Washington Capitals: Top Five Draft Steals In Team History
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Capitals have usually drafted pretty well in the first round, especially in recent years. However, they have found quite a few gems in the later rounds. Is it science? No. Is it luck? Probably. Just look at how many busts they have had over the years.
MUST READ: Washington Capitals Top Five First Round Picks
So what were the qualifications for these Washington Capitals picks?
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- They had to have been drafted outside of the first round. Getting value in the first round isn’t that hard, relatively speaking. Getting it in the sixth, however, is something to be celebrated.
- Their success will be considered along with what round they were drafted in.
- They must have been drafted in an Entry or Amateur Draft.
- Only numbers with the Washington Capitals count.
Before we begin, let’s honor the honorable mention: Braden Holtby. Holtby was drafted with the 93rd overall pick in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL draft. Holtby was the 10th goaltender selected in the 2008 NHL Draft. Of the nine goaltenders drafted before him, none of them have played more than 60 games in the NHL yet. Meanwhile, Holtby has played in 178 games. The Washington Capitals have looked for a franchise goaltender ever since Olaf Kolzig retired. They found their new franchise goalie in Holtby and the Washington Capitals did so in the fourth round.
Here are the five biggest draft steals that the Washington Capitals have made in their 40 year history. Listed will be each player, the year that they were drafted and the round that they were drafted.
Next: Number Five: Konowalchuk
Washington Capitals Draft Steals: Konowalchuk
The Washington Capitals got a very good value in the third round of the 1991 NHL Draft. With the 58th overall pick, the Caps selected forward Steve Konowalchuk, who quickly became a fan favorite in the nation’s capital. In his 13 seasons with the Capitals, Konowalchuk played in 693 games. He had 146 goals and 196 assists, good for 342 points.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Konowalchuk played two years of junior hockey with the WHL’s Portland Winter Hawks. He scored a combined 94 goals and was Washington’s 5th choice, 58th overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. Konowalchuk was voted on to the WHL’s First All-Star Team after scoring 51 goals and 104 points in 1991-92. That year he also suited up for the United States when they won the bronze medal at the 1992 World Junior Championships. In 1992-93, the young pivot split his first full pro season between the Caps and AHL’s Baltimore Skipjacks. He joined Washington on a full-time basis in 1993-94 and became a solid checker and reliable 40-point producer as the fourth centre behind Dale Hunter, Michael Pivonka, Joe Juneau, and Dave Poulin. He gradually worked his way up the ladder and was a crucial part of the team when veterans Hunter and Poulin retired. Konowalchuk’s solid all round game was recognized when he played a game for the U.S. when they won the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996. As the Caps began the 2001-02 season with the addition of superstar Jaromir Jagr, Konowalchuk’s role as a solid two-way forward remained vital to the success of the team. A two-time member of the US World Championship team in 2000 and 2002, Konowalchuk was appointed team captain in 2002-03 and remained as the team’s leader in the early stages of the 2003-04 season, until being dealt to the Colorado Avalanche. – Legends of Hockey
Next: Number Four: Dmitri Khristich
Washington Capitals Draft Steals: Khristich
In the sixth round of the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, the Washington Capitals selected forward Dmitri Khristich with the 120th overall pick. Khristich was a very underrated forward for the Caps. In seven seasons with the Washington Capitals, Khristich played in 419 games and had 300 points (140 goals and 160 assists).
