The 2017 Prospect Tournament scheduled to take place in Estero, Florida starting on Saturday could be affected by Hurricane Irma. 

The Capitals’ prospects are scheduled to play three games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and the defending Western Conference Champion Nashville Predators.

Teams are monitoring closely, expect a go/no go decision by midday tomorrow. https://t.co/MNwg5Zlsqs

— John Walton (@WaltonCaps) September 5, 2017

The National Hurricane Center reported in their 5:00 P.M. update on Tuesday, that Hurricane Irma is a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.

While the storm is not expected to reach Florida until sometime on Sunday, the European model shows Irma likely to pass near Fort Myers, Florida, less than 20 miles north of Estero.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency, and mandatory evacuations have been ordered for the Florida Keys. The NFL announced on Tuesday afternoon that the Miami Dolphins’ home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be moved to a neutral location or rescheduled due to the hurricane.

Assuming the tournament isn’t canceled, the Capitals will play all of their rookie tournament games at Germain Arena, which hosts the games for the Florida Everblades, the Carolina Hurricanes’ East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliate.  The full game schedule is down below, again, assuming no changes are made:

Saturday, Sept. 9
1:00 pm – Florida vs. Washington
4:30 pm – Nashville vs. Tampa Bay

Sunday, Sept.10
1:00 pm – Tampa Bay vs. Washington
4:30 pm – Nashville vs. Florida

Tuesday, Sept. 12
10:00 am – Washington vs. Nashville
2:00 pm – Florida vs. Tampa Bay