The last time the Washington Capitals had a first-round draft pick, they selected a WHL defenseman. They did not go off script on Friday.
With the last pick of the first round, selecting for the first time as defending Stanley Cup champions, the Capitals selected Alexander Alexeyev, a left-shooting, two-way defenseman from St. Petersburg.
The New Guy! #ALLCAPS #CapsDraft pic.twitter.com/213SDE8Bqu
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 23, 2018
Alexeyev, 18, certainly boasts NHL size at 6' 4", 196 pounds. He currently plays for Red Deer in the WHL, a junior league that has become a major pipeline for the Capitals. In his second season with Red Deer, he tallied 37 points in 45 games.
The NHL Central Scouting's rankings list Alexeyev as the 22nd best North American skater of the draft. TSN projects him to be a top-four, two-way defenseman.
Analyst Craig Button described Alexeyev as a "Smart, effective defenceman who moves the puck, plays with a calm and doesn't make things complicated for himself."
ALL SMILES! #ALLCAPS #CapsDraft pic.twitter.com/TFbZ72vLBo
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 23, 2018
“I just talked to Ovi and it was awesome.” — Alexander Alexeyev on his FaceTime conversation with @ovi8 after being drafted 31st overall by the #ALLCAPS on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/EdxGPiFkcu
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) June 23, 2018
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