Thirty minutes into the second session of his second development camp with the Washington Capitals, forward Jakub Vrana bolted toward the net, stared down his countryman and pinged a wrist shot off the crossbar. As the puck zoomed toward the rafters and the drill continued elsewhere, Vrana approached goaltender Vitek Vanecek, a fellow Czech. Inching into the crease, Vrana unleashed a loud, grinning yell in Vanecek’s face, then stick-tapped him on the pads and skated away.
It was another loose moment from the fun-loving former first-round draft pick, the 19-year-old who grew fond of Notorious B.I.G’s thumping song “Big Poppa,” discovered the wonders of Chipotle and McDonald’s, cut his hair “so I look older,” and told teammates that girls love his “access,” when he really meant “accent.