Brian Pinho – McKeen's Hockey

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Washington Capitals Top 20 Prospects

Rachel Howard — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 22:30:38 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 Washington Capitals prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Connor McMichael, C (25^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Few 2019 draft selections progressed as well as McMichael did this past season with London, where he went from a strong complimentary piece to the lifeblood through which the offense flowed. A strong skater, he showed much more confidence when carrying the puck, allowing him to dominate touches. He can beat you in transition because of his speed and he can beat you down low because of how well he protects the puck and how sound his decision making is. We also saw a huge improvement in his shot, especially his powerful wrist shot, and he uses different shooting angles to deceive goaltenders. McMichael also showed improved strength away from the puck, and paired with his high-end IQ, is now a strong two-way presence. Originally projecting as a winger in the NHL, he has shown enough to alter this belief. He is a very versatile player. Given the improvements he made last year, it is not impossible to see him playing in the NHL next year with the Capitals. He already skates well enough for the NHL. At this point, his projection is that of a two-way, goal scoring forward who can play inside the first two lines. – BO

Hendrix Lapierre, C (22^nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Lapierre battled consistency and injury issues all season, but of his high-end IQ and skill combination make him a potential steal. Originally thought to a concussion victim, it was later found to be a cervical spine issue. He has a very dynamic skill level and can make the spectacular look easy. He is smooth with the puck in transition and is a precise, pass-first center. He is a strong skater, who gets separation through excellent acceleration. He can work well along the wall and behind the net, with crisp turns, making him elusive in coverage. Lapierre is also a terrific two-way player who excels in all three zones because of his high-end hockey IQ. He uses anticipation and a quick stick to force turnovers on the backcheck, which he excels at transitioning the other way. He needs to take a step forward as a goal scorer. His game can be too predictable at times and to keep the opposition on their toes, he could stand to become a more well-rounded offensive player, shooting more often. Even despite a poor year, his potential remains high as a two-way, all situations center who can make his teammates better players. – BO

Alexander Alexeyev, D (31^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Alexeyev brings size (6-4”) and hockey IQ to the Washington organization. Making the jump from the WHL, he managed to make it through his first professional season with no serious injuries despite his shaky health track record. He struggled early in the beginning of the season to adjust to the pace of the AHL, but as the season went along his confidence grew and the skills that got him drafted began to show themselves, particularly in the form of his passing ability and offensive zone positioning. Alexeyev will need to demonstrate better conditioning when the next season gets underway to remain consistent throughout the full 60 minutes and he will need to find another gear to add more speed to his game. Numerous times last season opponents blew past him when driving the net and he will need to improve at keeping them to the outside. As he continues to develop and his game matures, there is little doubt that he has the overall ability to become a top pairing defenseman at the NHL level, it is simply a matter of opportunity and Alexeyev staying healthy, as he cannot sustain another serious injury without suffering major career setbacks. – SC

Martin Fehervary, D (46^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Tight competition between Fehervary and fellow Hershey Bears roommate and first round pick Alexander Alexeyev has been good for Fehervary’s development, pushing him hard in order to see results. The results of that developmental push have been evident as the lanky Slovakian has managed to impress in his rookie North American professional season, often using his tremendous skating to sail past opponents and earn scoring opportunities. He is the complete package as a future NHL defenseman; he plays a physical and rough game, can skate, carry the puck, and his defensive zone coverage is good. The only downsides come in the form of patience, passing, and decision making with the puck. He is not as well known for his passing abilities as he is for his skating and skill level and at times it was evident this past season with turnovers and missed important passes that oftentimes led to icings or offsides. Fehervary will need to tighten up his passing and work on how he moves the puck as well as when he moves it in order to be able to make the right choices in the NHL. - SC

Aliaksei Protas, C (91^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Protas has a very solid offensive toolkit. His unique size and frame enable him to be an elite puck protector. He can pace the game to his level and allow plays to develop. He is able to shed defenders and maintain control just a half step longer than most which dovetails perfectly with his playmaking and passing. He has excellent vision and can play the half-wall or behind the net equally comfortably. He has a deft touch and can make highlight reel passes due to his soft hands and a great ability to hit teammates in stride. His shot is above average and enables him to always be a dual threat to defend. His willingness to shoot the puck has helped his offensive game blossom. The knock on Protas was always his cumbersome footwork and lack of pace, but he has made some serious strides in that part of his game as well. He still needs to work on his overall defensive commitment and has struggled in the faceoff dot but those have improved with coaching. He is still a long-term project but the potential upside here is much higher than most expected in his draft year. - VG

Garrett Pilon, C (87^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Standing out in the NHL will always be hard due to Pilon’s style of play. A hard-working grinder who can skate and who keeps his feet moving at all times, there is nothing particular that stands out about the way that he plays. To get too the next level, he will have to broaden his play, bettering his offensive production and puck possession skills next season. A top penalty killer using speed and determination, Pilon works hard every shift but at the next level it is about putting all of those things together and he will have to have a better, more cohesive and consistent game to earn a bottom six spot on the NHL club. He is a passionate player, and he will also need to keep his temper and frustration in check to avoid spending more time in the box than on the ice. He will be a big-league asset soon enough should he continue to put his overall game together and mature. - SC

Brian Pinho, C (174^th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 6)

Pinho is the flashy forward with good puckhandling skills that every team has or needs. For a sixth-round selection, he has taken the long route for his development, finally coming into his own this past season, finishing top in prospect points. For his performance with the Hershey Bears, Pinho earned a spot on the Washington Capitals playoff roster and managed to also make his debut suiting up for two playoff games. Throughout the season, he was a clutch player for Hershey, often earning overtime marker and tying goals. He dominates in the offensive zone and often times earns breakaways on turnovers and long passes. That being said, he needs to work on bringing that competitive level to every game and on further developing his defensive play. With the recent call up to the Capitals, Pinho may have earned his chance at next season’s roster as a member of the bottom six. - SC

Kody Clark, RW (47^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

After a decent season with the OHL Ottawa 67’s, Clark swung his talents over to the AHL’s Hershey Bears for his rookie professional season. He quickly realized that the next level would not be as smooth sailing as major junior and he was a scratch for majority of the first half of the season. Following in father Wendel’s footsteps, Clark brings the grit and offensive prowess to a mildly physical Hershey roster, but that is where his talents stop until he finds a way to keep up at the AHL pace. He is a strong skater but his puck possession was simply not there last season and he will have to find a way to get to the net if he wants to even be considered as a top priority call up option. Serving more time in the penalty box than often necessary, Clark will have to prove himself as a skilled player first more than anything in terms of next season and working his way towards a call up. He has the potential and skill to play as a bottom six forward in the NHL, but he still has a lot of learning to go before that will happen. - SC

Brett Leason, RW (56^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

For a player who was passed over two years in a row in the draft, Leason has managed to defeat the odds, becoming a second-round pick for the Capitals. He has the size to play and to stay safe at the next level, proving so during his rookie season with AHL Hershey, however speed and skill is another thing. This is where the Washington offensive prospect structure starts to thin out and with Hershey last season, Leason failed to mark more than five goals, a disappointing drop from the 36 goals he scored in major junior the year before to being a healthy scratch for Hershey towards the season’s end. Leason will have to find another gear and start playing up at a professional level, as right now he is simply not fast enough to cut it and if he cannot find another gear it will be uncertain if he will ever be given a chance with the Washington Capitals as a bottom six. - SC

Lucas Johansen, D (28^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

With an expired contract and only nine games played this past season, it is unsure as to where Johansen will be playing next season. It is assumed the Capitals will re-sign him; however he has not had the best of progressions in the organization as his play has gotten worse over the course of his three seasons with the Hershey Bears. As a first-round pick, Johansen needs to perform better, he has offered little in the way of point production and the quantity of turnovers he gives up is just bad. Having missed the bulk of the season with a leg injury, Johansen will need to show that he spent the time off well to come back better than ever to prove to Capitals management that he is deserving of a call up at least. As the time goes by, the Capitals are drafting more and more high-quality defensemen and Johansen’s name is getting further and further down their organizational depth list. It is now or never to prove that his passing, hockey IQ, and composure with the puck are good enough for a bottom four spot in Washington’s lineup. - SC

Vitek Vanecek, G (39^th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 10)

For a Washington Capitals organization which may be missing a goaltender next season with the expiring contract of incumbent starter Braden Holtby, it means that the young prospects in the system are getting their much-awaited shot. Although the current future may be Ilya Samsonov, recent backup and first call up Vitek Vanecek has the talent and hockey IQ to read NHL speed plays and the focus to get him to the next level. With a tight goaltender race, Vanecek will have to show his composure every time he gets a chance to be up with the Capitals. His quick reflexes and athleticism in the net are what set him apart from his counterparts as he is very active and aggressive in his crease, he fights for positioning well, and sees plays with good vision. His rebound control could use a little work and his timing when playing the puck can sometimes be a worrisome issue, however the Capitals look to have a promising goaltender tandem for the future as Vanecek could manage the starting role just as well as Samsonov. - SC

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 11)

Despite starting his North American professional career off a little shaky, including a return trip to Sweden to finish the season, Jonsson-Fjallby has redeemed himself this past season, completing the full season in North America, finishing with 23 points. It is clear to see that the winger has the speed and the offensive hockey ability to make an impact at the next level when it comes to getting to the net and putting forth the necessary individual effort. That being said, he lacks instincts as a two-way player and in the defensive end, and there is little else to be said about his giveaways and ill-advised passes in the neutral zone and on breakouts. Jonsson-Fjallby is a difficult prospect to talk about because he has NHL-level skills, but his hockey sense is poor and hard to overlook. With any luck, he will find himself in a Capitals jersey within the next season as a first choice call up to a bottom six position. - SC

Damien Riat, LW (117^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 12)

While some in the hockey world have dismissed Switzerland as a nation worth heavily scouting, the Capitals have always been believers. Look at NHLer Jonas Siegenthaler, their second-round pick in 2015, now an established NHLer. Look at Tobias Geisser, their first selection in 2017, albeit in the 4^th round. And look at Riat, taking in between the two blueliners, who signed an entry level deal with the Capitals in March after five successful seasons in the NLA. A speedy winger with intriguing puck skills, he has been the top scorer in his age cohort ever since being overshadowed by a young Auston Matthews in 2015-16, until finally being overtaken again last year. For an organization that rarely drafts out of Europe, Riat has a chance to convince the Capitals to change their scouting direction once more if he adapts well to the North American game this year. - RW

Oskar Magnusson, LW (211^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

A top scorer as a youth, Magnusson took off in his second season in SuperElit, finishing second in the league in scoring among all U18 players, behind only Carolina draft pick Zion Nybeck. Magnusson has a fine collection of offensive tools and can contribute as both a finisher as well as a playmaker. He has good instincts for the game and reads the play well, helping him to maximize his physical tools. On the other hand, he is very physically underdeveloped, and his skating is average at best. He is actually fairly explosive on his feet, but his strides are short, causing him to burn out too much energy too quickly. He earned a four game call up to Malmo’s senior side last year and is expected to have a chance to compete for a regular SHL role this season. Before even thinking of a move to North America, he will have to prove that his offense-first game can succeed against men at home in Sweden. – RW

