Andrew Cristall gets loaned to Kelowna

The Washington Capitals have now trimmed their training camp roster from 51 players to 50. The lone cut after yesterday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings was loaning forward Andrew Cristall to Kelowna of the WHL. Here’s the updated training camp roster.

In last night’s game Cristall skated 12:15, had a plus minus of negative one and had an assist. That assist came from a power play goal by Rasmus Sandin. That was the lone preseason game he suited up in.

Cristall was selected in the second round of this year’s NHL Draft at #40th overall. Elite Prospects said this about him in their 2023 NHL Draft guide:

"A dynamic player through and through, Cristall adds the extra flash to every play. He beats defenders with head fakes, handling skills, and slick edges before cutting inside or finding a teammate burst into the slot. He starts the plays, builds them, and then puts the finishing touches on them. He’s an inventive playmaker, capable of turning the mundane into the brilliant, breaking down opponents with feints and deception before sending perfectly weighted passes to his teammates to do the rest."

With the Kelowna Rockets last season as an alternate captain Cristall recorded 39 goals and 56 assists for 95 points in 54 games. He was also an alternate captain for Canada’s U18 team at the WJC 18 here he had six points in seven games with two goals and four assists.

2021 22 was a nice season for Cristall with the Kelowna Rockets with 69 points in 61 games with 28 goals and 41 assists. He’s spent the last three years in the Western Hockey League and now he goes back there to continue his development.

With the next preseason game taking place tomorrow night, this time in Detroit against those same Red Wings, expect more cuts to come over the weekend. There is a total of four preseason games left.