Prospect Info: 2026 Draft

[DWGie26]

We've got to figure something out as an organization how to get better at it. That or maybe our scouting to identify D needs to improve. Maybe Mahoney has no eye for D. Probably the best thing that ever happened with Hutson is that he went the college route and we had minimal ability to tinker and develop him. Maybe that's the ticket, NCAA defenders. I think Chesley becomes an NHLer bottom pairing guy. Hell even Gucciardi looks like he could end up on a bottom pairing maybe #7 role one day. There's been some NCAA guys who washed out too but with the exception of Brent Johnson they were all shots in the dark 5-7th rounders if my memory adds up right.

No doubt the track record sucks. But is it how they develop them in Hershey or that they just cook them too long and give them no opportunity in Washington. Siegenthaler, LuJo, Alexyev, Iorio are all defensemen that always seemed blocked. I feel like this is the even bigger problem. I have been in camp that Chesley not ready yet, but maybe you put him in top 6 to start season if he looks mostly ready.

 

[Langway]

Guestimating their secondary group of 5-6 after the top group: Command, Morozov, Suvanto, Lin, Dagenais and Novotny. Klepov should be on that list from a value/upside standpoint as well but I wonder if they'd go there. Hermansson seems less likely now that they've secured another right shot skilled guy. I'm not sure Lin is necessarily on that list either given Mahoney's bigger body comments but he does have some bite. He has the athleticism and polish at a premium position to belong. Beyond that bunch trading down would seem more relevant if they've got other ideas.

 

[qcal1427]

No doubt the track record sucks. But is it how they develop them in Hershey or that they just cook them too long and give them no opportunity in Washington. Siegenthaler, LuJo, Alexyev, Iorio are all defensemen that always seemed blocked. I feel like this is the even bigger problem. I have been in camp that Chesley not ready yet, but maybe you put him in top 6 to start season if he looks mostly ready.

I mean they put Fehervary and Hutson into big roles straight away. Did they succeed because they were trusted right off the bat or were they trusted right away because they were always going to succeed? I tend to lean towards the later, which would suggest a drafting problem …

 

[Holtbyisms]

Guestimating their secondary group of 5-6 after the top group: Command, Morozov, Suvanto, Lin, Dagenais and Novotny. Klepov should be on that list from a value/upside standpoint as well but I wonder if they'd go there. Hermansson seems less likely now that they've secured another right shot skilled guy. I'm not sure Lin is necessarily on that list either given Mahoney's bigger body comments but he does have some bite. He has the athleticism and polish at a premium position to belong. Beyond that bunch trading down would seem more relevant if they've got other ideas.

I think now that they're down to a single pick and traded their highest C prospect not named Protas away it would shock me if they don't go big body C. It's going to be Suvanto, Dagenais, Morozov or Rogowski. I think they'll lean towards the later two. I can see them falling in love with both. Morozov because what he did as a very young man in the he NCAA was impressive although his offensive ceiling really is an unknown and Rogowski cause he's huge, skates exceptionally well for his size and already has a dev path planned out for the NCAA. Rogowski is a little too early for my tastes but it wouldn't surprise me if they loved him as a lock for future bottom 6 C to replace what we lost in Gastrin.

 

[DWGie26]

I mean they put Fehervary and Hutson into big roles straight away. Did they succeed because they were trusted right off the bat or were they trusted right away because they were always going to succeed? I tend to lean towards the later, which would suggest a drafting problem …

Both can be true. They certainly have missed on a lot of defensemen. I was more saying i don’t think it is how they are developed in Hershey as being the main culprit. I think we overcook for most part. Fever certainly got an opportunity and ran with it. Hutson is pedigree, but yeah, always was going to succeed.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Even Fever was overcooked. The team admitted publicly he was ready earlier than when he was promoted.

 

[Langway]

2026 NHL Mock Draft: McKenna to Leafs leads draft week top 32 – but then what?

The Sharks will likely go for a defender, but things start to get interesting at No. 3.

www.dailyfaceoff.com

YOLO for Soko.

 

[Kalopsia]

We've got to figure something out as an organization how to get better at it. That or maybe our scouting to identify D needs to improve. Maybe Mahoney has no eye for D. Probably the best thing that ever happened with Hutson is that he went the college route and we had minimal ability to tinker and develop him. Maybe that's the ticket, NCAA defenders. I think Chesley becomes an NHLer bottom pairing guy. Hell even Gucciardi looks like he could end up on a bottom pairing maybe #7 role one day. There's been some NCAA guys who washed out too but with the exception of Brent Johnson they were all shots in the dark 5-7th rounders if my memory adds up right.

Specifically, whoever they've got scouting D in the WHL needs to be canned if they haven't been already. Literally every WHL D taken with a 1st or 2nd round pick from 2008 through 2021 was a miss (Bowey, Johansen, Alexeyev, Iorio, Mestery), and every D taken in the 1st or 2nd round out of any other league or country was a hit (Fehervary, Siegenthaler, Orlov, Carlson). I honestly didn't think it would be that stark when I started looking at this.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Specifically, whoever they've got scouting D in the WHL needs to be canned if they haven't been already. Literally every WHL D taken with a 1st or 2nd round pick from 2008 through 2021 was a miss (Bowey, Johansen, Alexeyev, Iorio, Mestery), and every D taken in the 1st or 2nd round out of any other league or country was a hit (Fehervary, Siegenthaler, Orlov, Carlson). I honestly didn't think it would be that stark when I started looking at this.