Bobby Nardella, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Apr. 5, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

At 5-9” Nardella is certainly undersized as defenseman go in professional hockey, however, do not be fooled as this crafty and highly offensive defenseman is a threat no matter where he is on the ice. He finished seventh on the Bears in points and tops for defenseman this past season, his rookie professional campaign. Having been trusted for a role on the Bears’ top powerplay unit, Nardella clearly shows his maturity and that he is focused enough to manage high pressure situations and smart enough to make the right plays. He also has the skill as a top-level skater and puckhandler to get to the net for scoring opportunities which can make him an asset in today’s game. The major downside is size and if the Capitals can get past that, rest assured that Nardella has the potential to be a top four pairing defenseman. The delay in cracking the Washington lineup simply comes from defensive depth and prospect hierarchy politics, because as a player Nardella offers nothing but good things to a team. - SC

Martin Hugo Has, D (153^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

A late arrival to the OHL made Has a bit of a mystery and a difficult player to evaluate. Some may wonder about why he only played a single game for the North Bay Battalion before being moved to Guelph. The answer is because the OHL has a rule that imports cannot be traded until they play at least one game for the drafting team. In Guelph, Has was eased into a top four role for the Storm, playing as a stay at home defender with partner Daniil Chayka (a top 2021 eligible player). At 6-4”, he certainly has good length and exhibits good gap control when containing the transition game of the opposition. As an offensive player, we saw Has struggle at times with his decision making and the pace of play in the OHL. It remains to be seen just how much potential he has as an NHL prospect moving forward. Next year he will return to Guelph and will likely resume his partnership with Chayka. As he becomes more comfortable, we should get a better idea of the type of player he is and can become. – BO

Garin Bjorklund, G (179^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Playing as art of a platoon with Ottawa draft pick Mads Sogaard, Bjorklund didn’t have the kind of year that scouts hoped of him, as consistency issues plagued him in his intermittent starts. Part of that may have come from not playing consistently as part of a routine. He still has the size (6-2”) and quickness to be an NHL netminder and the potential to turn it around given more regular time between the pipes. To his credit, he tracks the play well and seems to have a solid grasp of the technical nuances of the position. A former first round pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, even in his struggles, he showed flashes of pro caliber ability, but was done in too often by juicy rebounds, and seeming to lose his composure after surrendering a bad goal. Reports of his commitment to the game are promising, and, even though he was outperformed last year on the whole by the Danish second round pick, more often than not, there was little to separate the two performance-wise, and there may be a lot of room for growth in this profile. – BO

Mitchell Gibson, G (124^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 17)

If we want to search for rays of hope with Bjorklund (#17), we need look no further than Gibson, who struggled badly in his first post draft season making the adjustment from the NAHL to the USHL. Moving on to Harvard, his performance improved by several grades. Given the chance to play regularly, he took the bulk of a time-share from senior Cameron Gornet and kept the Crimson in pretty much every game, something he could not say for his time with Central Illinois. Gibson is on the smaller side for a modern netminder but moves well and fights for every puck. He did a good job at limiting second chances and has a knack for puck play as well. Where concerns remain are in his ability to track the play through traffic, where his height works against him, as well as his propensity to lose the finer details of his technique in the crease. A second season like the last one with Harvard and he will rise up this list. - RW

Beck Malenstyn, LW (145^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 18)

Re-read everything written above about Garrett Pilon and just make him a winger instead of a center, and then lower the ceiling a fair bit. Considering how low we stated the ceiling was for Pilon, we are basically stating that Malenstyn projects as a replacement level player. His hands have promise, and he plays a hard and tough style of game, but it is hard to see him as more than an injury replacement callup. The simple fact is that his offensive contributions are meagre. Even in the WHL, he was a secondary scorer. Through two seasons in the AHL, he hasn’t exceeded 16 points, although, to be fair, he could have cracked 20 if last season wasn’t ended early due to the pandemic. He could have been a regular in the 1980s, but it is hard for players of his ilk to establish themselves in the NHL anymore, and we don’t see why Malenstyn will break that mold. - RW

Riley Sutter, RW (93^rd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: UR)

One of the few of the next generation of the Sutter family to still retain NHL hopes, Riley Sutter’s projection was stunted over the previous two injury-plagued seasons. He has always carried the grit and smarts of his father’s generation, but the knock on him, from the time of his draft year, has been his heavy feet. Now, with only 63 combined games played in the last two years, split between the WHL and AHL, his chances have taken a hit with the missed development time. We can give him a mulligan for his poor numbers in his abbreviated rookie pro season, as he has solid puck skills and reads the opposition well, but he can scarcely afford a repeat of the last two seasons. A return to health and improved performance will help Sutter re-ascend this list. Continued injuries can end his NHL hopes. He has the size and strength to play a bottom six role in the future, but he has a ways to go to achieve that goal. - RW

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

McKeens Hockey; Article by Ryan Wagman — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:50:55 +0000

I write these words less than 24 hours after the Dallas Stars took game one of the Stanley Cup Finals against the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning. Unlike most seasons wherein the end of the Stanley Cup marks the beginning of off-season player movement, this year teams have taken an early start to the transactional Ferris wheel as many expect the upcoming offseason (from the awarding of the Cup, through to the draft in the first week of October to the start of the 2020-21 season perhaps as soon as early December, pending COVID trends in North America) to be especially turbulent.

We have seen a few trades of NHL pieces, one deal which impacted this guidebook, as Toronto sent Kasperi Kapanen to Pittsburgh and Swedish winger Filip Hallander was among those coming back to Toronto. Hallander was our selection for the second-best prospect in the Penguins system and now holds that title for the Maple Leafs. That trade knocked the Penguins down a few slots on our organizational rankings and allowed Toronto to go the other way accordingly.

Of course, with the draft roughly 17 days away, and with it a complete re-shuffling of the organizational rankings, this is just a snapshot in time of how every team’s system shakes up. We will re-run this list, incorporating the drafted players, in our pre-season fantasy guide, where we will expand the lists up to 20.

What you are about to dive into is a comprehensive list of all prospect eligible players on all 31 teams. To hold prospect eligibility, a player needs to 25 or younger, as of September 15, 2020. All skaters need to have played less than 60 career games, with no more than 35 of those games coming in a single season (or 25 for this past shortened season). For goalies, the age criteria remain the same, but the games played benchmark drops to 30 career games and 20 in a given season (or 15 last year). Any cutoff that does not hew exactly to the Calder Trophy award criteria is, by nature, arbitrary, but we aim to be inclusive for all players who have not yet cemented NHL jobs and/or have not had a prolonged chance to prove himself capable – or incapable.

We rank 15 per team, as depth is as important as the high end. Our goal is to identify players who could – if they have an advocate for them within the team’s braintrust – play a role in the NHL. These players were identified through our thorough vetting of each prospect across the globe, assigning scores, or grades, to five areas for skaters (skating, shot, puck skills, smarts, physicality) and six for netminders (athleticism/speed/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, positioning/technique, rebound control, and puck handling). Depending on the position, the grades are run through an algorithm to come up with an overall future projection (OFP).

The OFP, if the scout is being honest, measures the future role we anticipate the prospect being able to hold. A 50 score is the lower threshold to be a regular 4^th line forward, or bottom pairing defender. Grades over 56 are potential top line/pairing skaters. The grades in between, obviously project to the middle of the lineup.

As we are reminded every year, development is not linear. Some players take unexpected sudden leaps forward (see Marino, John), and others stagnate (see Ho-Sang, Josh), and many do exactly what we expect of them when they are given the chance. As much as I trust the analysts in our team, I can also tell you that this exercise is always humbling. There will be at least one player who we rate highly who bombs. There will be at least one player who did not feature on his team’s top 15 who becomes an NHL regular next year. We accept those errors in judgment and promise you, our faithful subscriber, that we will learn from them and refine our work for next year, as we learn just as NHL teams learn.

Until then, please enjoy this snapshot view of the future of the beautiful, frozen game. Putting this together has provided at least some sense of normalcy during this crazy summer.

