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Capitals prospect Djoos trying to bulk up before season

Sweden v United States - 2013 USA Hockey Junior Evaluation Camp

LAKE PLACID, NY - AUGUST 07: Christian Djoos #4 of Team Sweden skates against Team USA during the 2013 USA Hockey Junior Evaluation Camp at the Lake Placid Olympic Center on August 7, 2013 in Lake Placid, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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After losing Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk and Nate Schmidt this offseason the Washington Capitals are going to have some big openings on their blue line, a development that presents a great opportunity for skilled prospect Christian Djoos to get his first look in the NHL.

Djoos, a seventh-round pick by the Capitals in 2012, is coming off of a monster season for the Capitals’ AHL team in Hershey that saw him record 58 points (13 goals, 45 assists) in only 66 games.

That production made him the third-leading scorer on the team and by far the team’s most productive defenseman.

He signed a two-year contract with the Capitals over the summer, with the first year of that contract being a two-way deal. But given the fact he would have to clear waivers before going back to the AHL it seems to be a solid bet that he is going to be on the Capitals’ roster to open the season, especially after the production he put on the board in the AHL this past season.

Before he gets to the NHL though the Capitals have had him spending his summer trying to add more weight to his frame.

Via CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Tarik El-Bashir:

“For sure, I need to get bigger,” he said. “We’re working on it every day here in the gym and back home over the summer. It feels good, getting bigger and stronger.”

The Capitals have him on a high calorie diet that requires him to eat much more than other players.

“You just got to eat everything almost,” he said. “Not the bad stuff but you gotta eat all the time. Just trying to do that every day.”

He then cracked: “I just got to keep eating, keep eating, work out, then maybe one day just explode and gain some pounds.”


Djoos spent last being listed at just 161 pounds, which would have made him the lightest defenseman in the entire NHL. According to the NHL’s database the only defensemen that were listed under 174 pounds were Kris Russell (170 pounds), David Warsofsky (170 pounds) and Jared Spurgeon (164 pounds).

In previous eras that lack of size would be a major hurdle for a player Djoos to navigate when it comes to getting a spot on an NHL roster, and for some teams it probably still would be, especially for a defenseman. Slowly but surely, however, though teams are starting to open up to “undersized” players and are more willing to overlook that if there is enough skill behind it. Given what Djoos has shown since coming to North America two years ago he clearly has the skill to make an impact.

The Capitals lost quite a bit off of their defense this summer, and with Brooks Orpik being another year older they are going to need players like Djoos and Dmitry Orlov, who is just starting a six-year, $30.5 million contract extension, to really take on big roles as puck-moving, offensive defenesmen.