(Photo: Washington Capitals)
For those attending this year’s Development Camp at Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Thomas DiPauli is one to keep an eye on. I enjoyed watching him at last year’s Development Camp as when he hopped on the ice, he was relentless in his pursuit of the puck. He seemed to be a step ahead of others on the ice and had a few nice looks on net.
A 4th round (100th overall) pick of the Capitals in 2012, the 5’11”, 188lb, left handed Center has played on the top two lines with Notre Dame of the NCAA for the last three years. Although his sophomore season was plagued with injury (missed 14 of 40 games), DiPauli has fared well when he’s on the ice. Last season (Jr. year) he finished 41 games with 8 Goals , 21 Assists, 24 PIMs and was a +8. Also, in 2011-12 DiPauli helped USA’s U18 squad win the gold at the World Junior Championship scoring a goal and posting an Even +/-.
DiPauli is expected to finish out his senior year playing in the NCAA for the Notre Dame Fighthing Irish. He projects to be a 3rd or 4th line center/left Wing at the next level and excels on the faceoff dot. He’s a good skater with a relentless motor and has knack for digging pucks off the boards. He may benefit from a year or two of development at the AHL level before he’s given the green light in the NHL, but I expect he could become a valuable grinder with some offensive instincts in the future. For now, let’s check him out at Capitals Development Camp 2015.
By: Zach Hart
REFERENCES:
http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/thomas_di-pauli/, http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=90344