NHL	RNK	PLAYER	POS	AGE	HT/WT	TM	Acquired
Ana	1	Trevor Zegras	C	19	6-0/170	Boston University (HE)	`19(9th)
Min	2	Kirill Kaprizov	LW	23	5-10/200	CSKA (KHL)	`15(135th)
Col	3	Bowen Byram	D	19	6-0/195	Vancouver (WHL)	`19(4th)
Buf	4	Dylan Cozens	C	19	6-3/185	Lethbridge (WHL)	`19(7th)
Fla	5	Spencer Knight	G	19	6-3/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(13th)
VGK	6	Peyton Krebs	C	19	5-11/180	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(17th)
Ari	7	Victor Soderstrom	D	19	5-11/180	Brynas (Swe)	`19(11th)
Mtl	8	Cole Caufield	RW	19	5-7/165	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(15th)
Van	9	Vasili Podkolzin	RW	19	6-1/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`19(10th)
Edm	10	Philip Broberg	D	19	6-3/200	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`19(8th)
Tor	11	Nick Robertson	LW	19	5-9/160	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(53rd)
Col	12	Alex Newhook	C	19	5-10/195	Boston College (HE)	`19(16th)
Det	13	Moritz Seider	D	19	6-3/185	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`19(6th)
Fla	14	Grigori Denisenko	LW	20	5-11/185	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(15th)
Min	15	Matthew Boldy	LW	19	6-1/190	Boston College (HE)	`19(12th)
NJ	16	Ty Smith	D	20	5-10/180	Spokane (WHL)	`18(17th)
LA	17	Alex Turcotte	C	19	5-11/185	Wisconsin (B1G)	`19(5th)
Nsh	18	Philip Tomasino	C	19	5-11/180	Nia-Osh (OHL)	`19(24th)
Pit	19	Samuel Poulin	LW	19	6-1/205	Sherbrooke (QMJHL)	`19(21st)
Wsh	20	Connor McMichael	C	19	5-11/175	London (OHL)	`19(25th)
LA	21	Gabriel Vilardi	RW	21	6-3/200	Ontario (AHL)	`17(11th)
NYR	22	Igor Shesterkin	G	24	6-1/190	Hartford (AHL)	`14(118th)
Dal	23	Thomas Harley	D	19	6-3/190	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(18th)
Ari	24	Barrett Hayton	C	20	6-1/190	Arizona (NHL)	`18(5th)
NYR	25	Nils Lundkvist	D	20	5-11/180	Lulea (Swe)	`18(28th)
LA	26	Arthur Kaliyev	RW	19	6-2/190	Hamilton (OHL)	`19(33rd)
Cgy	27	Juuso Valimaki	D	21	6-2/205	DNP - Injured	`17(16th)
Det	28	Jared McIsaac	D	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(36th)
NYR	29	Vitali Kravtsov	RW	20	6-3/185	Hartford (AHL)	`18(9th)
Edm	30	Evan Bouchard	D	20	6-2/195	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(10th)
NYR	31	K'Andre Miller	D	20	6-3/205	Wisconsin (B1G)	`18(22nd)
Edm	32	Raphael Lavoie	RW	19	6-4/195	Hal-Chi (QMJHL)	`19(38th)
NYI	33	Ilya Sorokin	G	25	6-2/180	CSKA (KHL)	`14(78th)
Det	34	Albert Johansson	D	19	5-11/165	Farjestads (Swe)	`19(60th)
Ari	35	Matias Maccelli	LW	19	5-11/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(98th)
Van	36	Nils Hoglander	RW	19	5-9/185	Rogle (Swe)	`19(40th)
Ari	37	Jan Jenik	RW	20	6-1/180	Hamilton (OHL)	`18(65th)
Phi	38	Cam York	D	19	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`19(14th)
Phi	39	Morgan Frost	C	21	5-11/180	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`17(27th)
Ana	40	Lukas Dostal	G	20	6-1/170	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`18(85th)
LA	41	Tobias Bjornfot	D	19	6-0/200	Ontario (AHL)	`19(22nd)
SJ	42	Ryan Merkley	D	20	5-11/170	London (OHL)	`18(21st)
NYI	43	Kieffer Bellows	LW	22	6-0/200	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(19th)
NYI	44	Oliver Wahlstrom	RW	20	6-1/205	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(11th)
LA	45	Rasmus Kupari	C	20	6-1/185	Ontario (AHL)	`18(20th)
CBJ	46	Liam Foudy	C	20	6-0/175	London (OHL)	`18(18th)
LA	47	Tyler Madden	C	20	5-10/155	Northeastern (HE)	T(Van-2/20)
Mtl	48	Alexander Romanov	D	20	5-11/185	CSKA (KHL)	`18(38th)
NYI	49	Bode Wilde	D	20	6-2/195	Bridgeport (AHL)	`18(41st)
Ott	50	Jacob Bernard-Docker	D	20	6-0/180	North Dakota (NCHC)	`18(26th)
Cgy	51	Jakob Pelletier	LW	19	5-9/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(26th)
LA	52	Akil Thomas	C	20	5-11/170	Nia-Pbo (OHL)	`18(51st)
Wpg	53	Dylan Samberg	D	21	6-3/190	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`17(43rd)
Chi	54	Ian Mitchell	D	21	5-11/175	Denver (NCHC)	`17(57th)
Ott	55	Josh Norris	C	21	6-1/195	Belleville (AHL)	T(SJ-9/18)
NYR	56	Matthew Robertson	D	19	6-3/200	Edmonton (WHL)	`19(49th)
VGK	57	Pavel Dorofeyev	LW	19	6-1/170	Magnitogorsk (KHL)	`19(79th)
Dal	58	Jake Oettinger	G	21	6-4/210	Texas (AHL)	`17(26th)
Ott	59	Drake Batherson	RW	22	6-1/190	Belleville (AHL)	`17(121st)
LA	60	Samuel Fagemo	RW	20	6-0/195	Frolunda (Swe)	`19(50th)
Col	61	Justus Annunen	G	20	6-4/215	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`18(64th)
Bos	62	John Beecher	C	19	6-3/210	Michigan (B1G)	`19(30th)
Phi	63	Egor Zamula	D	20	6-4/175	Calgary (WHL)	FA(9/18)
NYR	64	Zac Jones	D	19	5-10/175	Massachusetts (HE)	`19(68th)
CBJ	65	Kirill Marchenko	LW	20	6-3/190	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(49th)
VGK	66	Jack Dugan	RW	22	6-2/185	Providence (HE)	`17(142nd)
StL	67	Scott Perunovich	D	22	5-10/175	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(45th)
Bos	68	Jack Studnicka	C	21	6-1/170	Providence (AHL)	`17(53rd)
Dal	69	Ty Dellandrea	C	20	6-0/185	Flint (OHL)	`18(13th)
Min	70	Calen Addison	D	20	5-10/180	Lethbridge (WHL)	T(Pit-2/20)
NYR	71	Julien Gauthier	RW	22	6-4/225	Charlotte (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Van	72	Olli Juolevi	D	22	6-3/200	Utica (AHL)	`16(5th)
NJ	73	Nolan Foote	LW	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	T(TB-2/20)
NJ	74	Janne Kuokkanen	LW	22	6-1/190	Cha-Bng (AHL)	T(Car-2/20)
Ott	75	Alex Formenton	LW	21	6-2/165	Belleville (AHL)	`17(47th)
Det	76	Robert Mastrosimone	LW	19	5-10/160	Boston University (HE)	`19(54th)
NYR	77	Morgan Barron	C	21	6-2/200	Cornell (ECAC)	`17(174th)
Mtl	78	Jesse Ylonen	RW	20	6-1/185	Pelicans (Fin)	`18(35th)
Car	79	Dominik Bokk	RW	20	6-1/180	Rogle (Swe)	T(StL-9/19)
Nsh	80	Egor Afanasyev	RW	19	6-3/205	Windsor (OHL)	`19(45th)
Ana	81	Benoit-Olivier Groulx	C	20	6-1/195	Hal-Mon (QMJHL)	`18(54th)
Min	82	Alexander Khovanov	C	20	5-11/195	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(86th)
Det	83	Joe Veleno	C	20	6-1/195	Grand Rapids (AHL)	`18(30th)
NJ	84	Kevin Bahl	D	20	6-6/230	Ottawa (OHL)	T(Ari-12/19)
Car	85	Ryan Suzuki	C	19	6-0/180	Bar-Sag (OHL)	`19(28th)
Van	86	Jett Woo	D	20	6-0/205	Calgary (WHL)	`18(37th)
Mtl	87	Mattias Norlinder	D	20	5-11/180	MODO (Swe 2)	`19(64th)
Min	88	Adam Beckman	LW	19	6-1/170	Spokane (WHL)	`19(75th)
Bos	89	Jeremy Swayman	G	21	6-1/190	Maine (HE)	`17(111th)
Wpg	90	Kristian Vesalainen	LW	21	6-3/205	Manitoba (AHL)	`17(24th)
Tor	91	Filip Hallander	LW	20	6-1/185	Lulea (Swe)	T(Pit-8/20)
Fla	92	Owen Tippett	RW	21	6-1/200	Springfield (AHL)	`17(10th)
Car	93	Jake Bean	D	22	6-1/175	Charlotte (AHL)	`16(13th)
Ott	94	Shane Pinto	C	19	6-2/190	North Dakota (NCHC)	`19(32nd)
Col	95	Martin Kaut	RW	20	6-1/175	Colorado (AHL)	`18(16th)
Van	96	Jack Rathbone	D	21	5-10/175	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(95th)
Tor	97	Nick Abruzzese	C	21	5-9/160	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(124th)
Bos	98	Urho Vaakanainen	D	21	6-0/185	Providence (AHL)	`17(18th)
Wsh	99	Alexander Alexeyev	D	20	6-3/200	Hershey (AHL)	`18(31st)
NYI	100	Simon Holmstrom	RW	19	6-1/185	Bridgeport (AHL)	`19(23rd)
LA	101	Jaret Anderson-Dolan	C	21	5-11/190	Ontario (AHL)	`17(41st)
Car	102	Joey Keane	D	21	6-0/185	Hfd-Cha (AHL)	T(NYR-2/20)
Wsh	103	Martin Fehervary	D	20	6-1/190	Hershey (AHL)	`18(46th)
StL	104	Tyler Tucker	D	20	6-1/205	Bar-Fnt (OHL)	`18(200th)
SJ	105	Yegor Spiridonov	C	19	6-2/195	Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL)	`19(108th)
NJ	106	Joey Anderson	RW	22	6-0/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(73rd)
Col	107	Conor Timmins	D	21	6-1/185	Colorado (AHL)	`17(32nd)
StL	108	Klim Kostin	C	21	6-3/195	San Antonio (AHL)	`17(31st)
Mtl	109	Cayden Primeau	G	21	6-3/180	Laval (AHL)	`17(199th)
SJ	110	Jonathan Dahlen	LW	22	5-11/185	Timra IK (Swe 2)	T(Van-2/19)
NJ	111	Reilly Walsh	D	21	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`17(81st)
Buf	112	Oskari Laaksonen	D	21	6-2/165	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`17(89th)
NJ	113	Arseni Gritsyuk	RW	19	5-10/170	Omskie Yastreby (MHL)	`19(129th)
Wsh	114	Aliaksei Protas	C	19	6-5/205	Prince Albert (WHL)	`19(91st)
Cgy	115	Dustin Wolf	G	19	6-0/165	Everett (WHL)	`19(214th)
StL	116	Joel Hofer	G	20	6-3/160	Portland (WHL)	`18(107th)
VGK	117	Ivan Morozov	C	20	6-1/180	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	`18(61st)
Mtl	118	Jake Evans	C	24	6-0/185	Laval (AHL)	`14(207th)
Nsh	119	Eeli Tolvanen	RW	21	5-10/175	Milwaukee (AHL)	`17(30th)
Wpg	120	Ville Heinola	D	19	5-11/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`19(20th)
VGK	121	Lucas Elvenes	RW	21	6-0/175	Chicago (AHL)	`17(127th)
TB	122	Cole Koepke	LW	22	6-1/195	Minn-Duluth (NCHC)	`18(183rd)
