Washington Capitals: Top 10 best NHL Draft picks in team history

#7 Dmitri Khristich

Dmitri Khristich was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the sixth round at 120th overall in the 1988 NHL Draft. Before there was Alex Ovechkin, it was Dmitri Khristich who would don the #8 on his sweater for the Capitals.

Khristich played in 811 games for the Capitals, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. He came from the Soviet League playing for his home city the Sokol Kiev. He also represented the Soviet Union at the World Junior Championships.

Khristich finally joined the Capitals on Dec. 11, 1990 and was the first youngest player in the Soviet League to set foot on North American rinks. He had a strong rookie season with the Capitals scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists for 27 points.

In 1991-92, Khristich was even better scoring a career high 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 points, helping lead the Capitals to a second place finish in the Patrick Division before bowing out to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the semifinals in seven games. In the first four games of that series, Khristich had three goals and two assists.

Khristich would skate in 419 games with the Capitals during his seven seasons there and recorded 140 goals and 160 assists for 300 points. After he was traded by the team in 1995, he would rejoin the Caps in a trade in Dec. 2000.