In the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Washington Capitals did quite well for themselves. Surprisingly falling to them in the second round was Andrew Cristall, who they selected at 40th overall. In the 2022-23 season, Cristall had scored 39 goals and added 56 assists for 95 points through 54 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Last season with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League (AHL), Cristall scored 20 goals and added 40 assists for 60 points through 72 games.
In a recent redraft completed by Scott Wheeler, Cristall gets selected at 23rd overall by the New York Rangers, moving him into the first round.
Wheeler wrote, "Cristall has always been a tough player to project because the track record and offensive smarts and skill have always been top-of-class after the big names in this age group. He continued to produce at that high level for his age in the AHL last year as well and nearly made the Capitals out of camp the year prior."
Wheeler added, "...his size, style of play and feet have often held evaluators back from believing that NHL production would follow. I was too high on him, but there still comes a time in the re-draft when he’s one of the only names left who could point and play on a power play, and that’s somewhere in the late-first round here."
Cristall will have a fair shot at cracking the Washington Capitals' opening-night roster, even with the strong additions they made in free agency and in the trade market this summer, and seems poised to carve out a solid NHL career for himself once he gets going. At 21 years old, Cristall has a bright future in front of him and remains one of the most promising prospects in the entire league.
Luckily, that future is with the Capitals, not with the Rangers, like in Wheeler's redraft.
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