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Breaking down the Capitals draft pick of Lynden Lakovic

With the 27th pick in the NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals selected the forward
ByMichael Marzzacco|
Lynden Lakovic, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Lynden Lakovic, Washington Capitals Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Washington Capitals seleted Lynden Lakovic with their 27th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. He is big at six foot four and 200 pounds and plays left wing. He's Canadien and from the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors.

He is the nephew of former NHL player Sasha Lakovic and after getting drafted would quickly meet the Capitals front office via Zoom.

He recorded 58 points in 47 games for the Warriors with 27 goals and 31 assists. That led the team. He had a 1.23 point per game rate which was the fifth best among those skaters in the WHL that were draft eligible.

He recorded just four penalty minutes despite his big frame. He won the WHL championship with Moose Jaw during the 2023-24 season. He was teammates with Andrew Cristall's older brother Tyler while on BCHL's West Kelowna Warriors during the 2021-22 season.

The 18 year old was the 14th ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting in this year's draft class. He was a consensus top 20 pick before the draft began so it was a good late round value pick on the part of the Caps.

The draft selection continued the Capitals streak of taking wingers in the first round. It's now four with Lakovic, Terik Parascak in 2024, Ryan Leonard in 2023 and Ivan Miroshnichenko in 2022.

"Lakovic is always thinking about how to create the best play. A highly skilled passer, he seeks to add value to the sequence with every touch while still managing to keep the risk down. A powerful, accurate, and versatile shot provides the perfect complement for Lakovic's playmaking. He fires in stride, changes the angle, and curls around sticks to create shooting lanes. "
Elite Prospects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

With 39 points in the 2023-24 season jumping up to 58 the next year, expect his development to continue in the minors.

"I just love being out there and just the satisfaction of getting better. That's where mine's at. I've been playing the game forever now and I'm going to continue playing because it makes me happy," Lakovic would say on his love for hockey.