Ana	123	Isac Lundestrom	C	20	6-0/185	San Diego (AHL)	`18(23rd)
NYR	124	Tarmo Reunanen	D	22	6-0/180	Lukko Rauma (Fin)	`16(98th)
Mtl	125	Jordan Harris	D	20	5-11/180	Northeastern (HE)	`18(71st)
Ana	126	Brayden Tracey	LW	19	6-0/175	MJ-Vic (WHL)	`19(29th)
Phi	127	Tanner Laczynski	C	23	6-1/200	Ohio State (B1G)	`16(169th)
Chi	128	Alec Regula	D	20	6-3/200	London (OHL)	T(Det-10/19)
Buf	129	Mattias Samuelsson	D	20	6-3/215	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(32nd)
Car	130	Jamieson Rees	C	19	5-10/175	Sarnia (OHL)	`19(44th)
Edm	131	Olivier Rodrigue	G	20	6-1/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`18(62nd)
Fla	132	Serron Noel	RW	20	6-5/205	Osh-Kit (OHL)	`18(34th)
Det	133	Antti Tuomisto	D	19	6-4/190	Assat Pori (Fin Jr)	`19(35th)
Dal	134	Jason Robertson	LW	21	6-2/195	Texas (AHL)	`17(39th)
Mtl	135	Joni Ikonen	C	21	5-10/170	DNP - Injured	`17(58th)
Nsh	136	Rem Pitlick	C	23	5-11/200	Milwaukee (AHL)	`16(76th)
Ott	137	Logan Brown	C	22	6-6/220	Belleville (AHL)	`16(11th)
TB	138	Samuel Walker	C	21	5-11/160	Minnesota (B1G)	`17(200th)
Phi	139	Wade Allison	RW	22	6-2/205	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`16(52nd)
Wpg	140	Declan Chisholm	D	20	6-1/190	Peterborough (OHL)	`18(150th)
NJ	141	Tyce Thompson	RW	21	6-1/180	Providence (HE)	`19(96th)
VGK	142	Connor Corcoran	D	20	6-1/185	Windsor (OHL)	`18(154th)
Ana	143	Jackson Lacombe	D	19	6-1/170	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(39th)
NYR	144	Lauri Pajuniemi	RW	21	6-0/185	TPS Turku (Fin)	`18(132nd)
Car	145	Tuukka Tieksola	RW	19	5-10/160	Karpat Oulu (Fin Jr)	`19(121st)
CBJ	146	Andrew Peeke	D	22	6-3/210	Cleveland (AHL)	`16(34th)
Ana	147	Axel Andersson	D	20	6-0/180	Moncton (QMJHL)	T(Bos-2/20)
Car	148	Patrik Puistola	LW	19	6-0/175	Tap-Juk-Koo (Fin)	`19(73rd)
NJ	149	Michael McLeod	C	22	6-2/195	Binghamton (AHL)	`16(12th)
Car	150	Pyotr Kochetkov	G	21	6-1/175	SKA-VIT (KHL)	`19(36th)
NJ	151	Michael Vukojevic	D	19	6-3/210	Kitchener (OHL)	`19(82nd)
NYI	152	Ruslan Iskhakov	C	20	5-8/155	UConn (HE)	`18(43rd)
Wpg	153	Sami Niku	D	23	6-0/175	Manitoba (AHL)	`15(198th)
TB	154	Hugo Alnefelt	G	19	6-3/195	HV 71 (Swe)	`19(71st)
NJ	155	Nikita Okhotyuk	D	19	6-1/195	Ottawa (OHL)	`19(61st)
NYR	156	Hunter Skinner	D	19	6-2/175	London (OHL)	`19(112th)
LA	157	Mikey Anderson	D	21	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	`17(103rd)
Col	158	Shane Bowers	C	21	6-2/190	Colorado (AHL)	T(Ott-11/17)
NYI	159	Joshua Ho-Sang	RW	24	6-0/175	Bri-SA (AHL)	`14(28th)
LA	160	Cal Petersen	G	25	6-3/190	Ontario (AHL)	FA(7/17)
Col	161	Sampo Ranta	LW	20	6-2/205	Minnesota (B1G)	`18(78th)
Wpg	162	Mikhail Berdin	G	22	6-2/165	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(157th)
Bos	163	Jeremy Lauzon	D	23	6-3/205	Providence (AHL)	`15(52nd)
Nsh	164	David Farrance	D	21	5-11/190	Boston University (HE)	`17(92nd)
Van	165	Will Lockwood	RW	22	5-11/175	Michigan (B1G)	`16(64th)
NYI	166	Sebastian Aho	D	24	5-10/175	Bridgeport (AHL)	`17(139th)
Wpg	167	Logan Stanley	D	22	6-7/225	Manitoba (AHL)	`16(18th)
Buf	168	Ryan Johnson	D	19	6-0/175	Minnesota (B1G)	`19(31st)
Van	169	Michael DiPietro	G	21	6-0/195	Utica (AHL)	`17(64th)
VGK	170	Kaedan Korczak	D	19	6-3/190	Kelowna (WHL)	`19(41st)
Car	171	Jack Drury	C	20	5-11/180	Harvard (ECAC)	`18(42nd)
StL	172	Nikita Alexandrov	C	19	6-0/180	Charlottetown (QMJHL)	`19(62nd)
Col	173	Nikolai Kovalenko	RW	20	5-10/175	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`18(171st)
Nsh	174	Juuso Parssinen	C	19	6-2/205	TPS Turku (Fin)	`19(210th)
Chi	175	Pius Suter	C	24	5-11/170	ZSC Lions (NLA)	FA(7/20)
Fla	176	Aleksi Saarela	RW	23	5-11/200	Rfd-Spr (AHL)	T(Chi-10/19)
Bos	177	Trent Frederic	C	22	6-4/215	Providence (AHL)	`16(29th)
CBJ	178	Dmitri Voronkov	LW	20	6-4/190	Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)	`19(114th)
Ott	179	Lassi Thomson	D	19	6-0/190	Ilves Tampere (Fin)	`19(19th)
Car	180	Morgan Geekie	C	22	6-2/180	Charlotte (AHL)	`17(67th)
CBJ	181	Trey Fix-Wolansky	RW	21	5-8/185	Cleveland (AHL)	`18(204th)
Ott	182	Vitaly Abramov	RW	22	5-9/175	Belleville (AHL)	T(CBJ-2/19)
TB	183	Alexander Volkov	LW	23	6-1/190	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(48th)
Tor	184	Mikko Kokkonen	D	19	5-11/200	Jukurit (Fin)	`19(84th)
Ott	185	Kevin Mandolese	G	20	6-4/180	Cape Breton (QMJHL)	`18(157th)
CBJ	186	Daniil Tarasov	G	21	6-5/185	Assat Pori (Fin)	`17(86th)
LA	187	Carl Grundstrom	LW	22	6-0/195	Ontario (AHL)	T(Tor-1/19)
LA	188	Kale Clague	D	22	6-0/180	Ontario (AHL)	`16(51st)
Ott	189	Artyom Zub	D	24	6-2/200	SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)	FA(5/20)
Edm	190	Tyler Benson	LW	22	6-0/200	Bakersfield (AHL)	`16(32nd)
Det	191	Jonatan Berggren	RW	20	5-10/185	Skelleftea AIK (Swe)	`18(33rd)
Tor	192	Yegor Korshkov	RW	24	6-4/215	Toronto (AHL)	`16(31st)
Dal	193	Riley Damiani	C	20	5-9/165	Kitchener (OHL)	`18(137th)
VGK	194	Zach Whitecloud	D	23	6-2/210	Chicago (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Buf	195	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen	G	21	6-4/195	Cincinnati (ECHL)	`17(54th)
Car	196	David Cotton	LW	23	6-3/205	Boston College (HE)	`15(169th)
Chi	197	Wyatt Kalynuk	D	23	6-1/180	Wisconsin (B1G)	FA(7/20)
Min	198	Hunter Jones	G	19	6-4/195	Peterborough (OHL)	`19(59th)
LA	199	Jordan Spence	D	19	5-10/165	Moncton (QMJHL)	`19(95th)
Cgy	200	Dmitri Zavgorodny	LW	20	5-9/175	Rimouski (QMJHL)	`18(198th)
Col	201	Alex Beaucage	RW	19	6-1/195	Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)	`19(78th)
TB	202	Dmitri Semykin	D	20	6-3/200	SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL)	`18(90th)
CBJ	203	Matiss Kivlenieks	G	24	6-2/190	Cleveland (AHL)	FA(5/17)
StL	204	Ville Husso	G	25	6-3/205	San Antonio (AHL)	`14(94th)
Phi	205	Bobby Brink	RW	19	5-10/165	Denver (NCHC)	`19(34th)
NYI	206	Otto Koivula	C	22	6-4/220	Bridgeport (AHL)	`16(120th)
Car	207	Eetu Makiniemi	G	21	6-2/180	KOOVEE (Fin 2)	`17(104th)
NYI	208	Anatoli Golyshev	RW	25	5-8/180	Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (KHL)	`16(95th)
Chi	209	Evan Barratt	C	21	6-0/190	Penn State (B1G)	`17(90th)
Buf	210	Erik Portillo	G	20	6-6/210	Dubuque (USHL)	`19(67th)
Fla	211	Cole Schwindt	RW	19	6-2/185	Mississauga (OHL)	`19(81st)
Chi	212	Michal Teply	LW	19	6-3/185	Winnipeg (WHL)	`19(105th)
Ott	213	Mads Sogaard	G	19	6-7/195	Medicine Hat (WHL)	`19(37th)
Buf	214	Jonas Johansson	G	24	6-4/205	Rochester (AHL)	`14(61st)
TB	215	Cal Foote	D	21	6-4/215	Syracuse (AHL)	`17(14th)
StL	216	Niko Mikkola	D	24	6-5/200	San Antonio (AHL)	`15(127th)
NYI	217	Robin Salo	D	21	6-1/190	SaiPa (Fin)	`17(46th)
Bos	218	Jakub Zboril	D	23	6-1/200	Providence (AHL)	`15(13th)
Buf	219	Will Borgen	D	23	6-2/200	Rochester (AHL)	`15(92nd)
Pit	220	Pierre-Olivier Joseph	D	21	6-2/170	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`17(23rd)
SJ	221	Sasha Chmelevski	C	21	5-11/190	San Jose (AHL)	`17(185th)
Ari	222	Kyle Capobianco	D	23	6-1/180	Tucson (AHL)	`15(63rd)
Det	223	Keith Petruzzelli	G	21	6-5/180	Quinnipiac (ECAC)	`17(88th)
Wsh	224	Garrett Pilon	RW	22	5-11/190	Hershey (AHL)	`16(87th)
NJ	225	Nikola Pasic	RW	19	5-10/185	Karlskoga (Swe 2)	`19(189th)
TB	226	Alex Barre-Boulet	C	23	5-10/165	Syracuse (AHL)	FA(3/18)
Edm	227	Ryan McLeod	C	20	6-2/205	Bakersfield (AHL)	`18(40th)
NYI	228	Samuel Bolduc	D	19	6-3/210	BLB-She (QMJHL)	`19(57th)
Ott	229	Joey Daccord	G	24	6-2/195	Belleville (AHL)	`15(199th)
StL	230	Hugh McGing	C	22	5-9/180	Western Michigan (NCHC)	`18(138th)
Edm	231	Cooper Marody	C	23	6-0/180	Bakersfield (AHL)	T(Phi-3/18)
Tor	232	Jeremy Bracco	RW	23	5-9/180	Toronto (AHL)	`15(61st)
Phi	233	German Rubtsov	C	22	6-2/190	Lehigh Valley (AHL)	`16(22nd)
Wsh	234	Brian Pinho	C	25	6-1/195	Hershey (AHL)	`13(174th)
Col	235	Logan O'Connor	RW	24	6-0/170	Colorado (AHL)	FA(7/18)
Buf	236	Casey Fitzgerald	D	23	5-11/190	Rochester (AHL)	`16(86th)
NJ	237	Daniil Misyul	D	19	6-3/180	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)	`19(70th)
Ari	238	John Farinacci	C	19	5-11/185	Harvard (ECAC)	`19(76th)
Edm	239	Aapeli Rasanen	C	22	6-0/195	Boston College (HE)	`16(153rd)
Pit	240	Anthony Angello	RW	24	6-5/205	Wilkes-Barre (AHL)	`14(145th)
Mtl	241	Cam Hillis	C	20	5-10/170	Guelph (OHL)	`18(66th)
Cgy	242	Mathias Emilio Pettersen	RW	20	5-9/170	Denver (NCHC)	`18(167th)
SJ	243	Alexander True	C	23	6-5/205	San Jose (AHL)	FA(7/18)
NYI	244	Reece Newkirk	C	19	5-11/175	Portland (WHL)	`19(147th)
Dal	245	Dawson Barteaux	D	20	6-0/180	RD-Wpg (WHL)	`18(168th)
Bos	246	Jack Ahcan	D	23	5-8/185	St. Cloud State (NCHC)	FA(3/20)
Det	247	Seth Barton	D	21	6-2/175	Mass-Lowell (HE)	`18(81st)
Fla	248	Max Gildon	D	21	6-3/190	New Hampshire (HE)	`17(66th)
Ari	249	Aku Raty	RW	19	6-0/175	Karpat Oulu (Fin)	`19(151st)
Wpg	250	David Gustafsson	C	20	6-1/195	Winnipeg (NHL)	`18(60th)

