WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Washington Capitals landed in the lower third of the first-round draft order thanks to their stunning playoff run, but the front office is still under pressure to keep stocking the organization with solid and affordable two-way players who can provide a supporting cast for all-everything Alex Ovechkin, rookie-of-the-year finalist Nicklas Backstrom, and the organization’s other high-profile imports.
With nine draft selections, including three in the second round, General Manager George McPhee and Director of Amateur Scouting Ross Mahoney will be busy.
If family ties mean anything, Washington will take a very close look at center Anton Gustafsson, the son of ex-Cap Bengt Gustafsson, and a somewhat underexposed talent who played last season in Sweden’s junior league for the Frolunda organization. The physical puckhandler could develop into a reliable two-way center the Caps will need two or three years hence, but Washington might be able to wait and sweep him up in the second round, because of a back injury that kept him out of the World Under-18 tournament, and the focus of many scouts.
Washington struck gold with it’s fifth overall pick last year selecting defenseman Karl Azner, who’s developing into the cornerstone blueliner the franchise can build around. Mike Green provided an unexpected boost by leading all NHL defensemen in goals scored. If the team wants to continue fortifying its back end, it could use its first selection this year on Colten Teubert, a 6 foot 3 inch, 185 pound specimen from Regina (WHL) who’s tough and doesn’t care much about rushing the puck.
Teubert is the kind of player teams deploy against opponents’ first lines to frustrate star forwards. Washington doesn’t have many such defenders; beside Azner, the only leading stay-at-home prospect in the near-term appears to be the University of North Dakota’s Joe Finley.
The team could do worse by taking the safe bet in the first round and giving NHL Coach of the Year Bruce Boudreau one less reason to worry about positional play in its own zone.
So don’t be surprised if the Caps announce in Ottawa, “With the 23rd selection, Washington picks Colten Teubert of the Regina Pats.”
Contact the author at Adriel.Bettelheim@prohockeynews.com
Photos courtesy of the NHL
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