Washington Capitals: Top 10 best scorers of all-time

#9 Bob Carpenter

Bob Carpenter or “Bobby” became the first high school player to make the jump to the NHL. At age 21 he was a 53 goal scorer but he would never approach that total again. He played 18 seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995.

Carpenter was selected with the number three overall pick by the Capitals in 1981. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and was dubbed the “can’t miss kid” after killing it with St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts. Carpenter made the squad out of training camp and made an immediate impact, scoring 32 goals and 67 points as an 18 year old in his rookie season in 1981-82.

In 1982-83, Carpenter scored 32 goals and a nice 69 points to help the Caps qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in their franchise history. He followed that up with a career year in 1984-85, scoring 53 goals and 95 points to become the first American born 50 goal scorer.

Carpenter’s numbers would unfortunately dip after that to 27 goals and 56 points in 1986-87 and after a slow start the next season, the Capitals traded him to the New York Rangers on New Years Day. Over seven seasons with the Caps, Carpenter recorded 188 goals and 207 assists for 395 points.