Shane Gersich, probably the Washington Capitals’ top offensive prospect, is off to quite a slow start in his Junior year at North Dakota. After his fantastic Sophomore season, in which he put up 21 goals and 16 assists (37 points) in 40 games, he has just three goals and three assists in 10 games. That would average out to about 12 goals and 12 assists over the course of the full season, which would be a big dip from last season’s production. 

As pointed out in the Capitals monthly recap article, the main reason for this lack of points is two of his great linemates from last season, Brock Boeser and Tyson Jost, departed for the NHL. This leaves opposing teams to focus all of their attention on the speedy Gersich. This is something he will need to adjust to in order to find more success. Last season, Gersish averaged about 3.83 shots a game. This season, he’s down to 3.3 shots a game. Might seem small but it can pay dividends over a whole season.

But there is one positive. Yes, Gersich only has six points in 10 games, but all six of those points came in the last seven games. That’s a 17-goal, 17-assist rate (34 points) over a full season, which is better, but would still like to see a bit more than that. So the slow start could be just that: a slow start. He was pointless in the first three games of the season and picked it up since then. We’ll keep our eye on him as he continues his season.

By Luke Adomanis

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