Bored and did one of these for the 2020 draft so figured might as well get me some more UFA points.

14th – Cole Sillinger

Already did a whole article on him so won’t go into to much depth with him. His scoring pace has slowed down but for an 18 year old who was seen as a season or 2 from being in the show originally, 6 goals and 7 assists in 35 games isn’t bad. He has also seemingly worked on his defensive game as he has seen time on the pk unit as well. Could be a nice all-around top 6 forward for the Caps in a few years.

24th – Logan Stankoven

The Caps in an article before the 2020-2021 season started said that the goal of the 2021 draft was to add goal scoring. These next 2 picks show that they stayed with that plan. Stankoven has shown so far he was worth the 1st round choice with 15 goals and 20 assists in 23 games so far. Along with that he had a goal in the only WJC game he played this year. While he’s listed as a C, the Caps project he might be better off as a winger come time for the pros. Overall though the Caps are very pleased by the progress he’s shown this year and having a high PPG over an extended period of games.

27th – Yegor Chinakhov

Chinakhov could’ve been seen to many teams as a risk to draft this high as he was already 2 more seasons ahead in development than some other specs still on the board. But Chinakhov has shown the Caps he was worth it for sure. In 26 NHL games he has 4 goals and 3 assists. While those stats aren’t eye popping, he has shown that his game is getting more well rounded. Chinakhov still has that nasty shot and hands that gives him 30 goal upside, will be interesting to see if he can gain traction for the rest of the season in the NHL.

43rd – Daniil Chayka

Chayka has impressed with his return to the OHL this year. With 7 goals and 15 assists in 27 games, he is showcasing that offensive upside he didn’t get to showcase in the KHL last year. It’s great to see that Chayka still has good two-way upside. Either way the Caps think they have a for sure NHL d-man, it’s just a matter of whether he’s a two-way one, or a defensive one.

53rd – Logan Mailloux

One can argue that Mailloux might be the most talented blueline prospect that the Caps have. He has 2 goals, 2 assists, and 13 shots in 2 OHL games and has looked dominant. But it’s all the off ice stuff that has his future in question. The talent is there, but will the maturity improve enough. There is a long way to go for this prospect.

56th – Aryton Martino

Martino is a boom or bust kind of player in the Caps eyes, he’s either a top 6 forward, or he doesn’t make it, either way he has had a solid, but not spectacular, start to his NCAA career. 2 goals and 9 assists in 20 games isn’t mind blowing, but it does show that he has potential. He is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, but still the Caps hope he can work on his finishing abilities. Overall the Caps like what he’s done thus far, but know there is much room for improvement.

67th – Oliver Kapanen

Kapanen has had a meh D+1 year. 13 games in the Liiga he put up 2 points, 6 games in the 20 he put up 7 points, and 2 WJC games he had 0 points. It’s been nothing special, but the Caps expect him to likely be a two-way 3rd liner. Maybe he can be a decent 2nd liner, but 3rd line is what the Caps expect. So while the points aren’t there, the all around game is and that’s what the Caps want from him.

78th – Kirill Gerasimyuk

Gerasimyuk had a rough start to the season with SKA-Varyagi im. Morozova in the MHL, he had a 1-3-0 record with a 3.97 GAA and a .882 save %. They weren’t the strongest of teams last year and this year that seems to be the case still. But since playing for SKA-1946 St. Petersburg of the MHL he has put up an 11-0-0 record with a 1.63 GAA and a .937 save %, so more similar to last years numbers. Goalies are voo-doo and you can never truly predict how they will develop but the upside seems to be there with Gerasimyuk.

80th – Dmitri Kuzmin

Kuzmin is seen as a d-man with high offensive upside and he has been showcasing that in the OHL so far this year, with 1 goal and 11 assists in 19 games so far. Along with this he helped Belarus win the D1A WJC with 5 points in 5 games there. The talent is certainly there for this young man, now it’s just about development. I imagine he’ll need 4-5 years at least before becoming a pro, but it could be well worth the wait.

85th – Alexei Kolosov

Kolosov has been pretty decent for his first full season of KHL starts. He’s posted an 11-9-1 record with a 2.90 GAA and a .906 save %. He was also on team Belarus with Kuzmin and won the top goalie and top player for his team award with great numbers. A 5-0-0 record with a 1.60 GAA and a .932 save %. Once again goalies are voo-doo and Kolosov was an overager when drafted, but he is showing signs of promise.

101st – Janis Moser

Already did an article on Moser but just wanna reiterate that he has been pretty good on a very dog doo-doo Yotes team. Playing on the powerplay and getting top 4 minutes. Didn’t expect him to make his debut this year, but he has certainly been great and has maxed the value of this pick out early on.

110th – Vladislav Lukashevich

Not much to say. He’s been injured most of the year. Has only played in 9 MHL games with no points. Talented but fragile thus far.

112th – Elmer Soderblom

Soderblom was passed up twice in the CDNHL draft. Caps took him because he’s a giant. So far this year he has seen much improvement in the SHL with 10 goals and 5 assists in 30 games. This improvement is great to see, he won’t be a high scorer if he ever makes the show, but he could be a solid bottom sixer with size. Overall the Caps are pretty happy with this selection.

119th – Damir Zhafyarov

Didn’t come to North America this year and signed a 1 year deal in the KHL. Been good this year with 45 points in 47 games. Not really a prospect since he’s 27 turning 28 this year. Hope he comes over for next season.

126th – Josh Bloom

Admittedly I knew minimal about him since he didn’t play last year because of the OHL not starting up. I was hoping the NHL scouts knew what they were doing, and it appears they might’ve. With 15 goals and 14 assists in 29 games he’s been good value for a 5th rounder. Hoping he can keep up the good work.

137th – Simon Ryfors

24 years old and first season in North America. With 4 goals and 6 assists in 26 games in the AHL. Been alright but likely not much more than a 4th liner at best. Sucks but it’s a 5th round pick so not a huge waste of a pick for a player who played well in the SHL.

138th – Jesper Froden

Turned 27 in September, having a decent season with 7 goals and 12 assists in 26 AHL games. Has even got called up to the NHL a played a game. Likely at best a 4th liner once again unless some big development happens for some reason, late bloomer maybe?

149th – Declan Chisholm

Surprised he wasn’t drafted here for so log, but happy to snag him. 6 goals and 8 assists in 27 games is a slightly better points pace than last year and has played a game in the NHL as well. Only 22 so could be a future 2nd pairing d-man.

150th – Ryan Mast

Another player I didn’t know much about. Just knew he was seen as a big defensive d-man who could skate. That was warranted a 5th round pick for me, since sim likes big players. He didn’t play last year like Bloom, but decided a couple risks on OHLers who didn’t play was worth the risk. Mast right now has 6 goals and 9 assists in 28 games, showing that there might be more two-way upside there than originally thought.

151st – Denis Alexeyev

Same deal as Zhafyarov, was hoping he’d come over but signed a deal in the KHL for the year. He’s 24 and known to be good defensively and good at faceoffs. 11 goals and 15 assists in 45 KHL games is decent. Probably an NHL bottom 6 guy if he comes over.

155th – William Trudeau

Been producing at a slightly higher pace in the Q this year with 6 goals and 19 assists in 31 games. Good potential, think he’s a solid prospect to use the last pick of the draft on. Time will tell if he can continue to improve.