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 20

Ryan Wagman, Profiles by Brock Otten, Shaiyena Cote, Vince Gibbons, Ryan Wagman — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 17:26:50 +0000

Washington Capitals

While most competing teams make a habit out of trading draft picks (we see you, Pittsburgh Penguins!), the Washington Capitals, winners of the Metropolitan Division for five years running (which includes this season, truncated as it was, wherein the Capitals went into the pandemic-pause with a one point lead over Philadelphia in equal games played), have not.

True, they do not always have their full complement of seven draft picks, as they left draft weekend with only four players selected in three of the last five draft classes. But with the exception of the class of 2017, the Capitals have always had their own first rounder. In fact, 2016 and 2017 were also the only years in the previous five drafts that saw the Capitals without a second-round pick.

Spelling out the consequences of this approach, unlike the Penguins (one first rounder in five years), the San Jose Sharks (three first rounders in five years, one of which was traded away before playing a professional game)*, the recent vintage of the New York Rangers, who did not have a first rounder between 2013-16, and others, the Capitals are achieving long-term success without selling the future.

*The Penguins and the Sharks are also both without a first rounder going into the 2020 draft, but that is a topic for another year.

This is not to say that the Capitals haven’t traded some future assets for pieces in the here and now, but those assets are much more likely to take the form of a middle or late-round draft pick. Perhaps we can say that the organization is under the after-effects of the “once bitten, twice shy” mentality. After trading future star Filip Forsberg within ten months of selecting him 11^th overall, the Capitals prefer these days to use a more minor asset, picks from the back half of the draft, or youngish depth players, to make the upgrades they need to remain competitive at the highest level. If absolutely necessary, they will deal away a second-round pick, such as the one they shipped to San Jose for Brendan Dillon at this year’s trade deadline.

If anything, the Capitals feel more secure in trading away a later pick as they also try to add them when dealing away excess talent. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals have acquired five draft picks in various trades while shipping out six (two of which were conditional).

All else being equal, you would want your team to have more draft picks to play with than less, but if you have to move some picks for a roster upgrade, it is far better to send away something farther from the top. There have been numerous studies performed over the years, by people far more numerically savvy than myself, noting how the value of a pick at the top of the draft starts very high (on aggregate) and drops off rapidly, flatlining sooner than one might expect. In short, once we get past the first round, the expected value from a third rounder or a seventh rounder is not all that large. We might even say that that value can be replaced through the astute signings of undrafted talent from the collegiate or European ranks, such as Bobby Nardella further down this list, or Joe Snively, who was our first cut.

As of this writing, the Capitals own five picks for the 2020 draft and will sit out the second and seventh rounds.

Connor McMichael of the London Knights. Photo by Terry Wilson / OHL Iimages.

Connor McMichael, C (25^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Few 2019 draft selections progressed as well as McMichael did this past season with the London Knights, where he went from a strong complementary piece to the lifeblood through which the Knights’ offense flowed. This has many scouts re-evaluating his potential as an NHL player.

A strong skater, McMichael showed much more confidence when carrying the puck and this allowed him to dominate touches when on the ice. He can beat you in transition because of his speed and he can beat you down low because of how well he protects the puck and how sound his decision making is. He is just a solid all-around offensive player. We also saw a huge improvement in his shot that saw him nearly hit the 50-goal mark. His wrist shot is powerful, and he is great at using different shooting angles to deceive goaltenders.

McMichael also showed improved strength away from the puck, which when paired with his high-end IQ, makes him a strong two-way presence. Originally thought of by many to be an eventual winger at the NHL level, he has shown enough to alter this belief. This is a very versatile player. Given the improvements he made this year, it is not impossible to see McMichael playing in the NHL next year with the Capitals. He already skates well enough to be an NHL player.

His versatility will make him very valuable and he could fill a variety of different roles for Washington if he shows himself worthy at training camp. At this point, McMichael’s projection is that of a two-way, goal scoring forward who can play inside the first two lines. – BO

Alexander Alexeyev, D (31^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 1)

When people think of the Washington Capitals they think of their offensive prowess as a system and the big names on the attack which is why for the past few years the Capitals management has not had to bother drafting forwards with their first round picks. From goaltenders to defensemen, the Capitals have decided to build up their back end and defensive structure instead.

Alexeyev, their 2018 first rounder, is no exception to the defensive pattern and he adds size (6-4”) and hockey IQ to the game. Making the jump from the Western Hockey league’s Red Deer Rebels, he managed to make it through his first professional season with no serious injuries despite his shaky health track record. He struggled in the beginning of the season to adjust to the pace, but as the season went along his confidence grew enough for the skills that got him drafted to make themselves present, particularly in the form of his passing ability and offensive zone positioning.

Alexeyev will need to come back to the Bears better conditioned in order to remain consistent throughout all three periods and he will need to find another gear when it comes to skating and speed. Numerous times last season opponents blew past him when driving the net and he will need to get stronger in keeping them to the outside.

Overall as he continues to develop and his game matures, there is little doubt that he has the overall ability to become a top pairing defenseman for Washington, it is simply a matter of the Capitals finding the right time and Alexeyev staying healthy, as he cannot sustain another serious injury without suffering major career setbacks. - SC

ARLINGTON, VA - SEPTEMBER 12: Martin Fehervary of the Washington Capitals (Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images)

Martin Fehervary, D (46^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 5)

Having earned a spot on the Capitals 2020 playoff roster, as well as having suited up for his first playoff game in the NHL, Fehervary is off to a good start to the somewhat long and drawn out COVID-19 season. Tight competition between Fehervary and fellow Hershey Bears roommate and first round pick Alexander Alexeyev has been good for Fehervary’s development in the Washington organization, pushing him hard in order to see results. The results of that developmental push have been evident as the lanky Slovakian has managed to impress Capitals management is his rookie North American professional season, often using his tremendous skating ability to sail past opponents and earn scoring opportunities.

He is the complete package as a future NHL defenseman; he plays a physical and rough game, can skate, carry the puck, and his defensive zone coverage is good. The only downsides come in the form of patience, passing, and knowing when to hold onto the puck or to pass it. He is not as well known for his passing abilities as he is for his skating and skill level and at times it was evident this past season with turnovers and missed important passes that oftentimes led to icings or offsides. Fehervary will simply need to tighten up his passing and work on how he moves the puck as well as when he moves it in order to be able to make the right choices in the NHL when his time comes to suit up as a top four defenseman. - SC

Aliaksei Protas, C (91^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 8)

His shot is above average and enables him to always be a dual threat to defend. You have to respect his shot as he has been averaging 3.6 shots/game this season, over double his previous years. His willingness to shoot the puck has helped his overall offensive game blossom into one of the best in the WHL this past season.

The knock on Protas in his draft year was always his cumbersome footwork and lack of pace, but he has made some serious strides in that part of his game as well. He will never be mistaken for a speedster, but his speed has improved enough that it does not hinder his game anymore. He still needs to work on his overall defensive commitment and has struggled in the faceoff dot but those are both things have improved with coaching. He is still a long-term project but the potential upside here is much higher than most expected in his draft year. - VG

Garrett Pilon, C (87^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

For a player like Pilon, making the NHL and standing out will always be hard due to his style of play. Every team is in need of a hard working grinder who can skate and who keeps his feet moving at all times, however there is nothing particular that stands out about the way that Pilon plays and that is the main issue. The Capitals roster currently has its fast skaters and its fourth line grinders in the likes of Carl Hagelin and company, therefore Pilon will have to impress by broadening his play and bettering his offensive production and overall puck possession next season.

He finished fifth in team scoring with the Hershey Bears this past season and managed to establish himself as one of the AHL club’s top penalty killers with his speed and determination, both with and without the puck. It is clear that Pilon takes his hockey seriously and works hard every shift but at the next level it is about putting all of those things together and he will have to have a better, more cohesive and consistent game heading into next season in order to pull away from the pack and lead his way into a bottom six spot on the NHL club.

He is a passionate player and he will also need to keep his temper and frustration in check to avoid spending more time in the box than on the ice. As stated before, if the Capitals cannot find a spot for him, all teams are in need of a hard working grinder to do the dirty work and Pilon will be a big-league asset should he continue to put his overall game together and mature. - SC

Brian Pinho, C (174^th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: UR)

Throughout the season, he was a clutch player for Hershey, often earning overtime markers and tying goals. He dominates in the offensive zone and often times earns breakaways on turnovers and long passes. That being said, he needs to work on bringing that competitive level to every game and on further developing his defensive play. With the recent call up to the Capitals, Pinho may have earned his chance at next season’s roster as a member of the bottom six. - SC

Kody Clark, RW (47^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 11)

He is a strong skater but his puck possession was simply not there this season and he will have to find a way to get to the net if he wants to even be considered as a top priority call up option. Serving more time in the penalty box than often necessary, Clark will have to prove himself as a skilled player first more than anything in terms of next season and working his way towards a call up. He has the potential and skill to play as a bottom six forward in the NHL, but he still has a lot of learning to go before that will happen. - SC

Brett Leason, RW (56^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 4)

For a player who was passed over two years in a row in the draft, Leason has managed to defeat the odds, becoming a second-round pick for the Capitals. He has the size to play and to stay safe at the next level, proving so during his rookie season with AHL Hershey, however speed and skill is another thing. This is where the Washington offensive prospect structure starts to thin out and with Hershey this season, Leason failed to mark more than five goals, a disappointing drop from the 36 goals he scored in major junior the year before to being a healthy scratch for Hershey towards the season’s end. Leason will have to find another gear and start playing up at a professional level, as right now he is simply not fast enough to cut it and if he cannot find another gear it will be uncertain if he will ever be given a chance with the Washington Capitals as a bottom six. - SC

Lucas Johansen, D (28^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

As a first round pick, Johansen needs to perform better, he has offered little in the way of point production and the quantity of turnovers he gives up is just bad. Having missed the bulk of the season with a leg injury, Johansen will need to show that he spent the time off well to come back better than ever to prove to Capitals management that he is deserving of a call up at least.

