F Andrew Cristall - Kelowna Rockets, WHL (2023, 40th, WSH)

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Has looked outstanding so far. Leonard at 8 and Cristall at 40 has the makings of a really good draft class for Washington.

 

[Cush]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838753636173648141

 

[Intangir]

Has looked outstanding so far. Leonard at 8 and Cristall at 40 has the makings of a really good draft class for Washington.

Yep.

I watched his game today for the Caps, and he was very good.

I'd like Cristall to be a smidge faster/more explosive, win more battles along the boards, he lost his man a couple times defending the cycle, and he did get outmuscled/fell a little easily from contact a couple times out there. But I still really liked what I saw.

Cristall's anticipation of the play was good, his passes crisp, his defensive game better than advertised, he found holes in defensive coverages to get open, kept control of the puck even when receiving tough-to-corrall passes (which is in my opinion an underrated skill to have), and his shot and release look better than they did last year in junior. He was just plain good and dangerous out there.

Him and Leonard look like potential future top-6 guys for Washington.

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Based on his draft ranking by nearly everybody I saw on this site and all of the pundits on independent scouting websites, the only people that didn’t believe in him were NHL teams. It’s crazy. I had him ranked 9th overall and Leonard ranked 7th. There is just no way Washington should’ve been allowed to get them both lol.

 

[Cush]

 

[Misery74]

Based on his play, Cristall has earned at least 9 games in Washington this year.

 

[Liam Smith]

Fun player to watch and seemingly a likable kid. He’s going to be a great player eventually.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

He will end up back in Kelowna eventually and him and Tij Iginla will absolutely torch the WHL together

 

[Kevin Musto]

Based on his draft ranking by nearly everybody I saw on this site and all of the pundits on independent scouting websites, the only people that didn’t believe in him were NHL teams. It’s crazy. I had him ranked 9th overall and Leonard ranked 7th. There is just no way Washington should’ve been allowed to get them both lol.

I had Leonard and Cristall 3rd and 4th

 

[WADEugottaBELAKthat]

I want to see this guy in the WHL just to see how many points he can get.

 

[stephenball]

Carbery seems to be hinting that Cristall is likely to get a 9 game look in the NHL. Seems like a good call based on his camp. The Caps have a solid lineup, but lack true skill. If he can translate fully to NHL level it would be a huge boon for them.

I don’t see him sticking around the whole year, but he’ll definitely be fighting for a full time spot as soon as next year. Could have him and Leonard joining the team in the same season.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Gonna make the roster and get the 9 games at least. Falling under the radar since it's Washington, it's preseason, and his draft slot