Washington Capitals 2019 NHL Draft: Complete First Round Order

SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 27: A general view of the Washington Capitals draft table is seen during the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 27, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - JUNE 27: A general view of the Washington Capitals draft table is seen during the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center on June 27, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)

The 2019 NHL Draft gets underway tonight at 8 p.m. with the first round on the NBC Sports Network with Rounds 2-7 taking place the next day. The Washington Capitals pick at 25th.

The Hudson River neighbors New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers have the first two picks and it’s inevitable Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko will be selected. After that, the drama intensifies.

Here is the official first round order directly from NHL.com:

  1. New Jersey Devils
  2. New York Rangers
  3. Chicago Blackhawks
  4. Colorado Avalanche (via Ottawa)
  5. Los Angeles Kings
  6. Detroit Red Wings
  7. Buffalo Sabres
  8. Edmonton Oilers
  9. Anaheim Ducks
  10. Vancouver Canucks
  11. Philadelphia Flyers
  12. Minnesota Wild
  13. Florida Panthers
  14. Arizona Coyotes
  15. Montreal Canadiens
  16. Colorado Avalanche
  17. Vegas Golden Knights
  18. Dallas Stars
  19. Ottawa Senators (from Columbus)
  20. New York Rangers (from Winnipeg)
  21. Pittsburgh Penguins
  22. Los Angeles Kings (from Toronto)
  23. New York Islanders
  24. Nashville Predators
  25. Washington Capitals
  26. Calgary Flames
  27. Tampa Bay Lightning
  28. Carolina Hurricanes
  29. Anaheim Ducks (from Dallas via Buffalo
  30. Boston Bruins
  31. Buffalo Sabres (from St. Louis)

With the 25th pick the Washington Capitals select left winger Nils Hoglander: General Manager Brian MacLellan usually approaches these drafts by taking the best player available but as noted in the offseason predictions, there’s a good chance a forward will be taken.

The last time a forward was drafted was 2014 with Jakub Vrana as the 13th pick. Since this selection, there hasn’t been a forward selected until the 47th pick in the drafts since.

Prediction is that the Capitals will select Nils Hoglander from Sweden.

Nils Hoglander is a left winger and Elite Prospects said that :“Hoglander stands out with his exceptional puck skills and hands . Really good stickhandler and he loves to get creative with the puck, scoring spectacular goals at times. Decent skater who accelerates well and works very hard along the boards in the offensive zone.”

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Hoglander is 18 years old and has a speed game like current Capitals Swedish prospect Axel Jonsson-Fjallby.