As the time goes by, the Capitals are drafting more and more high-quality defensemen and Johansen’s name is getting further and further down their organizational depth list. It is now or never to prove that his passing, hockey IQ, and composure with the puck are good enough for a bottom four spot in Washington’s lineup. - SC

Vitek Vanecek, G (39^th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 14)

With a tight goaltender race, Vanecek will have to show his composure every time he gets a chance to be up with the Capitals. His quick reflexes and athleticism in the net are what set him apart from his counterparts as he is very active and aggressive in his crease, he fights for positioning well, and sees plays with good vision. His rebound control could use a little work and his timing when playing the puck can sometimes be a worrisome issue, however the Capitals look to have a promising goaltender tandem for the future as Vanecek could manage the starting role just as well as Samsonov. - SC

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 16)

That being said, he lacks instincts as a two-way player and in the defensive end, and there is little else to be said about his giveaways and ill-advised passes in the neutral zone and on breakouts. Jonsson-Fjallby is a difficult prospect to talk about because he has NHL-level skills, but his hockey sense is poor and hard to overlook. With any luck, he will find himself in a Capitals jersey within the next season as a first choice call up to a bottom six position. - SC

Damien Riat, LW (117^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 18)

A speedy winger with intriguing puck skills, he has been the top scorer in his age cohort ever since being overshadowed by a young Auston Matthews in 2015-16, until finally being overtaken again this year. For an organization that rarely drafts out of Europe, Riat has a chance to convince the Capitals to change their scouting direction once more if he adapts well to the North American game this year. - RW

Tyler Lewington, D (204^th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: UR)

With his contract expired and the end of his prospect eligibility coming up, Lewington has hopefully proved himself to be enough of an asset on the backend in the Washington organization to be offered a new contract.

He is a big body and has been a physical, mature presence on the ice for the AHL Hershey Bears. He plays a solid defensive game and often times lends his shooting ability in offensive situations which allows him to stand out with his overall in-game effectiveness as a two-way player.

He is a good defenseman with a promising future ahead and the potential to be a bottom four contributor either with the Capitals or another team should they choose not to resign him. There are slight discipline issues but nothing of concern with Lewington’s actual play and for a seventh round pick his development has surpassed anything expected when he was first drafted. - SC

Bobby Nardella, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Apr. 5, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Having been trusted for a role on the Bears’ top powerplay unit, Nardella clearly shows his maturity and that he is focused enough to manage high pressure situations and smart enough to make the right plays. He also has the skill as a top-level skater and puckhandler to get to the net for scoring opportunities which can make him an asset in today’s game.

The major downside is size and if the Capitals can get past that, rest assured that Nardella has the potential to be a top four pairing defenseman. The delay in cracking the Washington lineup simply comes from defensive depth and prospect hierarchy politics, because as a player Nardella offers nothing but good things to a team. - SC

Martin Hugo Has, D (153^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 20)

At 6-4”, he certainly has good length and exhibits good gap control when containing the transition game of the opposition. As an offensive player, we saw Has struggle at times with his decision making and the pace of play in the OHL. It remains to be seen just how much potential he has as an NHL prospect moving forward. Next year he will return to Guelph and will likely resume his partnership with Chayka. As he becomes more comfortable, we should get a better idea of the type of player he is and can become. - BO

Washington Capitals Prospect System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 14:30:56 +0000

At this time last year, we were collectively nonplussed by Washington’s system. Of course, we recognized that Ilya Samsonov was one of the better goaltending prospects in the sport, but we also recognized that he would not be available to the Capitals during the season, except as an asset to dangle in trade talks.

That take on a bland system was the natural result of an organization that had been trading draft picks like hockey cards for years. The Capital made only four selections in both the 2015 and the 2017 drafts. In the latter year, their earliest pick came at the tail end of the fourth round.

Some teams can get away with not drafting often as they supplement their systems with undrafted free agents. After all, the difference in quality between players drafted in the sixth or seventh rounds and the top 30-50 undrafted free agents can be pretty minimal. In fact, the latter group, as they are generally older, are closer to realizing their potential than 17-18 year-olds who are still in the early stages of their respective journeys.

Unfortunately, Washington has not had a strong track record of luring undrafted talent into their ranks. Most of the undrafted players playing with their AHL affiliate in Hershey were of the older variety. To wit, their average age on the farm last year was 25.51 years old, second oldest in the league to only the San Diego Gulls.

As it happened, any successes experienced by Hershey last year were largely the product AHL veterans, instead of NHL prospects. Their 1A goalie turned 26 during last season, and four of their top ten scorers will be at least 28 years old before the 2018-19 season begins.

In fairness, there were some pretty important contributions from Washington’s top prospects on the team’s run to their first Stanley Cup championship. Number two prospect Jakub Vrana, a former first rounder, had 27 points in his rookie NHL season and added eight postseason points. Chandler Stephenson, who had ranked eighth on this list last year, was a fixture on the fourth line. He contributed 18 points in the regular season and another seven in the postseason. Madison Bowey, who we had ranked fifth, was the ostensible seventh defenseman during the regular season, although he did not play in the playoffs at all. Finally, thirteenth ranked Christian Djoos, who had cycled in and out of the lineup with Bowey in the regular season, cemented his place in the lineup in the playoffs, playing in 22 of the Capitals’ 24 games. A few other guys snuck into games here and there, but he have covered the bulk of the prospect contributions to the championship.

We can appreciate the fact that the Capitals’ championship was a largely veteran affair, but we cannot overlook the value of the draft in creating the Cup raising team. Instead of making a series of veteran-adding trades at the deadline, this team was run by players who had spent years in the organization. From former first rounders such as Ovechkin, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Carlson, Wilson, Burakovsky, and the aforementioned Vrana, to later round picks like Dmitri Orlov, and Braden Holtby, the importance of the draft cannot be overlooked. By it is also a reminder that the payoff is generally not immediate.

1 Ilya Samsonov, G (22^nd overall, 2015. Last Year: 1^st) The wait on one of the best goalies on the planet not yet in the NHL has seemingly come to an end with Samsonov’s dominant three year run with Magnitogorsk of the KHL coming to an end with a combined .929 save percentage and a 2.20 GAA. His game between the pipes is very well rounded. He is a high-end athlete who adjusts his body quickly and acrobatically to get to puck that other goalies would have no chance on. He is competitive, reads the game well and technically sound, covering his angles well and playing with an understanding of depth. He even does well at controlling the first shot, thereby minimizing second and third chances. He could still to improve his puck handling skills. While Washington’s net is in capable hands with Braden Holtby, in Samsonov, they have a succession plan in place, and he will spend most, if not all, of the coming season in the NHL.

2 Lucas Johansen, D (28^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 3^rd) An exceptional puck mover, Johansen has developed at a stately but reasonable pace since the Capitals made him a late first round pick in 2016. Coming out of the blueline factory in Kelowna, he is another highly mobile, modern-era defenseman who has more upside than any other skater in the system. Thanks to his late birthdate, he was able to play in the AHL before his 20^th birthday and he ended the season fifth in points among U21 blueliners in the league. Almost as impressive as his offensive capabilities, he also shows a responsible game in his own end. His point shot is strong enough to pick up time on the power play once he reaches the NHL. Speaking of the NHL, he still needs to add muscle to his lanky frame while the chance to dominate at a lower level will allow him to explore the extent of his game before being under the spotlight.

3 Alexander Alexeyev, D (31^st overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) The final pick of the 2018 first round, Alexeyev had to overcome quite a lot to get to that point. Not only did he leave home before his 17^th birthday to play hockey in Red Deer, but he also dealt with a few injuries in his time on the WHL, notably a knee injury that robbed him of a large chunk of his draft year. Even more than that though, he dealt with the unexpected passing of his mother near mid-season. Alexeyev showed a lot of maturity and drive to come back to Canada within a few weeks of that tragedy and continue to play a high end two way game. He brings size and processing power to his own end, and a big point shot and even more impressive passing ability to the offensive game. His above average skating comes with him wherever he goes. May have more untapped potential than any skater in the system.

4 Connor Hobbs, D (143^rd overall, 2015. Last Year: 4^th) The Capitals took a risk drafting Hobbs after a draft year partially lost due to a dispute with his original WHL club. The subsequent growth in his game in his final two WHL years make him the best value pick in the organization still working his way up the ladder. He plays a punishing physical game with a big, strong frame. His offensive output from the WHL has not yet followed him to the AHL, but he has been able to demonstrate a promising ability to move the puck, both as a carrier and as a passer. There will be an expectation placed on his shoulders to stand out more in his second-go-round with Hershey, such as being more selectively assertive with his powerful point shot, but his first step showed enough to keep him high in Washington’s future plans.

5 Shane Gersich, C/LW (134^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 9^th) The Capitals were very patient with Gersich. After using a fifth round pick on him four years ago, they waited as he spent one more season in the USHL and three seasons in NCAA with North Dakota. He played a depth role as UND won a national title in his freshman year but was more prominent in their failed attempts to return to the summit in the last two years. He is a fantastic skater, with both speed and slipperiness. Gersich is also a creative stickhandler, able to find ways out of tricky situations. After his junior year, he signed a late-season ELC with Washington, getting into three regular season games and two in the postseason, to add an NHL title to his NCAA glory. More likely to break into the league as a winger than a center, he should spend most of the next season apprenticing in the AHL first.

Martin Fehervary

6 Martin Fehervary, D (46^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) A smooth skater with a rich resume in international hockey, Fehervary had already represented his country in two WU18s, two WJCs, and one World Championship before being selected in the second round by the Capitals this past June. He does not jump out on the stats pages, and unfortunately, that is indicative of the type of game he brings to the ice. In addition to his prime acceleration and overall mobility, he has a large frame that he knows how to use and has an advanced feel for the game. With the puck, he is less of a sure thing, sometimes looking downright jittery. He does not have great upside, but has a mature game that can find a fit on the back half of an NHL defensive corps.

7 Axel Jonsson Fjallby, LW (147^th overall, 2016. Last Year: not ranked) With his rock star flow and sprinter’s speed, Jonsson Fjallby had a coming out party in last year’s WJC, dazzling as he helped Sweden to a Silver Medal. He grew into a depth scoring role in his first full season in the SHL, but showed more finishing touch with six goals through the first two rounds of the SHL playoffs for Djurgardens. He can be unpredictable to cover, not just with the elusiveness that is a natural by-product of his near-elite speed, but some creativity with the puck as well. He knows how to utilize his speed to be a PK asset as well. Signed to an ELC in May, he should send this coming season in the AHL.