Born in Kiev, USSR, Khristich played six years for Sokol Kiev where he was a solid two-way forward. He was chosen 120th overall by Washington in 1988 when his talent was considered very raw. He progressed and took on greater responsibilities for Kiev over the next two years and played for the USSR when it won gold at the 1990 World Championships. After starting the 1990-91 season in Kiev, Khristich joined the Capitals and scored 27 points in 40 games as a rookie. When he signed with the Caps on December 11, 1990, the 21-year-old Khristich made history as the youngest player ever allowed to leave the Soviet Union. The next season he broke through with 36 goals and was a consistent offensive threat until the end of the 1994-95 season. There was a concern over the drop in Khristich’s play in the playoffs when tighter checking predominated. However, this malady was rampant throughout the team as it continually put up mediocre results in the post-season. Khristich was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in July 1995 and he went on to score 27 goals in 1995-96 when he was named the team’s most valuable player. During his time on the West Coast, Khristich played centre briefly on a line with Vladimir Tsyplakov and Vitali Yachmenev. In August 1997 he and goalie Byron Dafoe were sent to the Boston Bruins for Jozef Stumpel and Sandy Moger. Khristich recorded consecutive 29-goal seasons and was one of the Bruins’ best all-round forwards. A contract squabble with general manager Harry Sinden led to the Ukrainian being traded to Toronto where he disappointed with only 30 points in 53 games. He was also a non-factor when the Leafs were eliminated by the stronger New Jersey Devils in the second round. After a slow start and significant time spent in the press box, Khristich was traded to Washington where he started quickly then faded and ended up with only 13 goals in 70 games. His career was at an important juncture as the 2001-02 season began. – Legends Of Hockey
Next: Number Three: Michal Pivonka
Washington Capitals Draft Steals: Pivonka
In the third round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, with the 59th overall selection, the Washington Capitals drafted forward Michal Pivonka. Pivonka went on to set numerous records for the Capitals, including career assists before Nicklas Backstrom broke his record in the 2014-2015 season. In 825 NHL games, all of them with the Capitals, Pivonka had 181 goals and 418 assists, good for 599 points.
Michal Pivonka first caught the attention of NHL scouts as a result of his standout performance at the 1983 European Junior Championships where he was named to the tournaments all-star team. He kept up his stellar play at World Junior tournaments in 1985 and 1986, winning a gold medal in the latter outing. He was selected 59th overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Washington Capitals. Pivonka expressed a strong interest in defecting to the NHL but insisted on completing his required military service before making the jump. He joined the Caps in 1986-87 and filled an important void created by the retirement of Bengt Gustafsson. Pivonka centered a line between Bobby Gould and Gatean Duchesne, making a good impression from the start with his strong skating, excellent passing, and willingness to play physically. Pivonka remained as a fixture with the Caps for 12 seasons. By the early nineties, fellow countryman Petr Bondra joined the club, uniting with Pivonka to make an effective offensive duo. In tandem, they raised each other’s game with Pivonka scoring a career- high 80 points in 80 games during the 1991-92 campaign. By the end of the decade, however, his numbers and his legs began to slow. In 1999, he was dispatched to the Kansas City Blades of the IHL where he completed his pro career in 2000. – Washington Capitals
Next: Number Two: Gustafsson
Washington Capitals Draft Steals: Gustafsson
In the fourth round of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, with the 55th overall pick, the Washington Capitals drafted forward Bengt-Ake Gustafsson. Gustafsson would be an underrated and productive forward for the Washington Capitals for nine seasons. He played 629 games in those nine seasons, all of them with the Caps. He had 196 goals and 359 assists, good for 555 points.
