Washington Capitals end NHL Draft weekend with just four picks
The Washington Capitals had only four draft picks in 2019 but added some quality depth for their prospect pool.
The Washington Capitals didn’t make the most picks this past weekend, and despite what the analytics say about the quantity of picks, they clearly liked what they saw in the four players as they didn’t ever trade back, and traded up in two cases to get their guys.
First came Connor McMichael, a center from the London Knights. Just 18 years old, he’s young enough where he’ll likely take a few years before he reaches Washington.
He tallied 72 points (36 goals and 36 assists) in 67 games this year for Dale Hunter’s squad in Ontario. McMichael should boost the profile of a fairly barren prospect corps for the Capitals up front, specifically at center where the Caps have no forwards that project into the top six.
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The key to this draft, however, may come in the second round selection of Brett Leason.
Leason, age 20, slid in the draft from where he was projected to go in the draft likely due to his age. He’s, in some cases, two years older than some of the other draft eligible players which makes him more of a known quantity and therefore potentially less desirable.
But for Washington, that’s essentially exactly what they needed.
At 6-foot-4 and about 200 pounds, Leason is expected to start the season in Hershey, which should provide some immediate help to both the Bears and the Capitals, should they need it.
In just 55 games, he tallied 89 points for the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2018-19 season and had 10 goals and 15 assists in 22 playoff games as well.
Just a round later, the Capitals traded up to select Leason’s linemate, Aliaksei Protas, at 91st overall in the third round.
Protas, a winger, is a 6-foot-5, 190-pound winger that tallied 11 goals and 29 assists in 61 games played in his first season in the WHL. The hope is clearly that the two will have some chemistry down the line when Protas reports to the NHL and AHL, as the Capitals try to build the wings out with size.
The Belarusian is just 18 years old and will return to the WHL next season, where he’ll look to improve on a solid rookie campaign.
Washington also traded up in its final selection and picked Martin Haš, a relatively unknown Czech defenseman who plays in Finland.
A right-handed shot, he’ll provide nice depth in an organization in desperate need of righty shots.
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Those were all the picks for the Capitals, who clearly went quality over quantity in this draft. While not all four will pan out, there’s hope the Capitals will have a nice start to rebuilding the forward ranks in the prospect pool.