The 2024 NHL Entry Draft kicks off of Friday with the first round and carries to Saturday with rounds two through seven throughout the afternoon. The Washington Capitals, NHL affiliate to the Hershey Bears, are set to select eight players going into the event. This year’s event will see the Capitals select the most players in a single draft since selecting seven in 2022. Many players in the draft have gone on to become significant players for the Bears including much of the 2023 and 2024 championship rosters.
Washington’s highest pick in the draft comes in the middle of round one. They’ll select the 17th overall player in this year’s group of players. Previous top players to come from the round include Hendrix Lapierre (22nd overall, 2020), Connor McMichael (25th overall, 2019), and Ivan Miroshnichenko (20th overall, 2022). Other top picks include Ryan Leonard (8th overall, 2023), Alexander Alexeyev (31st overall, 2018), and Lucas Johansen (28th overall, 2016).
When day two rolls around, the Capitals will select in the second round, 52nd overall. Although top picks usually yield the superstars in waiting, the second round typically has its own fair share of standouts. Their last selection in the round came a year ago in selecting Andrew Cristall, who is star in the making in the junior ranks. He spent some time with Hershey as a black ace during the postseason but has not yet made his debut. Prior to that in 2022, they selected US-born Ryan Chesley, who has not yet made his professional debut. Chesley played his second season for the University of Minnesota in 2023-24 and represented the US in the World Junior Championships, but may be some time yet from reaching the AHL. Other top picks include Brett Leason in 2019, who has gone on to become a regular in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks after being plucked off of waivers prior to 2022-23.
Washington will select three players in the third round of the draft. They own picks 82, 83, and 90, with the latter two resulting from past trades. The third round has turned out to have some gems, particularly for the Bears, with the likes of Aliaksei Protas (2019), Riley Sutter (2018), and Garrett Pilon (2016) selected in this round in past years. The round has the potential to produce some important future assets for the Bears with three quality picks.
After that, the Caps have one pick in the fourth round (114), fifth round (146), and the sixth round (178). Although these picks tend to be hit or miss when it comes to making it to the Bears, they’re far from insignificant. Ryan Hofer, for instance, was selected in the sixth round (181st overall) in 2022 and made his AHL debut this past season. Bogdan Trineyev was chosen with the 117th overall pick in 2020 while Mitch Gibson was selected 124th in 2018. In 2016, the Capitals chose Beck Malenstyn (145), Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (147), and Chase Priskie (177) all in the fifth and sixth rounds of the draft.
There’s always potential to find a gem in the late stages of the draft. One famous example dates back to 2013, where the Caps selected fan-favorite former Bear Tyler Lewington 204th overall out of 211 total players drafted. In the same draft, 174th overall, the Caps selected Brian Pinho, who’d go on to score a series-winning overtime goal in 2019 against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
There’s always a chance the Capitals could package a pick or two in a trade to acquire some immediate assets. Free agency opens only two days after the draft on July 1, meaning all options are still on the table for general manager Brian MacLellan. It’s not typical for such wheeling and dealing to happen, but it’s always a possibility to remember.
It’s worth remembering that development differs for every player. The Capitals have had a fair amount of picks that have not panned out over the years in addition to ones that have. The next generation of Bears and hopeful Calder Cup winners start at the draft as they develop into the next Capitals regulars. This year’s iteration starts on Friday night, televised on ESPN with the first round at 7:00 PM EST. The second round will be shown on NHL Network on Saturday starting at 11:30 AM EST.
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