In the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, the Washington Capitals selected Gustafsson 55th overall. After helping Sweden capture a silver medal at the 1978 World Championships, Gustafsson headed to North America, but joining the WHA’s Edmonton Oilers instead. Gustafsson would play just two playoff games in the Alberta capital. After scoring 1 goal and 3 points, he was ruled ineligible to play by the WHA since teams could not add European free agents so late in the season. The following season saw the Oilers and other remaining WHA teams merge with the NHL. Gustafsson was initially one of four players protected by the Oilers in the merger, along with goaltenders Ed Mio, Dave Dryden and a teenage forward named Wayne Gretzky. Gustafsson was on record as wanting to stay in Edmonton. The Capitals weren’t going to let Gustafsson slip out of their hands that easily, and argued that Gustafsson was their property. On June 9th, 1979 the Caps further strengthened their claim by selecting Gustafsson in a special reclaim draft. The matter would eventually be sorted out by NHL president John Ziegler. Gustafsson would move to the American capital, and enjoy a fine 9 year career which ranks him among the best players in franchise history. He would score 196 goals, and 555 points in 629 career games. His best season came in 1983-84 when he scored a career high 32 goals and 75 points while playing with linemates Dave Christian and Mike Gartner. Gustafsson had a particularly memorable game on January 8, 1984 in Philadelphia. He tied a club record for most goals in a game with 5! Gus scored on every shot he took that game. A pulled left hamstring plagued Gustafsson the following season, but he would rebound nicely in 1985-86 by leading the team in assists and equaling his career high of 75 points. Late in the season, however, disaster struck. Gustafsson’s right leg was broken in a spectacular spill involving New York Islander defenseman Denis Potvin. Not only did Gustafsson miss the rest of the season and the playoffs, but he would not play in the NHL the following year either. Feeling he lost a significant step of speed, Gustafsson returned home for the 1986-87 season, playing for Bofors, essentially a development team in his hometown. Gustafsson used the season to reinvent his game after breaking the leg. By the end of the year he was back to top condition, leading Sweden in the world championships to a gold medal, the first for the country in 25 years. He also led the Swedes in the Canada Cup that September. Gustafsson returned to Washington in 1987 and picked up where he left off. His scoring totals were off slightly, but his playmaking abilities were a definite shot in the arm of the Washington power play. – Washington Capitals Legends
Next: Number One: Bondra
Washington Capitals Draft Steals: Bondra
The biggest draft steal of all-time for the Washington Capitals happened during the 1990 NHL Entry Draft in the eighth round. That’s when they selected forward Peter Bondra. Bondra went on to set many of the Washington Capitals franchise records.
Kosice supporters were upset by Bondra’s sudden departure for the Washington Capitals in 1990, but he was eager to show the NHL team which had drafted him 156th overall in that year’s draft what he was worth. In his third season, 1992-93, he led Washington with 37 goals and 85 points. He enjoyed great support, both on and off the ice, from Czech center Michal Pivonka, who had been with the Capitals since 1986. Pivonka helped Bondra and his family get used to a new way of life. The two would also become holdouts in the fall of 1995, when neither player could agree to contract terms with the Caps; during their absence they played together briefly for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. During the NHL lockout of 1994-95, Bondra made a temporary return to Kosice. When play resumed in North America, the right wing had a breakthrough year with a league leading 34 goals in only 47 games. In 1995, Bondra became a Slovakian citizen, and during his standoff with the Capitals he played for the national team in an Olympic qualifying round as well as at a four-country tournament for the Pragobanka Cup, held in Zlin, Czech Republic. After re-signing with Washington he appeared in only 67 games, but still managed to score 52 goals. Bondra took part in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, where he played for Slovakia and scored three goals in three games. He was also a member of the national squad that hoped to qualify for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Bondra, and Florida Panthers defenseman Robert Svehla, took part in the third game of a three-game preliminary round. However, Slovakia did not play as well in the preliminaries as the surprising team from Kazakhstan, and so was denied the chance to proceed to the final round. When the NHL season resumed after a three-week break for the Olympics, Bondra picked up where he left off, scoring a league-high 52 goals. If that weren’t enough, the Washington Capitals fought their way to the club’s first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Bondra was truly a workhorse for the team, which even managed to eliminate the Buffalo Sabres who were led by the phenomenal netminding of Dominik Hasek in the Eastern Conference finals. After that victory, however, Washington was swept in four games by the powerful Detroit Red Wings. During the 2003-04 NHL season the Caps were struggling and had dealt superstar Jaromir Jagr prior to the All-Star Game and made note to every team that several players from their roster would be available to those interested. Thus on February 17, 2004 Bondra’s 14-year career with the Caps came to an end, as he was dealt to the Ottawa Senators for young prospect Brooks Laich and a 2nd round draft pick in 2005. – Legends of Hockey
Next: Washington Capitals Top Ten Wings Of All-Time