Karl Alzner

I just recently downloaded dobber's prospect guide to get info on some lower tier prospects... In the Washington section i noticed Karl Alzner wasnt in the list. He obviously should be in the list of the top 8 washington prospects. Some people believe he will make the squad this year. Just wondering why he isnt in the guide and what we can expect of alzner this season. and his offensive upside for years to come. Personally I compare him to a Chris Phillips type player.

well you may have aswered your own question by comparing him to philips... he's a great nhl prospect, but maybe not as much impact as a fantasy player... i love alzner as an nhl player, but im not too sure if his upside in terms of fantasy as it is in building that capitals team.

Alzner is not a low tier prospect, he is a lower tier FANTASY prospect. The guide gives you the best of the top producers and the darkhorses not the top hockey prospects. Guys like Regehr and Foote are fantastic but neither are fantasy threats pointwise.

Lepisto and Godfrey are better prospects.

Alzner just does not have the fantasy value that he has in real hockey value. Phillips is a good defenceman but he is not going to win you a pool. His value this year will be minimal.He might have a 30 point year at some point but most likely float between 20-30 depending on how often he passes to AO.

For the record: Dobber agreed with your assumption in his 2007 guide. No need to revisit it in 2008. From Dobber's 2007 Prospect report:

Where his strengths lie: Defensive prowess. Few players work so effectively in their own zone.
What he'll do in the NHL: Have something of a Chris Phillips-like career

Some think Alzner will be a solid fantasy player but I don't. He is a shutdown defenseman and future #1. Green is there for the offense. Alzer has little fantasy value in my opinion.

While I agree Alzner has low fantasy value, it has to be better this year than Matthieu Perrault's. Perrault's chances of making the Caps this year are slim while Alzner's appear to be fair to good, according to prospect camp reports and with Pothier's situation. Being on the ice with OV has a better chance of getting you points than no points at all. Alzner may replace Jurcina by the end of the year.