After selecting winger Terik Parascak with the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on Friday, the Washington Capitals ended Day 2 with more action and more new prospects in the pipeline. They picked a total of seven players in the draft this time around. Here is a bit of a recap of what went down for Washington.
Morning Trade with Buffalo
The Capitals made a trade Saturday morning by sending winger and current restricted free agent Beck Malenstyn to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a second-round pick (43rd overall). With the pick they got from the Sabres, they drafted defender Cole Hutson from the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in the United States Hockey League (USHL). During his time with the USNTDP, he produced the following numbers:
- 2022-23 U.S. National U17 Team (NTDP): eight goals and 34 assists for 42 points in 42 games
- 2022-23 U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP): two goals and 24 assists for 26 points in 19 games
- 2022-23: USNTDP Juniors (USHL): four goals and 21 assists for 25 points in 32 games
- 2023-24 U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP): 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 51 games
- 2023-24 USNTDP Juniors (USHL): three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 19 games
Hutson will be heading to Boston University for 2024-25, a program that has played a role in the success of other NHL blueliners like Charlie McAvoy, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Dante Fabbro. His brother Lane, who is a defender in the Montreal Canadiens system, also is an alum of B.U. Hutson will continue to develop his craft and time will tell how long he plays there before coming to the Capitals or going to the American Hockey League (AHL).
As for Malenstyn, he heads to Buffalo having appeared in 105 games for Washington. He produced eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points during that time.
Getting a Goalie from Vegas
Another transaction Washington made was acquiring goalie Logan Thompson from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2025 third-round pick. He played for the Golden Knights for parts of the last four seasons. He debuted in one game for them back in the 2020-21 campaign. Thompson then played significantly more in 2021-22 when he played in 19 games and posted a record of 10-5-3 with a save percentage (SV%) of .914, a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.68 and one shutout. Overall, during his time in Vegas, he finished his career there with an overall record of 56-32-11 with a SV% of .912, a GAA of 2.67 and four shutouts. The Capitals now have another netminder to pair with presumed starter Charlie Lindgren. There was a roster hole there following Washington dealing Darcy Kuemper to the Los Angeles Kings for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
A funny aspect of the timing of this trade though was that Thompson was at the draft and had an autograph signing he had to do. Despite being dealt, Thompson still did the signing. It is just one example of many interesting ways that a player has found out that they are going to another club.
Brotherly Love
The Capitals, with the 75th overall pick that they received from the New Jersey Devils in a trade, was used to choose forward Ilya Protas, the brother of current Capital, Aliaksei. There are now two Protas within the organization. Ilya played last season for the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL. Before suiting up for Des Moines, though, he spent the 2022-23 hockey season split between Team Belarus’ U17 and U18 squads. In the regular season for both rosters, he tallied the following:
- Team Belarus U17: 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points in 29 games
- Team Belarus U18: five goals and four assists for nine points in 10 games
In addition, Protas also suited up in postseason games for both teams. He only played in two for the U17 squad and netted one goal. Meanwhile, as a member of the U18 group, he accumulated six points in 11 games (four goals and two assists).
Related: Ilya Protas – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
It might not be too long before both Protas brothers are together in the same lineup for the Capitals. It would be a great story for the Protas family as well as the organization and fans.
Other Draft Selections
With the 52nd overall pick, Brian MacLellan and his staff selected defenseman Leon Muggli who played the 2023-24 campaign with EV Zug of the Switzerland National League. He had 12 points in 42 regular-season contests (three goals and nine assists), while having one goal and one assist in 11 postseason games.
The Capitals also used their 90th overall choice on forward Eriks Mateiko. Mateiko played last season in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for the Saint John Sea Dogs. He finished his second campaign for the Sea Dogs. During his two seasons there, these are the stats he chalked up:
- 2022-23: 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 62 games
- 2023-24: 23 goals and 20 assists for 43 points in 49 games
Mateiko also has suited up for five playoff games during 2022-23. In that span of time, he tallied a goal.
Thompson was not the only goalie to go to Washington in the day, as the Capitals also drafted Nicholas Kempf in the fourth round. Kempf played 2023-24 in the USNTDP between their U18 team and the junior squad in the USHL. For the U18 program, he finished with a 23-7-0 record with a .897 SV%, a 2.99 GAA, and three shutouts. For the junior USHL team, Kempf finished with a record of 10-4-1. His SV% was .870 and his GAA was 3.88.
The Capitals took Petr Sikora with the 178th pick. Writer Jim Bay talked in Sikora’s draft profile about the forward who played last season with HC Ocelari Trinec in Czechia. He stated, “Petr Sikora is one of the top talents to come out of Czechia for the 2024 NHL Draft…Sikora is a two-way forward with some tenacity off the puck. There’s not a lot of flashy skill, but he has a clear commitment and work ethic to provide additional value.”
Lastly, the Capitals used the 212th overall selection on Miroslav Satan Jr., son of Miroslav Satan who played in 1,050 NHL games between the Edmonton Oilers, Sabres, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Boston Bruins. Bay talked about the strengths in Satan Jr.’s game in his draft profile. He stated, “The first thing that will stand out to anyone who sees Miroslav Satan Jr. is his size, as he stands at 6-foot-7, 190 pounds, which is four inches taller than his father. He’s good on the forecheck. He has a long reach, which he uses to swipe pucks away from his opponents.”
Free Agency Awaits
Now that the 2024 NHL Entry Draft is over for the Capitals, the next piece of business for MacLellan and his group is free agency, which opens on Monday, July 1. It will be intriguing to see what Washington and the other 31 NHL clubs are able to do this upcoming week.
