Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#16: Washington Capitals

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Number of Ranked Prospects: 28

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 3

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 0

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 78th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Terik Parascak (17th)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Leon Muggli (58th)

System Score: 4

As the Washington Capitals have tried to figure out a way to keep a viable team around Alex Ovechkin in order to help him reach the all-time goal scoring record while also trying to hold on to a position near the top of the standings after their Stanley Cup title in 2018, they have managed to stock a prospect pond with some truly talented forwards (and a couple of quality defenders, too). Since the Cup win, the Capitals have only graduated four of their draft picks into fulltime members of their NHL squad (and another in Brett Leason who has played 158 NHL games but only 36 of those with Washington). Martin Fehervary (drafted 46th in 2018), Connor McMichael (25th overall in 2019), Aliaksei Protas (91st in 2019) and most recently Hendrix Lapierre (22nd in 2020) are the only players that the Capitals can call (mostly) mainstay NHL contributors from the 22 picks they made from 2018 through the 2022 drafts. However, their 21 picks since then have generated at least five or six top NHL prospects who should become regular NHL players in the next couple of years.

The Top of The Pool:

When the Capitals selected Terik Parascak 17th overall in last summer's NHL draft, they brought in a well-rounded player with excellent offensive drive and upside. Parascak is a goal scorer who can also play a reliable game in all three zones, a player who kills penalties, forechecks and works hard. He has NHL-level skating ability, but his shot is what turns heads. One of the best shooters of his draft class, Parascak tallied 43 goals in 68 games for Prince George in the WHL, but he also added 62 assists for a 105-point draft year. Only Berkley Catton and Tij Iginla scored more WHL goals in the draft class, and only Catton had more total points. Parascak has a hard shot and lightning release, but perhaps the greatest weapon in his shooter's arsenal is his ability to catch-and-release pucks with soft hands, fully loaded and ready to fly. He will get another year at Prince George this season and could shine at this year's World Junior Championships in Ottawa.

The Capitals have another top forward prospect in Ryan Leonard, the Boston College right winger drafted 8th overall in 2023. Leonard was a part of the dynamic USNTDP and Boston College top line with Will Smith and Gabe Perreault, and the three led the Eagles to the NCAA championship game last season. While Smith signed with the San Jose Sharks at the end of the season, Leonard and Perreault have returned to BC for another season of top-tier college hockey and a second run at a title. Leonard plays hockey with intensity, intelligence and speed. He might be one of the toughest opponents to play against in all of college hockey, mainly because he can beat a team in so many ways and will make opposing players crazy while doing it. He is poised on the rush, and will show shot and then make a perfect pass and the next time will show pass then snipe a corner before the goalie knows the puck has been released. Leonard plays a tough physical game, too, and will throw big hits into puck carriers as well as use a nasty reverse-hit to dissuade opponents from their own body checks. Leonard will soon be a fan favorite in DC, and a threat to drive offensive production on every shift.

Just below Parascak and Leonard in the forwards rankings is Andrew Cristall, the high-scoring left winger from the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. Cristall has put up 206 points over his past two seasons for Kelowna, with 79 goals and 127 assists in 116 games. Ranked 12th overall in the Hockey Prophets' 2023 draft ranking, the Capitals were able to select Cristall with their 40th overall pick, partly because Cristall was only 5'9 at the time (he is now listed at 5'10, 174 pounds). Cristall is much more than a scorer, however. He plays a smart two-way game and forechecks and backchecks with speed and aggression, working harder to get the puck back than anyone else on the ice. His off-the-puck play is already NHL level, and the fact that the 19-year-old was the final cut from the Capitals training camp this fall speaks volumes about his readiness to play at that level. He was returned to Kelowna at the start of the NHL season, and should be a dominant player in his final WHL campaign.

On the defensive side of the Capitals prospect pool, Washington has Leon Muggli, the 6'1, 176-pound Swiss blueliner that the team drafted 52nd overall last summer. Muggli was the only under-18 defender to play full time in the top Swiss men's league last year, and his 12 points in 42 games is the best U18 total for any defender in the Swiss league, besting NHL All-Star Roman Josi's 8 points in 35 games as a 17-year-old for SC Bern. Muggli, with his smooth skating, easy mobility and wise-beyond-his-years defensive positioning, plays internationally for the Swiss junior team, and after another season of Swiss men's league play for Zug, will likely start his transition to North America next year. 

A bit further down the overall prospect rankings in the Washington system are Eriks Mateiko (ranked 96th), the tall, effective power forward captaining the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL;  defenseman Ryan Chesley (60th overall) from the Minnesota Golden Gophers whom the Caps drafted 37th overall in 2022; Cole Hutson, the standout defender for Boston University and the younger brother of Montreal rookie defender Lane Hutson; and Ivan Miroshnichenko, the Russian forward who was--like Cristall--a late cut from the Capitals training camp this fall. All of these players and others (Ludwig Persson, Miroslav Satan, etc.) give the Capitals system depth and quality, and help make them the first of the second-tier systems in the Hockey Prophets system rankings.

Return to the Team System Rankings

Below is the full list of the Washington Capitals' ranked prospects.

Top Forwards 

Top Defensemen