The Washington Capitals have completed their selections for the 2020 NHL Draft as they have brought in five new players. These are the players that general manager Brian MacLellan thought were the five best players to select when they were available and hopes they can make an impact in the near future. Here is the analysis on the five players the Capitals selected:
First Round
Hendrix Lapierre-Center
This was an intriguing pick as the Capitals traded their 24th and 80th picks to move up and take Lapierre. In the QMJHL, Lapierre recorded two goals, 17 points, and a +4 rating in 19 games played. He's also very young as he is 18. However, it comes with a lot of risk as he has dealt with injuries, but the Capitals must have felt like everything was fine to draft him. According to scouting reports, Lapierre has excellent puck skills that he can utilize whether it's with his speed or being at a standstill. While a risky pick, there's a lot of upside.
Grade: B+ (potential to be A)
Later Rounds
Bogdan Trineyev-Forward
The 18 year Russian right winger might've been a late round steal at 117th as he provides some intrigue. In 36 games in the MHL last season, he scored 12 goals, tallied 26 points and had a +8 rating. So far in the current MHL campaign, he has four goals, tallied six points, and has a +5 rating in just six games. Those are some pretty good numbers in a small amount of games. While not particularly big, he has a lot of great offensive tools and is even a strong puck mover on the power play (despite not wanting to shoot the puck). It would seem like Trineyev is raw, but has a lot of upside. A work in progress, but a potentially good steal by MacLellan.
Grade: B-
Bear Hughes-Center
It seems like MacLellan has been been focusing on forward depth a lot in this draft as he selected Hughes. Hughes had some good numbers playing in the WHL as he scored 16 goals, tallied 47 points, and a +9 rating in 61 games. Those numbers alone might suggest he could be a productive player in the future. Hughes apparently is very strong, which makes him able to protect the puck well. He is also very deceptive to defenders with the puck. Seems like a good bet that he will be a bottom six forward type.
Grade: C+
Garin Bjorklund-Goalie
This selection is a bit of a head scratcher as Bjorklund was just a backup in the WHL, but the Capitals seem to think he projects as potential starting goalie. However, if he does become a backup option, it would seem like Bjorklund is a good one to have. In 28 games, he was 20-5-1 and had a 2.91 goals against average. However, the big concern is his .897 save percentage, but that might be a bit skewed depending on the chances he had playing on the ice. That being said, Bjorklund was rated as a Top 5 North American goalie according to NHL Central Scouting's final rankings. So this potentially could be a great selection in the future.
Grade: C
Oskar Magnusson-Center/Right Wing
MacLellan ends the draft with yet another forward as it seems like he wanted build depth in the system. Magnusson was the final Capitals selection for 2020, but he is a young player and hard to get a gauge on what he projects to be since he was selected so low. The 18 year old Swedish versatile forward put up excellent numbers while playing in SHL in 2019-20 as in 38 games he scored 22 goals while netting 26 assists for 48 points. In the current campaign he has three goals and six assists for nine points in 12 games. The scouting report says that he is an offensive first winger that has an all round game, plus has the potential to be a top-six forward. Magnusson does have hockey smarts as he recognizes spots in the passing lane and takes advantage of it. He is also good in the power play and is great at penalty killing. What hurts his projection is skating abilities and his size. The Capitals were drafting based on gambling on players whom they thought have higher potential than is believed, so if that does come to fruition, then Magnusson could become an excellent selection.
Grade C/C+ (hard to gauge, but this selection could be a very underrated one and could be grade as high as A in the near future)
Overall: B-/B
The Capitals seemed to gamble a lot, taking a lot of risks in this draft and that could either benefit them or hurt. MacLellan and his team must've liked what they saw in each of these players and thought that they could improve their system and hope for future success. This grade could either go up or down depending on what happens in the future, but the aggressive risk taking stands out as it seems encouraging. Otherwise, this could be a terrible draft in the near future.
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