Washington Capitals: 15 All-Time Best Draft Picks
Tom Wilson
While the hoopla around the 2012 NHL draft was behind some guy named Filip Forsberg, the Capitals also drafted another first rounder named Tom Wilson that paid even more dividends down the road.
Hockey’s Future, a reliable source to look up prospects, said, “Wilson projects as a power forward with some potential for offensive contributions. At 6’4 and 200 pounds, Wilson already has good size and he isn’t afraid to make use of his size advantage. And there is room for him to add some muscle to his frame.”
Wilson had to learn his game first and go from a physicality standpoint to an offensive powerhouse. When he’s not in the sin bin or even the press box from a suspension, he’s been the true enforcer on the Caps no matter what line he was on.
Wilson peaked during the Stanley Cup run and peaked even greater when he came out of the 20-game suspension to begin next season. He already made changes to avoid further punishment so there won’t be any surprises if he has a monster 2019-20 season.
Nicklas Backstrom
Back in 2006 following Ovechkin’s Calder Trophy winning season, the “Great Eight” came to the stage to announce a player even more worthy of being a “sidekick”. The pick came fourth.
“We’ve got lots of work to do. We have a real good young core. We have some good veterans. But we need to add some more to really make the team better than it is,” McPhee told USA Today.
It was the beginning what would turn out to be one of the best bromances in the NHL.
Backstrom created plays, had great ice vision, and his quiet, humble demeanor has shown he’s one of the more underrated players in the NHL.
Team owner Ted Leonsis, in the same article, gave his thumbs up:
“This is another part of our rebuilding plan. He is another part of the foundation of our new core of the Washington Capitals.”
This was the core of a generation and the Backstrom-to-Ovechkin or vice versa packed a power one-two punch in the NHL.
Oh and here’s an even crazier nugget from that 2006 Draft night, per the Capitals NHL Draft Guide, that location was also in Vancouver.
Alex Ovechkin
Rankings are weird but Alex Ovechkin is the number one first round draft pick of all time among Capitals fans everywhere. Who else, right? This was more than a number one draft pick by the Capitals. The Caps came off a miserable 23-46-10 record in 2003-04 and had the number one pick and knew exactly who they would take in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
“If you are second, you are second. If you are first, you are first. I always want to be first. My mom and dad always said (whether) you play hockey or football, you always want to be first,” Alex Ovechkin told the Washington Post.
In this same story, which was written after the draft, McPhee added, “We were lucky to win the lottery, and then to have a player of (Ovechkin’s) ability sitting there. He was number one on our list. He makes the difference in the big games.”
Next. In appreciation of Alex Ovechkin and chasing down Wayne Gretzky. dark
As we’ve seen the last 14 years, the Capitals not only hit the mark with this one but knocked it out of the park. He transformed this town from football to hockey and even added a Stanley Cup on top. And the best part? We still get to watch him for at least a few more seasons to try to add another to the collection.