He's a bit of a long shot, but there's always a possibility. I think Dustin Jeffrey has a bit better of a shot just based on where he'd fit in the lineup. Caputi is best suited for a top 6 role, whereas Jeffrey would play in the bottom 6 where there are currently a few spots up for grabs.
I think Caputi and Jeffrey both have a slim shot. The team is looking pretty full right now. I do however think they will get a call up before the like of Stone or Filewich. Wouldn't be surprised if each of them get into a few games.
Very little chances out of camp, but injuries happening, Caputi, Jeffrey, William Thomas, Ryan Stone and Chris Minard are the first guys on the line to be called up.
Very well spoken young man. Sounds very level headed. Said that he gained a lot of confidence from his breakout season in Jrs.
Was asked about his game, whether he was a power forward or whatever label would fit him.
LC: I feel I am good around the net. Can work in the corners and be responsible at both ends of the ice. I am going to work hard.
Is that where you score most of your goals, in front of the net?
LC: I can score from there. I have also gained confidence in my shot, and feel I can use that as well.
Was it disappointing in a way to see the team doing so well this? tough to crack this lineup? (stupid question by Junker)
LC: Uh, no. I never looked at it like that at all. When I was in WBS, and saw the team doing so well, I was just happy for the organization, knowing how much the guys must be enjoying themselves. It was exciting.
The phone interview was during their bus ride to Kitchener, and the bus got loud so it was hard to hear, so they cut the interview short.
(But if I remember anything else, I will add later.)
Looks like he's aware of it and already working on it:
Quote:
"This summer I worked to get stronger, and I put myself on a high-carbohydrate diet, so my caloric intake would be higher, but I could still work out," said Caputi. "I'm at 198 now. I did a body fat test last week and I was at 8.9. I'm pretty lean and pretty happy right now."
Never say never but I think he'll need a full season as top 6 forward on the Baby Pens.
Oh, boy, I didn't know about this.
That's good news for me. It's half-way walked.
I think it's not in his nature to get much bigger, anyways, but some 10 pounds more is very within reach until the end of the season.
Oh, boy, I didn't know about this.
That's good news for me. It's half-way walked.
I think it's not in his nature to get much bigger, anyways, but some 10 pounds more is very within reach until the end of the season.
6'3" 198 pounds with 8.9% body fat is plenty strong enough to play in the NHL. I don't see size and strength being a factor for him at that size. I will argue that he is as big and strong as half the guys in the NHL now. That being said that does not mean he is ready for the NHL yet. Considering how much he improved in each of the last 2 offseason's I would not be surprised if he made the team but it is more likely he will start in WBS. If he lights it up in WBS then he will get his chance on the big club. We really have no true top 2 line LW types on the team so he will get a shot if he proves he deserves it.
Any chance Caputi makes the team out of camp this year?
No. While he has lost weight and that helps his foot speed, he needs a full season in the AHL to work out the kinks and if he impresses and gets a call-up, great. We all know that if a player plays well enough in the AHL and gets called up and makes it hard for the team to send down, he will likely stay up on the roster, much like Kennedy and Talbot before him.
I'd like to see him establish his physical game in the AHL, show he is improving his foot speed, and his over-all game needs to show progress. He'll make a good bid of he does well in the AHL this year, for next year's camp. There is no rush for him to make the team this year, he has all the time in the world to learn the pro game in the AHL first.
6'3" 198 pounds with 8.9% body fat is plenty strong enough to play in the NHL. I don't see size and strength being a factor for him at that size. I will argue that he is as big and strong as half the guys in the NHL now. That being said that does not mean he is ready for the NHL yet. Considering how much he improved in each of the last 2 offseason's I would not be surprised if he made the team but it is more likely he will start in WBS. If he lights it up in WBS then he will get his chance on the big club. We really have no true top 2 line LW types on the team so he will get a shot if he proves he deserves it.
If he wants to play in traffic and be a powerforward...6'3'' and 198lbs won't really help him over power people to get to the puck. He's definitely not fast enough to blow by players so while he is working on that, he does know he has to gain good weight and that means muscle.
I think next season he'll enter camp at around 205-210 and that's the perfect weight for his frame imo. He lost a lot of fat and that's a good sign that he can lose that and that he can at least get bigger. You tend to lose weight during the year as you play a lot and to get into the routine of eating more and gaining mass is hard when you are burning a lot of energy and doing a ton of cardio in the process as well. He has to bulk up in the off season for the most part and he'll be fine.
Yeah guys at that weight and height do well, but i think to be really effective, 5-10 more lbs of muscle will do him good for his style of play.
Any chance Caputi makes the team out of camp this year?
After seeing 160 pound Patrick Kane tear it up, I have no worries about a guy not being particularly large. Malkin was and still is not much bigger than 190 pounds. They are genetic freaks though. I have seen Caputi on several occasions (including fairly recently) and he is kind of a broad-shouldered, muscular, but wiry guy. His body type may not be one that ever fills out too much. As long as he can take the punishment and put the puck in the net, his size should not a non-factor.
Presuming he has a solid rookie tournament, He will be given every chance to make the Penguins choice difficult. I am confident that we will see the young left winger play alongside the Penguins talented centers during camp, even if just in drills. He could very easily slip into a top-six role on the Penguins and play a similar role as Sykora or Kennedy (Regular five-on-five shift, some powerplay time, about 9-13 minutes a game depending on how things play out).
