Washington Capitals drafts 2004 through 2011
Beginning with the 2004 draft, the Washington Capitals' focus shifted to building the team around home-grown prospects -- starting with star left wing Alex Ovechkin. Using games played and impact at the NHL level, the 55 players Washington chose between 2004 and 2009 have been rated on a scale of 0 to 5. (Players chosen in 2010 and 2011 were not evaluated because it is far too soon to tell how they might pan out. NCAA and CIS players do not have a rating.)
An NHL mainstay and key player.
A player with a consistent place in an NHL lineup.
Players who have appeared in at least 20 NHL games but are still on the bubble, or young players who appear to be on a promising trajectory.
A player who has yet to make his NHL debut but has a consistent spot in an AHL lineup.
Players who have yet to find a consistent place in an AHL lineup.
No stars: Players who never came to North America, who have turned pro and did not play at least at the ECHL level in 2011-12 or is no longer on an NHL path.
| Yr. | Rd. (Overall) | Name | NHL games | Current/last team | Rtg. | 2004 | 1 (1) | Alex Ovechkin, F | 553 | Caps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 1 (27) | Jeff Schultz, D | 373 | Caps | |
| 2004 | 1 (29) | Mike Green, D | 398 | Caps | |
| 2004 | 2 (33) | Chris Bourque, F | 33 | Boston Bruins org. | |
| 2004 | 2 (62) | Mikhail Yunkov, F | 0 | Moscow Spartak (KHL) | 0 |
| 2004 | 3 (66) | Sami Lepisto, D | 176 | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl(KHL) | |
| 2004 | 3 (88) | Clayton Barthel, D | 0 | Arizona (CHL) in 10-11 | 0 |
| 2004 | 5 (132) | Oscar Hedman, D | 0 | Timra (Swedish Elite League) | 0 |
| 2004 | 5 (138) | Pasi Salonen, F | 0 | SM Liiga Assat (Finland) in 10-11 | 0 |
| 2004 | 6 (166) | Peter Guggisberg, F | 0 | Davos (Swiss) | 0 |
| 2004 | 7 (197) | Andrew Gordon, F | 49 | Chicago Wolves (AHL) Vancouver org. | |
| 2004 | 8 (230) | Justin Mrazek, G | 0 | Union College NCAA in 07-08 | 0 |
| 2004 | 9 (263) | Travis Morin, F | 4 | Texas Stars (AHL) Dallas org. | |
| 2005 | 1 (14) | Sasha Pokulok, D | 0 | Medvescak Zagreb (Austria) | 0 |
| 2005 | 1 (27) | Joe Finley, D | 5 | Rochester Americans (AHL) Buffalo org. | |
| 2005 | 4 (109) | Andrew Thomas, D | 0 | Binghamton Sens (AHL) Ottawa org. | |
| 2005 | 4 (118) | Patrick McNeill, D | 0 | Hershey (AHL) | |
| 2005 | 5 (143) | Daren Machesney, G | 0 | Hershey (AHL) and South Carolina (ECHL) | |
| 2005 | 6 (181) | Tim Kennedy, F | 112 | San Jose org | |
| 2005 | 7 (209) | Viktor Dovgan, D | 0 | HK Sarov (VHL, Russian B league) | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 (4) | Nicklas Backstrom, F | 365 | Caps | |
| 2006 | 1 (23) | Semyon Varlamov, G | 112 | Colorado Avalanche | |
| 2006 | 2 (34) | Michal Neuvirth, G | 108 | Caps | |
| 2006 | 2 (35) | Francois Bouchard, F | 0 | Conn. Whale (AHL)NYR org. | |
| 2006 | 2 (52) | Keith Seabrook, D | 0 | San Antonio Rampage (AHL) Florida org. | |
| 2006 | 4 (97) | Oskar Osala, F | 3 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (KHL) | 0 |
| 2006 | 4 (122) | Luke Lynes, F | 0 | Univ. New Brunswick (CIS) | -- |
| 2006 | 5 (127) | Maxime Lacroix, F | 0 | Hershey (AHL) and South Carolina (ECHL) | |
