2012-13 Media Guide - Washington Capitals - NHL.com

38
KARL
ALZNER
Defense • Height: 6’3” • Weight: 213 • Shoots: Left
Born: September 24, 1988 (Burnaby, British Columbia)
Drafted: Capitals’ first-round choice, fifth overall, in the 2007 Entry Draft
2011-12
Set career highs in points and assists while playing in all 82 games for the secondconsecutive
year ... Ranked 4th on the team in ice time per game (20:52) ... Finished
3rd on the team in blocked shots (139)...T-1st on the team in plus/minus (+12)...Tallied
an assist on Caps’ first goal of the game on 4/5 vs. FLA...Assisted on Caps’ first goal on
3/31 vs. MTL...Tallied a team-high 11 blocked shots on 2/5 vs. BOS...Set a career high
in points (13) with his assist on 2/1 at FLA...First-career fighting major (Downie) 1/13 vs.
TB...Set a career high in assists (11) with his assist on 12/31 at CBJ...Recorded an assist
on the overtime GWG on 12/3 vs. OTT...Recorded an assist on 11/4 at CAR...Scored his
first goal of the year (first goal since 12/18/10 at BOS) on 10/27 at EDM...Established a
new career high point streak (3 games) with his assist on 10/13 at PIT...Registered an
assist on 10/10 vs. TB...Recorded his first assist of the season on 10/8 vs. CAR...Tallied
2 shots, 2 hits and 2 blocked shots on 10/8 vs. CAR ... Led the team in postseason time
on ice per game (24:53) ... Ranked 3rd on WSH in blocked shots (33) during the playoffs
... Skated 37:14 in Game 3 of ECSF vs. NYR.
Career
2010-11: Tied for fifth on the team in plus/minus at +14 … Set a career high for games
played (82), goals (2), assists (10), points (12), plus/minus (+14) and penalty minutes
(24) … Seventh on the team in time on ice per game (20:00) … Third on the team in
blocked shots (132) … Skated a career high 26:49 vs. CAR on 3/29 … Had a career-high
three assists at ANA (2/16) … Was +17 in 29 games from 12/15- 2/21 (1g-5a) … Had
an assist and skated 30:13 in Game 4 of ECQF vs. NYR … Finished with a game-high
eight blocked shots in Game 1 of ECQF vs. NYR … Tied for second on the team with 20
blocked shots in the playoffs ... Ranked fourth on the team during the playoffs with 23:18
of ice time per game. 2009-10: Appeared in 21 games in six recalls to Washington, posting
five assists ... Skated an average of 16:24 per game ... Played a season-high 21:35 and
was +2 12/15 at COL ... Three of his five assists came in December ... Washington was
5-0-0 when he had a point ... Made his NHL playoff debut in Game 7 vs. MTL (4/28) ...
Played 56 games for Hershey (AHL) ... Ranked third on the team and tied for sixth in the
AHL at +34 (tied with Chris Chelios) ... Posted 21 points (3g-18a) ... Two of his three goals
came on the power play ... Offense picked up significantly in the second half: he had 1g-
3a through December and 2g-15a after 1/1 ... Was +4 as Hershey beat Binghamton 8-1
(10/10) ... Had an assist and was +3 10/30 at Hartford and on 11/13 vs. Norfolk ... Had
2a on 2/21 vs. Albany ... Had separate point streaks of three games and five games in
March, when he totaled nine points (1g-8a) ... His two PPGs came in the last eight games
of the regular season ... Led Hershey defensemen and ranked tied for fourth among AHL
defensemen with 10 points (3g-7a) in 20 playoff games ... Tied for ninth in the league with
a +7 playoff rating ... Recorded three assists 4/25 vs. Albany ... Scored the second goal
of the game in Hershey’s 4-0 Calder Cup-clinching Game 6 win vs. Texas (6/14). 2008-
09: Appeared in 30 games in three recalls to Washington, posting five points (1g-4a) and
two PIM … The only NHL defenseman with more than 25 games played and fewer than
eight PIM … Played 20 or more minutes in 15 of his 30 games … Ranked third among
NHL rookies in ice time (19:25 per game) … Assisted on two GWGs … Named one of the
three stars in three games … Made NHL debut vs. ATL (11/26) … Recorded his first NHL
point with an assist 12/4 vs. NYI … Scored his first career goal and added an assist for his
first multiple-point game 12/6 at TOR, giving him three points in two games … Logged a
career high 24:45 of ice time on 12/20 at PHI … Played in 48 games for Hershey, netting
20 points (4g-16a) and 10 PIM … Shared the lead among AHL rookies with a +23 rating
… Had four multiple-point games … Played 10 games in Hershey’s run to the Calder Cup,
recording two assists.
Junior Career
2007-08: Named to the Canadian Major Junior First All-Star Team and the Canadian
Major Junior Defenseman of the Year … Also chosen as the WHL Player of the Year,
the WHL Defenseman of the Year and named to the WHL East First All-Star Team …
Captain of the CGY Hitmen (WHL) … Played 60 games for CGY and had 36 points
(7g-29a) and only 15 PIM … Finished with a +26 rating … Had two assists in the first
game of the season against Red Deer (9/21) … Registered eight multiple-point games
during the season, including a three-point game (1g-2a) vs. Brandon (1/27) … Scored
the GWG in overtime at Kootenay (1/22) … Had eight points (6g-2a) in 16 playoff games
… Tied for the team lead in defensemen playoff goals and ranked second in points by a
defenseman … Represented Canada in the 2007 Canada-Russia Super Series and the
2008 World Junior Championship. 2006-07: Won a gold medal with Team Canada at the
2007 World Junior Championship … Earned WHL Eastern Conference Second-Team
All-Star honors … Played in the 2007 Top Prospects Game … Represented the WHL
in the 2006 Canada-Russia Challenge … Posted 47 points (8g-39a) and a +16 rating in
63 games for CGY … Led all Hitmen defensemen in assists and points; tied for the lead
among team defensemen in goals … Won CGY’s Coaches’ Award and was named the
team’s top defenseman … Had 13 points in 18 playoff games as the Hitmen reached the
Eastern Conference finals. 2005-06: Skated in 70 games for CGY and tallied 24 points
(4g-20) … Had one goal and three assists in 13 playoff games. 2004-05: Played in 66
games in his first year in CGY and dished out 10 assists … Had three assists in 12 playoff
games. 2003-04: Saw action in 41 games for Richmond of the PIJHL, recording three
goals and nine assists … Made his WHL debut.
International Career
Won back-to-back World Junior Championship gold medals with Canada (2007, 2008).
2008: Captain of Team Canada at the World Junior Championship … Posted two points
(1g-1a) and was +2 in seven games … Chosen by the coaching staff as one of Canada’s
top three players in the tournament … Also represented Canada in the Canada-Russia
Super Series. 2007: Played six games for Canada at the World Junior Championship,
recording one assist. 2005: Played for Team Canada in the Under-18 Junior World Cup in
the Czech Republic/Slovakia… Played for Team Pacific at the 2004-05 World Under-17
Hockey Challenge in Lethbridge, Alberta.
NHL Transactions
Selected by Washington in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2007 Entry Draft.
Personal
Enjoys golf, swimming, movies and camping … Supports Canuck Place Children’s
Hospice in VAN … His favorite hockey memories are winning two World Junior
Championships and his first NHL game ... Favorite athlete is Steve Nash … Won CGY’s
Scholastic Player of the Year in each of his first two seasons with the team ... Was the
subject of an hour-long radio documentary called Hockey Diaries in 2008-09..