Glimpse of the Future: Patrick Wey

To get us through these last couple of months until training camp, I will look at some of the lesser-known prospects in the organization who have unexpectedly impressed.  This will be called "Glimpse of the Future" and this will hopefully be the first of many I am able to do. Enjoy!

Patrick Wey let out a sigh of relief this morning when he was not among those who received the news they would be leaving Lake Placid, N.Y. and the United States National Junior Team Evaluation camp.  The Capitals’ fourth round (115^th overall) pick in the 2009 Draft is safe for now.

At last month’s development camp, Wey impressed.  His skills appear to be coming along, and the more time he gets playing with older, larger players at Boston College the more he will develop.  The 6’2 200lb physical yet well-rounded defenseman began his elite hockey career with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League.  The Pittsburgh native moved to Iowa to play for the Black Hawks at the tender age of 12.

Wey finished the 2008-2009 season with Waterloo with seven goals, 27 assists, and a plus-minus rating of plus-22 in 58 regular season games.  It was in the spring of 2009 that he decided to commit to the Eagles, several years after most high prospects make their declarations.

“I wanted to do myself justice and find the best place for me,” Wey explained regarding his decision to wait until the spring before enrollment to commit, “And I feel that since I took my time, I really feel good that I found a place that’s the best fit for me.” He recorded 5 assists and 24 penalty minutes in 27 games last season with the Eagles.

Last season, his freshman year with BC, Wey made his biggest headlines off the ice when he, along with teammates Parker Milner and Phillip Samuelsson and five others, were involved in an accident with a Green Line train in near the BC Campus stop.  They attempted to make a u-turn in front of the train, and the train was unable to stop in time to avoid contact with the SUV.  Four of the eight students fled the scene.  There were both empty and unopened containers of alcohol found in the vehicle.

While the prototypical physical defensemen doesn’t skate very well or have decent hands, Wey does.  Wey will never be an offensive power like Mike Green or Dmitri Orlov, but he has enough skills to round out the game of a big-bodied player.  Once he is able to get more playing time on the Eagles’ roster, he will continue to blossom.  

Unfortunately, the Washington organization is particularly deep at defense.  However, if you are able to get good value out of a fourth rounder, it is considered a success, and that is what Wey seems to be shaping up to be: a good value.  Judging by how he looked at camp in July, it would be surprising to not see him at least in Hershey within a few years.