1. Our young players have 100 to 150 games or more of experience under their belt. They have become young vets very quickly. They have played under adversity and now know what is expected of them as professionals in the NHL.  2. We now have a good mix of young players, veteran players and star players who WANT TO BE IN DC and want to be part of a winning culture and team. We have crafted a team now and not a collection of piece parts under a strategic plan. 3. I believe this training camp will be the most competitive in our recent history with numerous players battling for just a few open spots. Come see some of our scrimmages and games. You will enjoy what you see at this training camp. 4. Kettler Capitals Iceplex is opened and fully functioning with two rinks in use for camp. My hope is that this facility becomes a competitive advantage for us. I know it has already helped us to lure free agents to come and play for our franchise as DC gains a reputation as a great place to live and work. And as our team becomes a long term consistent winner in the NHL again, I look forward to greeting our fans at the facility all season long.  5. Our fans. Renewals are very good. New sales are very strong. Merchandise sales are very strong. The buzz is good. The blogosphere is humming. Our fans like our new logos, new colors and new jerseys. Our fans will love the great improvements made at Verizon Center including the best new scoreboard and video set up in the league. Come one, come all. Thank you. 6. Our special teams play. My assumption is that we will perform better this season on the power play, the penalty kill and in the shootouts. How we do in these key areas in the new NHL could dictate how we perform in terms of points garnered towards a playoff spot this season.  7. Our leadership. It is humbling to hear great players being quoted saying exactly the right things about team play and expectations. Players such as Chris Clark, Olie Kolzig and Alex Ovechkin "get it". They want to win and achieve great team success and for that I am grateful. The focus on team defense is also of paramount importance as we enter this season. I am also heartened to know that many players are reporting to camp in great physical shape and have reported early and are raring to go! 8. Team toughness. We have a good mix of skill and finesse WITH toughness as a team. Matt Bradley, Matt Pettinger, Chris Clark, David Steckel, John Erskine, Brian Sutherby and Donald Brashear — as examples — play a very spirited game, a kind of hockey that I like to see played as a fan. 9. Our backlog of young players. We still have a lot of young players being developed that will compete for a team spot this season and next, high picks all. Our future looks bright. We get very high scores for drafting well and for being a team with upside. Our relationship with the Hershey Bears has never been stronger and cannot be over-emphasized as a key cog in our overall plan.  10. Expectations. While most in the media aren