8 Riley Barber, RW (167^th overall, 2012. Last Year: 15^th) After a year beset by injury, Barber stayed healthy and played a practically full schedule last season, but had his worst output yet as a pro in a down year for AHL Hershey. Further, without a single callup to Washington, he was not able to add to his bulging championship collection. The Capitals will want to see more ability to control the offensive game, and he has the tools to do so. His skating, shot, and puck skills all grade out as above average and last year was his first year where he was not near his team’s scoring lead. He should have a good chance to make the team as an extra forward this year.

9 Riley Sutter, RW (93^rd overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) A prototypical member of the Sutter dynasty, son of Ron is a meat-and-potatoes winger who brings a pluggers’ mentality along with a pretty hard wrist shot that has won him a number of admirers in the WHL. The type of player who can play on both special teams units, Riley Sutter can screen the opposing goalie at one end while shutting down the play from the point at the other. He has ideal size for a bottom six winger at the NHL level, and would probably have been a first round pick in clutch and grab days of the early to mid-1990s. These days however, skating prowess rules the day, and while his top speed is alright, Sutter is a bit sluggish afoot. A more explosive takeoff can make him a high-end NHL prospect.

10 Brian Pinho, C (174^th overall, 2013. Last Year: 18^th) Like Shane Gersich above, Pinho is a product of patience on Washington’s part. He spent an additional year in the USHL after being drafted and then four full years at Providence before finally signing an ELC. Also like Gersich, Pinho won an NCAA title in his freshman year as he gradually grew into a leadership role for his school. The captain as a senior, he has a full set of solid tools to play with, although nothing that would qualify him as a dynamic talent. He projects as more of a defensive sound center who can chip in offensively, but cannot drive play on his own.

11 Damien Riat, LW (117^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 10^th) After two times each at the WU18 and the WJC, Riat has aged out of junior competition and spent part of his offseason this year helping Switzerland get to the World Championship final, albeit in a depth role. A strong skater, he also grades out well for his puck skills, hockey IQ and physical game. The point requires note that his lack of size will ensure that he is never a punishing player, but he plays with a pest’s mentality, forechecking hard and generally getting into the face of an opponent as he works to separate him from the puck. The Capitals seem to be n no real rush to bring him state-side and his new contract with Biel-Bienne in the Swiss NLA should keep him in Europe for another two seasons.

Jonas Siegenthaler

12 Jonas Siegenthaler, D (57^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 7^th) A physical specimen at 6-2” and over 220 pounds, Siegenthaler is much more than a coke machine on ice. For starters, he is fairly mobile. Not dynamic by any stretch (which is something that can be said about most parts of his game), but he gets around well and has shown that he can keep up at the pro level. He showed a bit more offense in his first year in the AHL than some had anticipated, which is to say that he could be more than a pure stay-at-home defender. The fact that he was playing professionally in his native Switzerland from age 17 shows up in his reads and positioning. His one true selling point, however, as expected by his frame, is a high end physical game. He is not mean, but when he leans on a guy, there isn’t much the opponent can do.

13 Kody Clark, RW (47^th overall, 2018. Last Year: IE) Despite his status as a second round pick of the defending Stanley Cup champions, Kody Clark has a long way to go before he ceases being primarily the son of Wendel Clark. Whereas his father was a star for his toughness and world class wrist shot – not always in that order – Kody is a very raw player. He has flashed a facsimile of what made his father great, as well as some reports of fine wheels, but he has never really put it all together on the ice and his production has been closer to that of a late round pick than someone with a number in the mid double digits. He needs to play with more consistency and start to anticipate instead of react.

14 Vitek Vanecek, G (39^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 14^th) To be absolutely clear, the Capitals highest hopes for Vanecek are as a future backup. This would be the case almost no matter how well he performs. With a former Vezina winner still in his prime in the NHL and one of the top netminding prospects in the sport ready to move into the NHL this year, the athletic Czech goaltender is more a curiosity at this point. His third pro season did not match his second, although Hershey as a whole had a down year. He does a pretty good job of limiting second chances, but the rest of his game is fairly average. Also worth noting is that at 6-1”, he is on the small side for the modern goalie.

15 Travis Boyd, C (177^th overall, 2011. Last Year: 11^th) While Hershey had a rare down year, Boyd continued to produce offense and earned his first NHL stint, including one playoff game to start his career off with a ring. The former Golden Gopher has the offensive tools necessarily to be a respectable secondary scoring presence in the NHL, although his size and lack of attention to detail in his own zone mean he will likely need to be sheltered, whether with a more responsible linemate, or with favorable shifts. Expected to compete for the fourth line center job in 2018-19, he will also need to prove that he can play effectively in the greasy areas in order to secure that spot and create new career highlights.

Nathan Walker

16 Nathan Walker, LW (Waivers: Dec. 20, 2017 [Edmonton]. Last Year: not ranked) All’s well that ends well, I suppose. The first Australian drafted by an NHL team, the Caps placed Walker on waivers in late November and he was promptly claimed by Edmonton. He was with the Oilers for eight games, six of which were spent in the press box, before he was waived again and the Capitals re-claimed him. Small, quick and feisty, he spent much of the rest of the season in the AHL, but got up to Washington for stretches, and played in one playoff game against Pittsburgh, where he even picked up an assist. He will once again be viewed as organizational depth on the wing, but he got his name on the Cup.

17 Garrett Pilon, C (87^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 17^th) Son of longtime New York Islander, the offensively declined Rich Pilon, Garrett developed as a two way forward instead. There were hopes that he could develop more offensively as he completed his junior career, but his tools have trended more towards average. As with most sons-of, his hockey IQ is the selling point of his prospects for an NHL future. At present Washington’s system is not very deep, so he will get a decent chance. But as the team replenishes its minor league ranks, he will have to show more ability to drive the play than he has to this point.

18 Chase Priskie, D (177^th overall, 2016. Last Year: 20^th) Very much a late bloomer, Priskie has shown much greater ability to drive the play with Quinnipiac than he ever had in the BCHL. Now the captain of the Bobcats, he is a fantastic skater, fast and with plus edge work, making his forays up the ice a treat to observe. Despite the impressive goal totals for the defenceman, his shot is not nearly as impressive as his ability to control the flow from the point as a distributing quarterback. He has also filled out some physically in his time on campus, but his game is lacking a physical component. Expect the Capitals to make a big push to get him under contract after his senior season ends.

19 Juuso Ikonen, RW (UDFA: May 2, 2018. Last Year: IE) One year after younger brother Joni was drafted in the second round by Montreal, Juuso signed as a free agent with Washington. Juuso is a little bit smaller and a fair amount less talented than his brother, but is still a decent player in his own right as is demonstrated by his having played high level hockey in Finland and Sweden since his age 16 season. He skates well and is tricky with the puck on his stick. His hockey has been well honed by his accumulated experience, although do not be mistaken into thinking he is a defensive specialist, as he is here to help drive the offense. He will have to prove that his size is not a detriment in the AHL before getting a full NHL opportunity.

20 Steven Spinner, RW (159^th overall, 2014. Last Year: not ranked) Yet another example of the Capitals’ willingness to let their collegians maximize their time on campus, Spinner has slowly grown into a reliable play-maker’s game with Nebraska-Omaha. He is a skilled puck handler who has good reach and strong puck protection ability. The Mavericks have not hesitated to use Spinner on the penalty kill and in other defensively challenging situations. Despite having average size, he adds a dash oh physicality to his skilled game, finishing his checks before re-assuming a defensive posture. His upside is not the greatest, but there should be room for him in Hershey after next year, if he want sot sign with Washington.

Washington – System Overview

Ryan Wagman — Sat, 16 Sep 2017 12:10:04 +0000

Most teams scout in a variety of leagues to help replenish the minor league ranks with NHL-potential talent. Both historically and currently, the most popular destinations have been the three leagues of the CHL, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL. Looking at the various organizations around the league, the vast majority of teams had players to follow in all three leagues. There were a handful of teams that did not have a single player affiliated with a QMJHL season last year. There are also two teams that were barren in terms of WHL alumni in the system. And then there are the Washington Capitals. Not only are they the only system without players who spent last year in the OHL, but they also have not recently had a QMJHL affiliated player.

It is possible that their strong lean towards the WHL is a side effect of often having few picks to play with and often only late ones at that. Like the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are perennially contending, trading picks for players of present-day value, and thus putting an inordinate amount of faith in the their NCAA and NCAA feeder league scouts, so too might the Capitals be limiting their scouting exposure to the OHL, QMJHL, and apparently, Finland. Instead, they scout the WHL, Sweden, Switzerland, and to a lesser extent, the NAHL, very heavily, hoping that better depth in specific areas will improve their chances of successful outcomes.

To understand how deep this strategy of omission runs, the last player drafted by the Capitals out of the OHL was Tom Wilson in 2012. The last player they drafted out of the QMJHL was Stanislav Galiev in 2010. And 2004 was the last time they drafted a player out of the Finnish leagues, when they used picks on both Sami Lepisto and Pasi Salonen.

That is how the Capitals’ 2017 draft class, four players strong, included picks out of Fairbanks in the NAHL, EVZ Academy in the second Swiss league, MODO J20 in the Swedish junior leagues, and Almtuna J20, of a lower level Swedish junior league. It is also almost fair to note that the team augmented their system with a trio of college free agent signings from lower profile NCAA schools Alaska-Anchorage, Merrimack, and St. Lawrence.

From where we stand today, the depth over breadth approach to amateur scouting has not paid too many dividends. Although the team tends to be among the best in the league during the regular season, they have tended to flame out in the playoffs, at least in part due to a lack of firepower from the bottom half of the roster. Very few young players are breaking through from their (generally competitive) AHL affiliate in Hershey although the current depth chart suggests that two or three prospects may be ready for their big chance.

Without either a longer playoff run or a group of young prospects establishing themselves in short order with the NHL club, the Capitals will be forced to change their strategy or change the people executing on that strategy. Or both.

Ilya Samsonov

1 Ilya Samsonov – If the Capitals did not already have one of the best netminders in the NHL in his prime and locked up for another three seasons, they would be even more excited for having in their possession one of the clear-cut best goaltending prospects in the game. His numbers have been near the top in the KHL over the last two seasons while literally world beating at the WJC. He has exceptional athleticism for a goalie and rebounds immediately from the occasional stoppable goal allowed. When he is ready to leave Russia, the Capitals will find a way to make room for him on the NHL roster.

Washington Capitals left wing Jakub Vrana (13)(Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire)

2 Jakub Vrana – In two partial seasons in the AHL, the offensively gifted former first round pick has put up very strong numbers for Hershey, there are open questions about how well his game will translate to the NHL. Not even looking at his first 21 games last year (three goals, three assists), his high end speed and puck handling skills risk being neutralized in the NHL by a general lack of urgency. If he proves that he can produce with fewer soft spots in coverage to exploit, he can be a top six winger. No guarantee, though.

