Washington Capitals: Top 3 players worth drafting in Round 1

The Washington Capitals are gearing up for the NHL Draft.

The NHL Draft will take place beginning on Tuesday night with Round 1. Which players could the Washington Capitals potentially select. We’ll highlight the three most likely candidates that they’ll take.

Last year the team hit a home run with their 25th pick, selecting Connor McMichael. This year the team will be selecting at the 24th pick for the third time in franchise history.

In the past, the team used their 24th overall pick to select Marcus Johansson in 2009 and Errol Rausse in 1978. In the last 10 NHL Drafts, players selected 24th overall have played a combined 1,321 NHL games, with Kevin Hayes of the Philadelphia Flyers leading the way with 270 points (115 goals, 155 assists) in 450 career games.

The Caps hold five picks in the NHL Draft. Last year the team made four selections. Besides McMichael, Brett Leason had a successful first professional season. Leason was selected in the second round last year.

Leason recorded 14 points with three goals and 11 assists in 50 games with the Hershey Bears in the AHL. Aliaksei Protas, Washington’s third round pick, registered 80 points with 31 goals and 49 assists in 58 games with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League (WHL).