Pretty sure Ross does most of the WHL scouting himself lol I feel like it's been alluded to that's why he hasn't left the Caps cause he can mostly stay in his home area and do his job.

 

[kicksavedave]

Both can be true. They certainly have missed on a lot of defensemen. I was more saying i don’t think it is how they are developed in Hershey as being the main culprit. I think we overcook for most part. Fever certainly got an opportunity and ran with it. Hutson is pedigree, but yeah, always was going to succeed.

Reminder: Everybody misses on a lot of defenseman. I don't think we're necessarily worse than the rest of the league. Iorio and AA, we gave up on them and they're basically out of the league. Johansen, we gave him opportunities to establish himself and he just didn't. He's still in the AHL with other teams. He is what he is. The guys we give up on, generally, everyone else gives up on also. They were never going to make it anywhere. It happens. NHL draft is a crapshoot.

 

[qcal1427]

Reminder: Everybody misses on a lot of defenseman. I don't think we're necessarily worse than the rest of the league. Iorio and AA, we gave up on them and they're basically out of the league. Johansen, we gave him opportunities to establish himself and he just didn't. He's still in the AHL with other teams. He is what he is. The guys we give up on, generally, everyone else gives up on also. They were never going to make it anywhere. It happens. NHL draft is a crapshoot.

I wouldn’t necessarily class AA and Bowey as “misses” either. Were they hits? Definitely not. They had a couple seasons of providing some amount of NHL value though, which is right around the average outcome for picks in that range

 

[stephenball]

It’ll be interesting to see who they target at 18, with Kyrou and Tuch long term now it feels less likely they go for a boom/bust talented winger (could still happen). I think some guys who I feel like would have been on their trade boards absolutely won’t be there (like Command).

Honestly at this moment if I had to put money on someone that the Caps will draft, I think I’d put it on Ilya Morozov. Obviously they just moved a center prospect, and I think Morozov could be a tantalizing option for them. Big guy, great motor and responsibility, and a knock against him is maybe his skating could use work which feels like a Caps thing haha.

 

[qcal1427]

It’ll be interesting to see who they target at 18, with Kyrou and Tuch long term now it feels less likely they go for a boom/bust talented winger (could still happen). I think some guys who I feel like would have been on their trade boards absolutely won’t be there (like Command).

Honestly at this moment if I had to put money on someone that the Caps will draft, I think I’d put it on Ilya Morozov. Obviously they just moved a center prospect, and I think Morozov could be a tantalizing option for them. Big guy, great motor and responsibility, and a knock against him is maybe his skating could use work which feels like a Caps thing haha.

Bleyl, Lin, or Villeneuve for me

 

[stephenball]

Bleyl, Lin, or Villeneuve for me

Yeah it’ll be interesting to see if they go C or D, I think some of it will be based on other plans they have that we can’t know yet, because as we’ve had reinforced these past few days, nobody knows what the hell is going on with the Caps plans until they make them.

 

[Langway]

Given Mahoney's comments about size I'd shift down Bleyl & Villeneuve for sure. And after the Kyrou/Tuch adds I'd also shift down Hermansson/LRuck/Hurlbert. (I wouldn't disregard Bleyl entirely given his handedness but he's got a further out ETA compared to Lin mostly likely.)

That list of six I gave (Command, Suvanto, Morozov, Lin, Dagenais and Novotny) plus Klepov should be the main short list I think. Sokolovskii perhaps could be among that group for them. It's a bit early for me in the top 20. 22-23 seems like the earliest where I'd get it. I don't know if they'd trade down, though. If he's Your Guy that's not all that huge a jump up I guess. But I'd also think Morozov has less projection questions as far as needing drastic improvements. And all of those main forwards aside from Klepov could be fairly plug-and-play bottom sixers initially.

I'd hope they'd consider Lin given that RD is an area of need that they may struggle to address this summer. One or two years and it's not that much of a stretch to think he'd be ready as an athletic, up-tempo 4/5.

 

[Holtbyisms]

It’ll be interesting to see who they target at 18, with Kyrou and Tuch long term now it feels less likely they go for a boom/bust talented winger (could still happen). I think some guys who I feel like would have been on their trade boards absolutely won’t be there (like Command).

Honestly at this moment if I had to put money on someone that the Caps will draft, I think I’d put it on Ilya Morozov. Obviously they just moved a center prospect, and I think Morozov could be a tantalizing option for them. Big guy, great motor and responsibility, and a knock against him is maybe his skating could use work which feels like a Caps thing haha.

Yeah I said it after they traded 16. I expect Morozov or Rogowski. Rogowski is a bit off the board at 18 but I could see Mahoney falling in love with his size and skating.

 

[Cush]

Eh, I expect them to go off the board

 

[Cappy76]

I expect them to trade down unless someone is falling. They’ll move back and pick up and 2/3 rounder