Lucas Johansen of the Kelowa Rockets was selected by the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, NY on Friday June 24, 2016. Photo by Aaron Bell/CHL Images

3 Lucas Johansen – To the naked eye, Johansen’s first post-draft year was marginally disappointing. Scouting the stat line shows offensive totals that had dropped somewhat, from 0.71 points per game in 2015-16, to 0.60 PPG last year. Moving past the stats, Ryan Johansen’s kid brother has been rounding out his game nicely. He has plus mobility and puck playing ability and is developing his defensive zone game marvelously. He still needs to bulk up, but has shutdown, possession ace ability.

4 Connor Hobbs – Hobbs, whose draft year got off to a very rough start, demanding a trade out of Medicine Hat, sojourning with Nipawin of the MJHL before being traded to Regina, is looking like a Grade A steal for the Capitals. He checks off all of the scouting boxes. Average or better as a skater, puck handling, shooter and strong hockey IQ to boot. He also has a solid frame and uses it well. The blueliner finished his WHL career with 109 points in 100 regular season plus playoff games. He is ready for the next level.

5 Madison Bowey – Bowey had a rough second season in the AHL, as sliced tendon in his ankle kept him out of action for nearly half the season. When he did play, his numbers were no better than they had been as a rookie pro. Further, he had a disturbing propensity to make unforced errors, pointing to poor decision making. On the other hand, he is an above average skater with intriguing puck skills and he flashes his physical tools fairly regularly. The next step is consistency.

6 Pheonix Copley – Had the Vegas Golden Knights selected Philipp Grubauer in the expansion draft instead of Nate Schmidt, Copley would be the odds-on favorite to land the backup goalie role in Washington for 2017-18. Signed by the Caps as a free agent out of Michigan Tech, Copley was traded to St. Louis two years ago and traded back this year at the deadline. A good athlete who does not quit on a puck, he has already proven his worth in the AHL. All that stands between him and the NHL is opportunity.

7 Jonas Siegenthaler – Sieganthaler has a very wide frame, uses his body to good effect, skates well for his bulk and is dependable in his own end. He has an active stick, muffles shooting and passing lanes well and keeps tight gaps. On their own, those traits should be enough for the young Swiss blueliner to play in the NHL. Which is good, because he brings little to the table with the puck. He makes a decent first pass in his own zone and nothing else. His shot is poor and his puck carrying is middling.

8 Chandler Stephenson – Although not a serious offensive threat, Stephenson is an easy player to root for. An exceptionally smart two-way forward, the former third rounder is also blessed with a strong set of wheels. While not fancy with the puck, his decisions tend to be the right ones, such as deciding when to hold it or when to lay it off for a teammate. His shot also holds some potential.

9 Shane Gersich – Additional playing with the reigning NCAA champions in North Dakota have led to vastly superior results for Gersich, a talented forward. His stickhandling is his strong-suit, as he has plus hands, good vision and a flair for opportunism. He is also trusted to kill penalties and plays a tenacious brand of hockey that belies his somewhat small frame, crashing the net and not shying from the tough areas.

10 Damien Riat – On the one hand, Riat’s production in his second season of high-level Swiss hockey with Geneve-Servette dropped considerably. On the other, he was once again a force at the World Juniors for his native Switzerland. He pays a sound two-way game, combining a powerful and speedy skating stride with a hard and accurate wrist shot and attention to detail in his own zone. He will be back in the NLA for a third season next year.

11 Travis Boyd – In many ways, Travis Boyd has a lot of the same prospect attributes as Jakub Vrana, profiled above. He is a very good puck handler, understands his role in all three zones and knows how to fire the puck in anger. The main differences between the two are that while Vrana is a very good skater, Boyd is only in the range of average, and Boyd is around 2.5 years older than Vrana, giving him less room for improvement. He has earned an NHL opportunity.

12 Beck Malenstyn – A big-bodied grinder, Malenstyn may be a future success story of the Capitals’ depth approach to scouting discussed at length above. In his first post-draft season, he bumped his goals from eight to 32 and his points from 25 to 56, on a team in a down year. He is unselfish with the puck and can take a hit without being removed from the play. He is also a strong skater who flashes some emerging puck skills. Definitely one who could rise on this list in future seasons.

13 Christian Djoos – Another late round pick who has proven to be an above average AHL player, Djoos’ strongest tool is without doubt his puck moving ability. He exudes confidence with the puck on his stick and generally makes strong decisions, deftly weighing risk and reward. He is also a solid skater. The main question is whether the aforementioned attributes are enough to overcome his slight frame (6-0”, 165). He may have done enough for Washington to try to find out.

14 Vitek Vanecek – Although recently a second round pick, Vanecek has not done enough yet to cement himself in Washington’s future plans. He had a strong rookie North American pro season in the ECHL but was below average in the AHL last year, prompting the team to re-acquire Pheonix Copley. An agile, butterfly-style netminder who is aggressive in his crease. This may be his last chance to stake his claim to a future in DC before Samsonov comes to America.

15 Riley Barber – Another AHL scorer, Barber has a long history of championships under his belt. He has won a Clark Cup with Dubuque, earned Gold Medals in both WU18 (2011-12) and WJC (2012-13) play and led Miami (Ohio) to an NCHC title as a junior in 2014-15. His offensive play is still ahead of his defensive play. He also has a tendency to take extraneous offensive risks. Healthy after missing close to half of last year with a hand injury, he will get more time in the NHL this year.

16 Tobias Geisser – Selected this year at the end of the fourth round, Geisser was the first pick made by the Caps, as they returned to one of their favorite scouting haunts, in Switzerland. He is remarkably mobile for his plus frame with a strong start up. He is also very calm with the puck and is strong on his stick when digging for loose pucks. He more than held his own in his first experience with high level men’s hockey in Switzerland’s second league and is a likely WJC participant this year.

17 Garrett Pilon – Despite a strong post draft season with Kamloops, improving to nearly one point per game, Pilon is still primarily a defensive forward prospect. Most of his game screams “average!”, particularly his ability to push play in the offensive zone. The son of longtime NHLer Rich Pilon still has one more season to leave a mark in the WHL.

18 Brian Pinho – Pinho’s first two post draft seasons were very successful from a team perspective, as he first won a Clark Cup with Indiana, and followed that up with an NCAA championship as a freshman at Providence. Since then, he has steadily improved his ability to produce at the NCAA level. He is a decent skater with solid puck skills combined with offensive zone vision. Quick hands make him dangerous.

19 Hampus Gustafsson – One of three college free agents signed by Washington this offseason, Gustafsson was a decent offensive producer in his last three seasons with Merrimack, trailing only Devils pick Brett Seney in points each year. Other than a partial season in Midget hockey after first coming over from Sweden to North America, he has never produced dominant numbers. What allows him to stand out is his strong 6-4” frame.

20 Chase Priskie – A strong offensive defenseman from Quinnipiac, Priskie brings decent top end speed and confident puck play to the ice. The Florida native still turns off some observers due to risk taking and a propensity for being caught up-ice after a stalled rush. Also most points are finished by his teammates as his point shot is average at best.

The Capitals have a relatively deep system in terms of players who could play roles in the NHL, especially if AHL production is as reasonable a gauge as it usually is. The concern is that after Samsonov, it is hard to state with any certainty that too many guys will mature into players capable of being types that a team can integrate into a part of a winning core. Even those with that potential have clear flaws. It is time for some of these players to be given extended looks in the NHL.

Brian Pinho – McKeen's Hockey

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Washington Capitals Top 20 Prospects

Connor McMichael, C (25th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Hendrix Lapierre, C (22nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Alexander Alexeyev, D (31st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Martin Fehervary, D (46th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Aliaksei Protas, C (91st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Garrett Pilon, C (87th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Brian Pinho, C (174th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 6)

Kody Clark, RW (47th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Brett Leason, RW (56th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Lucas Johansen, D (28th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Vitek Vanecek, G (39th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 10)

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 11)

Damien Riat, LW (117th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 12)

Oskar Magnusson, LW (211th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Bobby Nardella, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Apr. 5, 2019. Previous ranking: 14)

Martin Hugo Has, D (153rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Garin Bjorklund, G (179th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Mitchell Gibson, G (124th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 17)

Beck Malenstyn, LW (145th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 18)

Riley Sutter, RW (93rd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: UR)

MCKEENS 2020 NHL PROSPECTS REPORT – TOP 250 PROSPECTS

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – WASHINGTON CAPITALS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 20

Washington Capitals

Connor McMichael, C (25th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Alexander Alexeyev, D (31st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 1)

Martin Fehervary, D (46th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 5)

Aliaksei Protas, C (91st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 8)

Garrett Pilon, C (87th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

Brian Pinho, C (174th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: UR)

Kody Clark, RW (47th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 11)

Brett Leason, RW (56th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 4)

Lucas Johansen, D (28th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

Vitek Vanecek, G (39th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 14)

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 16)

Damien Riat, LW (117th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 18)

Tyler Lewington, D (204th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: UR)

Bobby Nardella, D (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Apr. 5, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Martin Hugo Has, D (153rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 20)

Washington Capitals Prospect System Overview

Washington – System Overview

Connor McMichael, C (25^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Hendrix Lapierre, C (22^nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Alexander Alexeyev, D (31^st overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Martin Fehervary, D (46^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 3)

Aliaksei Protas, C (91^st overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Garrett Pilon, C (87^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Brian Pinho, C (174^th overall, 2013. Previous ranking: 6)

Kody Clark, RW (47^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 7)

Brett Leason, RW (56^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 8)

Lucas Johansen, D (28^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 9)

Vitek Vanecek, G (39^th overall, 2014. Previous ranking: 10)

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 11)

Damien Riat, LW (117^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 12)

Oskar Magnusson, LW (211^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Martin Hugo Has, D (153^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 15)

Garin Bjorklund, G (179^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Mitchell Gibson, G (124^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 17)

Beck Malenstyn, LW (145^th overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 18)

Riley Sutter, RW (93^rd overall, 2018. Previous ranking: UR)

Connor McMichael, C (25^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 3)

Alexander Alexeyev, D (31^st overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 1)

Martin Fehervary, D (46^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 5)

Aliaksei Protas, C (91^st overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 8)

Garrett Pilon, C (87^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 17)

Brian Pinho, C (174^th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: UR)

Kody Clark, RW (47^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 11)

Brett Leason, RW (56^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 4)

Lucas Johansen, D (28^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

Vitek Vanecek, G (39^th overall, 2014. 2019 Rank: 14)

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, LW (147^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 16)

Damien Riat, LW (117^th overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 18)

Tyler Lewington, D (204^th overall, 2013. 2019 Rank: UR)

Martin Hugo Has, D (153^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 20)