Washington Capitals Draft Review
2021-09-03With the 2021 EHE Entry Draft completed this past weekend, Washington Capitals GM Travis Chorostkowski and his scouting and analytics team got their first EHE Entry Draft Under their belt. "It was a great experience. There seemed to be a lot of organized chaos, and overall, I really enjoyed it".
The first day of the Entry draft was a busy one, with lots of trades happening on the trade floor, but GM Chorostkowski decided to avoid all of the trades and make the 6 selections that he had going into the draft. " There were a lot of great offers for some of our picks and/or assets, but in the end, being that it was my first Entry Draft I felt I wanted to make the picks and stock our prospect pool. Overall, I think our team did a great job of identifying the players we were after and I am very happy with our selections".
The Washingon Capitals came into the draft with (2) 1st Round selections 9th and 31st Overall as well as (3) 2nd Round selections 39th, 51st, and 60th overall. To cap it off they had (1) final selection in the 3rd Round at 72nd overall. The Capitals Entry draft was complete after the first day, and did not go without some controversy.
With the 9th Overall selection, the Washington Capitals selected Kent Johnson from the University of Michigan. " We were really happy with Kent Johnson being available at 9. We had him higher on our list, and as picks rolled in and Kent kept dropping we changed gears, and jumped at the opportunity to add an elite center".
Johnson’s creative output is the byproduct of carefully honed techniques and a gifted mind. He handles the puck with his top hand free from his body, pushed forward with precision, quickness, and agility. When he’s feeling it, the game looks effortless. Johnson anticipates player movement so exceptionally well, whether they’re teammates or opponents, and lets that mental map of the ice dictate his plan of attack. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
With the Capitals next selection, and final pick of the 1st round Washington chose controversial defenceman Logan Mailloux from the London Knights 31st overall. The selection was made to a smattering of boos and jeers, as we all know Mailloux got into some trouble this past season while playing in Sweden. " We viewed Logan as a mid 1st round talent, and after an extensive interview we felt that Logan has and will continue to learn and grow from the unfortunate incident. By no means do we condone this type of action or behaviour, and will work with Logan and his team to make him a better human being". Time will tell if this was a bust, or a successful gamble.
At 39th overall Washington selected RWer Sasha Pastujov from the USNDTP. "We really like Sasha's game, he has a great shot and skillset that will hopefully play a big part on our power play in the years to come".
The winger’s small area play, the way he uses his body to keep defenders away from the puck and stickhandles through opposing sticks along the walls projects well to the next levels. And so does his passing ability, his quick deceptive feeds under pressure to advance the play. There is also his shot, his best ability by far. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
With their second selection of the 2nd round, the Capitals selected another talented RWer Prokhor Poltapov. Dipping their toes into Russia, the Capitals are hoping that Poltapov, who has nice size and speed will develop into a middle six role with the Capitals. "These kids are still so young, yet is their full potential untapped yet? Remains to be seen, and we feel Prokhor can get to another level yet." stated Chorostkowski.
He invites defenders on his back, shields the puck by extending a knee or by using his bottom arm, and transforms intense backpressure into an escape tool; he slows down, leans against opponents, and lets their shoves propel him into open ice. He then attacks the goalie or other defenders with a combination of handling moves and deception. Poltapov has some savvy feints in his kit. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
The Capitals final selection of the 2nd round came in at 60 where they selected Canadian goaltender Devon Levi from NorthEastern University of the NCAA. Chorostkowski was super happy to grab Levi at this spot. "Ever since I took over this role as GM, I have had my eye on Levi. He was amazing at the World Juniors, and we feel he is close to being able to develop into a goalie of the future for our organization".
Levi put on a spectacular performance for Canada East at the World Junior A Challenge as they took home silver. Plenty of agility and great tracking, Levi offers a ton of promise combined with highlight reels. Levi moves and reads the game well, offering up plenty of speed when staying on top of the play. -EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide
With their final pick, Washington selected Matthew Knies from the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. Knies seemed to be overlooked and the Capitals may have gotten a steal, as they had him ranked 40th on their draft depth chart.
The way Knies establishes body positioning drives his value in every dimension of the game. He tries to be first on every puck at all costs, getting his leg in front of his opponent’s, then coming across their body with his hips to seal off the defender. Some off-puck awareness makes Knies a bit of a scoring threat, hunting space after passing. -EliteProspects 2021 NHL Draft Guide
"Overall as I mentioned we are very happy with how the day went. All of our selections were ranked higher on our list than where we selected them. To me that is a win"
As Chorostkowski and him team get ready to open rookie camp, and with main camp soon to follow, only time will tell if this was a successful endeavour, or not.
Edward Lam
Washington Post
Had Johnson at #5 so love the value here. Levi could be a steal at #60 ... knew I should have bagged him at #57.
Washington Capitals Draft Review
Controversy in Round 1......Overall a Positive First Draft Experience