Expectations Rising for Caps' Green

Mike Green is averaging more than 16 minutes a game for the Washington Capitals and leads their defensemen in shots on goal. But those statistics don't carry much weight at the end of practice.

Green stays on the ice an additional four or five minutes, picking up pucks and placing them one by one into a five-gallon plastic bucket. Apparently, all the ability in the world can't save him from the time-honored tradition of rookie duty.

Not that Green, a 2004 first-round draft pick who turns 21 today, is complaining.

"I've got to pay my dues," said Green, bucket still in hand.

He'll have his hands full again tonight in St. Paul, Minn., where the Capitals face Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra, Marian Gaborik and the rest of the Northwest Division-leading Minnesota Wild (3-0-0) at Xcel Energy Center.

In the Capitals' first two games, Green has impressed his coaches and teammates with his quick outlet passes and knack for getting shots on net. That's not to say he's been perfect -- defense perhaps is the toughest position to master, and the 6-foot-1, 208-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, still must work on his positioning and learn when to join the rush and when to hang back.

But the team's expectations of him continue to grow. And if he continues to deliver, so will his role. Green has been skating with 35-year-old Jamie Heward on the Capitals' third defensive pairing.

"For a player of 21 years old, he wants the puck, and he wants it in all the critical areas," Coach Glen Hanlon said. "There's a lot to be said for that. We are all aware that the best years for defensemen are not normally when they are 21 years old. He'll continue to get better. Right now, we are giving him NHL minutes and he's giving us an NHL game."

Green said: "Last year was a learning experience for me. Now I can set goals and try to achieve them instead of just trying to learn. I can just play and try to contribute and develop into the player I want to be."

The biggest difference between the Green who played 22 games for Washington last season and the one who's likely to stay for the duration this season, everyone agrees, is his improved poise. Green's ability to handle pressure was forged last spring in Hershey, Pa., where, in his first professional season, he helped guide the Bears to the Calder Cup. He was the second-leading scorer among all AHL defensemen in the playoffs with three goals and 18 points.

"Every year for a kid -- and he's still a kid -- his development is going to happen by leaps and bounds," Heward said. "He had a year where he went down to Hershey and he played a lot of minutes and played in a lot of key situations. That's what the minors are for. It's a steppingstone to the National Hockey League. Winning a Calder Cup is huge for his development."

Heward said he called Green over the summer to make sure the touted prospect was preparing himself properly for training camp. During practices, the veteran often pulls Green aside and gives him a pointer, such as how to use his skate and stick to stop a pass at the point, rather than using only his stick.

"The key is not to throw so much stuff at him that he gets overloaded," Heward added. "Maybe just one or two three things each game or practice, like, 'Next time try this' or 'Be a little more aggressive.' "

Another thing Green has learned since turning pro is the importance of protecting his face. He began wearing a visor during the AHL playoffs after a slap shot broke his nose. Then, after a stick caught him near his eye a couple of games later, his mind was made up.

"There's no need to be a hero," Green said. "It doesn't affect me out there on the ice."

Mature, indeed. A lot more than his choice of hairstyles: the faux-hawk, a mild variation of the Mohawk.

"My son wouldn't have a Mohawk," Hanlon said, laughing.

Told what Hanlon said about his hairdo, Green smiled and said with a shrug, "I can't say much about that."

Smart kid.