Troy Brouwer Is A Dependable Player For Washington Capitals

If there’s on thing that the Washington Capitals need, it’s consistency.

They lack consistency virtually all over their roster, whether it’s up front, on the blue line, or between the pipes. Things just haven’t gone right in any sort of consistent manner for the Capitals this season. One player that’s proven he can be relied on, though, is forward Troy Brouwer.

Brouwer was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks prior to last season, at the 2011 draft. His production in his first year playing in Washington wasn’t terrific, but he did have streaks of outstanding play. He finished with 33 points, despite playing in all 82 games, falling seven points short of his career high.

This year, Brouwer has been a steady presence for the Capitals, even if the rest of his team hasn’t been.

Brouwer has 13 points on the year. If this was a full season, then he may be headed towards a new career high. He’s among the team leaders in points, and is actually leading the team with his nine goals on the season, a total that is one ahead of Alex Ovechkin‘s eight.

Troy Brouwer isn’t the type of guy that’s going to light up the stat sheet. At this point in his career, you pretty much know what you’re getting from him. With the Capitals, he’s taken a step towards becoming a bit more of a steady presence on the stat sheet as well.

He brings an extremely physical presence to the lineup, finishing with 247 hits last season. He has 46 in 20 games this year. His big frame is an asset down around the net, and is also useful on the power play. He’s also a great character to have around in the locker room, and has quite an individual following of his own, with the group of fans known as the “Brouwer Rangers”.

Brouwer will probably never be a guy that’s going to put up 50 points. But he’ll get you around 20 goals, will be a physical force in the lineup, and a great guy off the ice. He’s exactly the kind of element you need to be a successful team in this league. Of course, you also need several other elements that the Capitals may or may not have.