Capitals Share Update On Prospect Development, Parascak's Path After Drop In Production This Season

Looking back at their decisions from last year’s NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals stand by the fact that they made the right decisions.

ARLINGTON, V.A. — Looking back at their decisions from last year’s NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals stand by the fact that they made the right decisions.

Washington took prospects Terik Parascak, Cole Hutson, Leon Muggli, Ilya Protas, Eriks Mateiko, Nicholas Kempf, Petr Sikora and Miroslav Satan Jr. in the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, and after a year of development, reflected on their performances.

“We felt really good when we left the draft, and then the way a lot of them played was really, really satisfying for us,” assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said.

Mahoney highlighted Protas, Mateiko and Hutson in particular, praising their performances and career years.

Protas was among the OHL’s best performers in his rookie CHL season, as he had 50 goals and 74 assists for 124 points in 61 regular-season games before putting up 25 points in 12 playoff games for the Windsor Spitfires.

Meanwhile, Mateiko had 41 points in 47 regular-season games between the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs and Rimouski Oceanic before adding 11 points in 18 playoff games, and he also had five goals in five games for Latvia at the World Junior Championships.

Hutson, who was taken with the 43rd overall pick that the Capitals acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Beck Malenstyn, had 14 goals and 34 assists for 48 points in 39 games with Boston University. He’s going back to school for his sophomore season and is expected to continue to make significant strides.

Mahoney also spoke on first-round pick Terik Parascak, who the team took earlier than expected at 17th overall. The 19-year-old played in 59 regular-season games with the Prince George Cougars, putting up 28 goals and 54 assists for 82 points while adding 10 points in seven playoff games. He also got one game in the AHL with the Hershey Bears.

It was a step back from the 105-point rookie season he put up in his draft year, but the Capitals aren’t concerned and said a lot of it stemmed from fatigue.

“The year was good. The team wasn’t as good as it was the year before, where they had a contending team. He probably played too much, him and a few other forwards on that team,” Mahoney said. “I think the coach really shortened the bench in a lot of games and there’s probably a little bit of a fatigue factor for him later in the year.”

That said, the team is thrilled with how its selections are turning out and is excited to see what development camp and the upcoming season bring.

“We thought we had a good draft and so far I think we’re correct in our evaluations and how they did.”