 but we’re still returned to junior. Frost is another guy recently.
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Yeah great examples. McMichael will certainly get a shot to make the Caps next season, but it won’t be easy, he’ll need to have a great camp. The Caps are obviously in win-now mode, and teenage rookies are almost always defensive liabilities and mistake prone.

Ranking those 3 as prospects, I’d put McMichael and Frost on very similar levels, and both a bit above Steel.
 
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ponder said:
The Caps are obviously in win-now mode, and teenage rookies are almost always defensive liabilities and mistake prone.
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True enough. They also need cheap depth scoring, though, and the Caps lost a fair bit of that with Connolly & Burakovsky. Certainly it's no lock but if he manages to sustain a goal per game and well over 2 points per game this season it'll be hard to deny. He'll have to earn it and pass muster physically/defensively but typically they have a plan and with a solid off-season he ought to be right in that mix. I wouldn't rule it out this spring even depending on how the timing works out, though it'd probably only be on the fourth-line if at all.
 
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