Washington Capitals GM George McPhee has to be grinning from ear to ear as he takes in the world junior tournament in Sweden.
McPhee was on hand at Tuesday’s quarter-final game in Leksand, a 5-1 win by host Sweden over the Czech Republic, and his eye was on the Capitals’ fourth-overall pick from the 2006 entry draft, Nicklas Backstrom. The captain of the Swedish entry, Backstrom hasn’t piled up the points in the tournament the way many had expected, but he has been a steadying influence on a team poised for its first world junior medal in a decade.
In addition to Backstrom, McPhee has two more top prospects performing above expectation at the tournament: Russian netminder Semen Varlamov, another Capitals first-rounder from 2006, and Finnish forward Oskar Osala, who was taken in the fourth round of that same draft. Varlamov has been the goaltender of the tournament so far, allowing just three goals in four games, while Osala has, surprisingly, been one of the overall scoring leaders — something that may change given the Finns were eliminated by Team USA on Tuesday.
McPhee had left for Sweden immediately following his team’s loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday, and had said to the Capitals broadcast crew during the intermission of that game that one of his priorities for the trip was to meet with Backstrom’s parents and convince them their son would be well taken care of in the NHL next season.
Backstrom, who turned 19 a little more than a month ago, hasn’t committed to such a move at this point, despite the fact he’s been lauded by many as the best player not currently playing in the NHL. I had the chance to get to know Backstrom briefly during last year’s world junior tournament in British Columbia, and he struck me as similar to a lot of young Swedish players who come to North America at a young age (with the exception being that his English skills still leave a bit to be desired).
He’s very shy and reserved, the antithesis of his soon-to-be teammate Alex Ovechkin, and probably not the kind of personality the Capitals can market as the face of the franchise — at least not right away. Backstrom’s also been relatively sheltered in his hockey career thus far, as he’s remained in his small hometown of Gavle even after making the jump to the Swedish Elite League. It’s going to be a big, big step for both he and his family to commit to the Capitals for this fall, which is where McPhee’s visit comes in.
It’s much the same process McPhee went through with Ovechkin and his parents, who were brought in for the start of the young Russian’s first season and given a place to live in Washington. McPhee had wined and dined with the Ovechkins at their Moscow country home during the NHL lockout, something that undoubtedly eased his move to North America in 2005-06.