There are two main concerns about Caputi's game translating to the NHL and they are unfortunately not very original:
Can he keep up with the speed and pace of the NHL game? His skating is not bad, he is not a burner, but he is strong and can skate through other players, other junior players. It remains to be seen if he can jump into an odd-man rush with a player like Sidney Crosby though.
Can his body withstand the rigors of an eighty-two game season? His game is based on a lot of work in front of the net, even if he is strong enough to endure an entire season of getting cross-checked from behind, how will it affect his game? Tyler Kennedy was a shell of himself at the tail-end of last season. Some of that had to do with mono but he got the mono from his body being run down. Caputi's production in the OHL did not slow, he scored 30 points in his last 15 games, but will that translate directly to the NHL remains to be seen. His conditioning does not seem to be a concern.
If he does make the NHL this season I would project his numbers to be modest. Maybe 15 goals and 20 assists. He would probably fill a small role on the team. Honestly, I think he has as good of a chance as any of the prospects and AHLers.
6'3" 198 pounds with 8.9% body fat is plenty strong enough to play in the NHL. I don't see size and strength being a factor for him at that size. I will argue that he is as big and strong as half the guys in the NHL now. That being said that does not mean he is ready for the NHL yet. Considering how much he improved in each of the last 2 offseason's I would not be surprised if he made the team but it is more likely he will start in WBS. If he lights it up in WBS then he will get his chance on the big club. We really have no true top 2 line LW types on the team so he will get a shot if he proves he deserves it.
Oh, I don't think I made myself clear here before.
I was not trying to say he can't play at all in this level because of his current weight, but considering his playing style, relying on being frequently in front of the net, dealing with big defenders, he needs to add more muscle to be more effective.
We can see that's exactly the plan, though, be Caputi in the AHL or NHL.
I think he'll get a fair shot at making the team, specially when we, indeed, need more options at LW, but maybe the best thing for him was to spend the year in WBS, improving his game while bulking up and next season he would be getting a real shot.
That's what I was thinking, in fact:
Quote:
Originally Posted by vcx
If he wants to play in traffic and be a powerforward...6'3'' and 198lbs won't really help him over power people to get to the puck. He's definitely not fast enough to blow by players so while he is working on that, he does know he has to gain good weight and that means muscle.
I think next season he'll enter camp at around 205-210 and that's the perfect weight for his frame imo. He lost a lot of fat and that's a good sign that he can lose that and that he can at least get bigger. You tend to lose weight during the year as you play a lot and to get into the routine of eating more and gaining mass is hard when you are burning a lot of energy and doing a ton of cardio in the process as well. He has to bulk up in the off season for the most part and he'll be fine.
Yeah guys at that weight and height do well, but i think to be really effective, 5-10 more lbs of muscle will do him good for his style of play.
If he does make the team, though:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Altenbaugh
If he does make the NHL this season I would project his numbers to be modest. Maybe 15 goals and 20 assists. He would probably fillHonestly, I think he has as good of a chance as any of the prospects and AHLers.
This projection would depend on what line he would be playing, but certainly, we cannot expect big numbers.
If he plays at all, I don't think he would be on L1, more probable L4 to start the season, and depending on how it goes, he would be moved up.
6'3" 198 pounds with 8.9% body fat is plenty strong enough to play in the NHL. I don't see size and strength being a factor for him at that size. I will argue that he is as big and strong as half the guys in the NHL now. That being said that does not mean he is ready for the NHL yet. Considering how much he improved in each of the last 2 offseason's I would not be surprised if he made the team but it is more likely he will start in WBS. If he lights it up in WBS then he will get his chance on the big club. We really have no true top 2 line LW types on the team so he will get a shot if he proves he deserves it.
Though he has gained a lot of strength, the game he plays, I think, will require a little more. From what I have seen of him, he doesn't have a big frame. He is a lot like Malkin...long and lean. That being said, I have more faith in him than I do in Malkin or Staal, to add another 10 or 15 lbs on top of what he has already added.
The high carb diet seems like it would be inferior to a high protein diet. High carb diet, you are adding not necessarily good weight, which is something else to consider. I know the article said his BMI is low, but he might not be as solid as he could be at 198 lbs.
The high carb diet seems like it would be inferior to a high protein diet. High carb diet, you are adding not necessarily good weight, which is something else to consider. I know the article said his BMI is low, but he might not be as solid as he could be at 198 lbs.
That's one thing that concerns me a bit.
I think the high-carb diet is for him not to lose muscular mass.
He seems to be naturally lean, easy to lose weight, due to his metabolism or something.
A high protein diet would help him, indeed.
With five prospective wingers signed to one-year deals or in the final season on their contracts (Sykora, Satan, Fedotenko, Pesonen and Taffe), there are plenty of opportunities for wingers to impress this training camp. Caputi tops the list if anyone is going to unseat somebody from the projected lineup.
If Caputi shows any type of chemistry with either Crosby or Malkin in training camp, he could stick. But even if he starts the season in the AHL, I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing Caputi in Pittsburgh at some point this season.
I think the plan all along when they decided to deal Malone's rights to Tampa Bay was Fedotenko for one year and then Caputi to replace him long term.
6'3" 198 pounds with 8.9% body fat is plenty strong enough to play in the NHL. I don't see size and strength being a factor for him at that size. I will argue that he is as big and strong as half the guys in the NHL now. That being said that does not mean he is ready for the NHL yet. Considering how much he improved in each of the last 2 offseason's I would not be surprised if he made the team but it is more likely he will start in WBS. If he lights it up in WBS then he will get his chance on the big club. We really have no true top 2 line LW types on the team so he will get a shot if he proves he deserves it.
