Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan promised to be aggressive heading into last week’s NHL draft. He delivered.
Since MacLellan spoke with reporters on Thursday, the Capitals shipped forward Beck Malensytn to the Sabres for a second-round pick, acquired forward Andrew Mangiapane from the Flames for a 2025 second-round pick, received goaltender Logan Thompson in a trade with the Golden Knights and added seven prospects through the draft.
“I thought we did really well,” MacLellan said Saturday after the draft. “I think everything worked out well. We got some good size on the wing, we got a couple of different defensive prospects, we got a goalie that can play with us and a couple projects, too.”
The prize of Washington’s draft was right winger Terik Parascak, the No. 17 overall pick. The 18-year-old Canadian will join the Capitals organization after recording 43 goals and 62 assists last season for the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars.
Parascak’s game may look familiar to Capitals fans — the prospect told NHL.com that he models his play after Washington right winger T.J. Oshie.
“There are a lot of similarities,” Capitals assistant general manager Ross Mahoney told NHL.com. “They’re not 6-foot-3; they’re more around that 5-foot-11. … But the hands and the sense and the release on his shot and also not afraid to go to the dirty areas to score goals. … I can only hope he ends up being as good as T.J. Oshie. That would be fantastic for us.”
The Capitals then used the No. 43 pick, gained from the Malenstyn trade, to select 18-year-old defenseman Cole Hutson. The Boston University product averaged more than a point per game last season for the Terriers.
Another defenseman, 17-year-old Leon Muggli, joined Washington with the No. 52 selection. Muggli posted three goals and nine assists last season in the Swiss National League, setting a record for the most points by a defenseman age 17 or younger.
Ilya Protas, the younger brother of Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas, was Washington’s pick at No. 75. The left winger played with the United States Hockey League’s Des Moines Buccaneers last season and led all rookies in assists.
The Capitals added more wing depth in the third round when they selected Eriks Mateiko. The 18-year-old already stands 6-foot-5 and used his frame to punish opponents last season in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League.
After acquiring Thompson from the Golden Knights, the Capitals added another goalie in fourth-round selection Nicholas Kempf. The Chicago native was the fourth-ranked American goaltender in this year’s draft, according to NHL Central Scouting.
With their final picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, Washington selected centers Petr Sikora and Miroslav Satan Jr.
The 18-year-old Sikora earned limited playing time in the top Czech league last season, recording three points in 22 games.
Satan, the son of the Hall of Famer with the same name, was the tallest player in this year’s draft class at 6-foot-7. He scored 30 points last season in the top Slovakian junior league.
“We feel real good about what we accomplished,” MacLellan said of the Capitals draft.
MacLellan noted that the hectic offseason isn’t over — he plans to make more moves. After adding a goaltender and forwards in recent trades, the front office will look to free agency and the trade market to improve the defense, the general manager said.
“We’re working on trying to make some changes there,” MacLellan said Saturday. “We’re going to shop around and see what we can find.”
Washington’s busy offseason will continue Monday when the NHL free agency period begins.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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