The 2011 Washington Capitals Development Camp is over, wrapping up Saturday with a Fan Fest and spirited final scrimmage between Teams Red And White. The Capitals estimated over 3,000 fans came to Kettler Capitals Iceplex for the day's events, and no doubt left excited by what they saw and what next season holds for the Caps. General Manager George McPhee addressed the media after the scrimmage, discussing the performances of a few players and talking excitedly about playing hockey in July. Full audio can be found here, via 106.7 the Fan D.C. - highlights of McPhee's talk can be found below.
When asked who he felt stood out the most in camp, not necessarily one of the top prospects:
I thought [Garrett] Haar was the biggest surprise of the camp. For a young man that was four picks away from not being drafted he really played well here. Liked his hockey sense and the way he competed, I liked the way he defends, and he looks real strong on his skates, so we're really delighted with a kid we took in the seventh round to perform the way he did is pretty impressive.
McPhee also found 17-year-old Travis Boyd impressive:
Really pleased with him, he's a smart player and for 17 years old to be out there sticking his nose in playing the way he did and showing us that he understands the game, he thinks the game real well. Pretty happy with him too.
Finally, on playing hockey in the steamy D.C. month of July:
This is pretty remarkable. When you're six to eight people deep in every crevice in the building, it's pretty neat. Nothing like hockey in July. Especially Caps hockey. It's pretty cool.