| 2006 | 6 (157) | Brent Gwidt, F | 0 | Univ. Nebraska (NCAA) | -- |
| 2006 | 6 (177) | Mathieu Perreault, F | 120 | Caps | |
| 2007 | 1 (5) | Karl Alzner, D | 215 | Caps | |
| 2007 | 2 (34) | Josh Godfrey, D | 0 | Binghamton Sens (AHL) Ottawa org. | |
| 2007 | 2 (46) | Theo Ruth, D | 0 | Springfield Falcons (AHL) Columbus org. | |
| 2007 | 3 (84) | Phil DeSimone, F | 0 | Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) Montreal org | |
| 2007 | 4 (108) | Brett Bruneteau, F | 0 | Univ. of Vermont (NCAA) | -- |
| 2007 | 5 (125) | Brett Leffler, F | 0 | Univ. of Regina (CIS) | -- |
| 2007 | 6 (154) | Dan Dunn, G | 0 | Dayton Gems (Central HL) | 0 |
| 2007 | 6 (180) | Justin Taylor, F | 0 | Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) | |
| 2007 | 7 (185) | Nick Larson, F | 0 | Univ. of Minn. (NCAA) | -- |
| 2007 | 7 (199) | Andrew Glass, F | 0 | Carleton Univ. (CIS) | -- |
| 2008 | 1 (21) | Anton Gustafsson, F | 0 | Langnaw (Swiss) | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 (27) | John Carlson, D | 186 | Caps | |
| 2008 | 2 (57) | Eric Mestery, D | 0 | Out of hockey | 0 |
| 2008 | 2 (58) | Dmitry Kugryshev, F | 0 | CSKA Moskva (KHL) | 0 |
| 2008 | 4 (93) | Braden Holtby, G | 21 | Caps and Hershey (AHL) | |
| 2008 | 5 (144) | Joel Broda, F | 0 | Houston Aeros (AHL) Wild org. | |
| 2008 | 6 (174) | Greg Burke, F | 0 | Univ. New Hampshire (NCAA) | -- |
| 2008 | 7 (204) | Stefan Della Rovere, F | 7 | Peoria Rivermen (AHL)St. Louis org. | |
| 2009 | 1 (24) | Marcus Johansson, F | 149 | Caps | |
| 2009 | 2 (55) | Dmitry Orlov, D** | 60 | Caps | |
| 2009 | 3 (85) | Cody Eakin, F** | 30 | Caps and Hershey (AHL) | |
| 2009 | 4 (115) | Patrick Wey, D | 0 | Boston College (NCAA) | -- |
| 2009 | 5 (145) | Brett Flemming, D** | 0 | Hershey (AHL) and South Carolina (ECHL) | |
| 2009 | 6 (175) | Garrett Mitchell, F** | 0 | Hershey (AHL) | |
| 2009 | 7 (205) | Benjamin Casavant, F | 0 | Epinal (France) | 0 |
**2011-12 was first year pro
| Year | Rd. (Overall) | Name | Team | Age, projected path | Contract Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 (26) | Evgeny Kuznetsov, F | Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) | 20, signed for in KHL through 13-14 season | unsigned |
| 2010 | 3 (86) | Stanislav Galiev, F# | Saint John (QMJHL) | Turns pro in 12-13 | EL deal thru 14-15 |
| 2010 | 4 (112) | Philipp Grubauer, G** | Hershey/SC | 43 GP in ECHL in 11-12, expected in Hershey for 12-13 | EL deal thru 14-15 |
| 2010 | 5 (142) | Caleb Herbert, F | Univ. Minn. Duluth | 20, in NCAA for near future | unsigned |
| 2010 | 6 (176) | Samuel Carrier, D | Baie Comeau Drakkar (QMJHL) | Caps opted not to sign him, relinquished rights | -- |
| 2011 | 4 (117) | Steffen Soberg, G | Valerenga (Norway) in 12-13 | 18, unclear when he'll arrive in N.A. | unsigned |
| 2011 | 5 (147) | Patrick Koudys, D | RPI (NCAA) | 19, in NCAA for near future | unsigned |
| 2011 | 6 (177) | Travis Boyd, F | Univ. Minn (NCAA) | 18, in NCAA for near future | unsigned |
| 2011 | 7 (207) | Garrett Haar, F | Western Michigan (NCAA) | 18, in NCAA for near future | unsigned |
**2011-12 was first year pro; #turns pro in 12-13
By Katie Carrera - The Washington Post. Published June 21, 2012.
