The Washington Capitals are currently selecting with the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. They have held this exact spot on multiple occasions before throughout their history. The 17th selection in general has produced some well-known names throughout the NHL. In both instances, it is a bit of a mixed bag of results between solid NHL talents and players who did not play much in the league or did not make it at all.
Other NHL Team Top Selections at 17th Overall
Quite a few 17th-overall picks had long and successful careers in the league. One of the most famous examples happened in the 1969 NHL Draft, when the Philadelphia Flyers selected two-time Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Fame member Bobby Clarke. He is one of the best to don the Flyers sweater and played in 1,144 games for the club. In that span of time, he accrued 358 goals and 852 assists for 1,210 points.
Not too far away from Philly in the state of New Jersey was another superb 17th overall pick, this selection in the famous 2003 Draft. The Devils selected Zach Parise, who has played in over 1,200 games. He split his career between New Jersey, the Minnesota Wild, the New York Islanders, and the Colorado Avalanche. He is statistically one of the best to ever suit up for the Devils, being among one of the top point producers for the franchise. He was also a former captain of the team and was a key contributor in getting them to the 2012 Cup Final against the Los Angeles Kings. He is one of the best players in the organization and will always be remembered for his talents.
The Islanders held the 17th overall pick two draft years in a row. They took Duane Sutter in the 1979 Draft before choosing his brother Brent in 1980. Both Sutter brothers won two Cups together in 1982 and 1983 as Islanders. Duane finished his career having played in 731 games and won a total of four Cups, while Brent played in 1,111 games in the NHL and had two Cup championships. Brent later was a head coach for the Calgary Flames and the Devils, while Duane at one point was the head of pro scouting for the Edmonton Oilers.
Related: The Sutter Family Has Deep Roots in Alberta Hockey
Other players who had great careers in the NHL include forwards Murray Craven (picked by the Detroit Red Wings in 1982), Tom Fitzgerald (Islanders in 1986), Andrew Cassels (Montreal Canadiens in 1987), Martin Hanzal (Phoenix Coyotes in 2005), Trevor Lewis (Kings in 2006), Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks in 2012), and Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets in 2015) among others. On the blue line, other solid selections include Jim McKenny (Toronto Maple Leafs in 1963), Kevin McCarthy (Flyers in 1977), Martin Skoula (Avalanche in 1998), Barret Jackman (St. Louis Blues in 1999), Carlo Colaiacovo (Maple Leafs in 2001), Jake Gardiner (Ducks in 2008), Nathan Beaulieu (Canadiens in 2011), Travis Sanheim (Flyers in 2014), and Dante Fabbro (Nashville Predators in 2016) among others. The most recent 17th selection in the 2023 Draft was a blueliner as well, as Detroit chose Axel Sandin Pellikka.
There have also been two goalies chosen with the 17th choice. The first one was Bob Sauve, who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1975 Draft. He played in 420 NHL games and finished his time in the league with a record of 182-154-54. He also suited up for the Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Devils. The most recent goalie chosen with pick 17 happened in 2004 when St. Louis chose Marek Schwarz. He only played in six career games for the Blues before his time in the NHL was over.
The Schwarz pick by the Blues shows that the 17th pick does not always guarantee a player that works out. Other selections at 17 that did not pan out as much as teams had hoped include Joey Hishon (Avalanche in 2010), Alexei Mikhnov (Oilers in 2000), Shayne Stevenson (Boston Bruins in 1989), and Kory Kocur (Red Wings in 1988) among others. Sometimes it just does not work out between players and the team that picks them. That happens in all draft spots over the years and not just at 17.
All these players were drafted by other teams in the NHL, but how have the Capitals done when they have held the 17th pick in prior drafts? Like in the case with the rest of the league, there have been mixed results in Washington.
Capitals’ History with Pick 17
The Capitals have picked at the 17th spot a total of five times. The first time they held that spot was for the 1984 Draft, where they chose defenseman Kevin Hatcher. He is the best player the Caps have selected at 17. He played a total of ten seasons in Washington, where he accumulated the following numbers:
- 1984-85: one goal in two games
- 1985-86: nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 79 games
- 1986-87: eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 78 games
- 1987-88: 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points in 71 games
- 1988-89: 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 62 games
- 1989-90: 13 goals and 41 assists for 54 points in 80 games
- 1990-91: 24 goals and 50 assists for 74 points in 79 games
- 1991-92: 17 goals and 37 assists for 54 points in 79 games
- 1992-93: 34 goals and 45 assists for 79 points in 83 games
- 1993-94: 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 72 games
Hatcher was dealt to the Dallas Stars and also played games for the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Carolina Hurricanes. In total, he tallied 677 points in 1,157 NHL games (227 goals and 450 assists). He is one of many great defenders that the Capitals have been fortunate enough to have on their roster throughout their franchise’s history.
The second time that Washington had the 17th pick was in 1993. They chose forward Jason Allison. This was also a solid choice by then-Capitals GM David Poile, not so much for what he would do for Washington specifically, but what he became through trade. Allison played in parts of four campaigns with the Capitals before he was included in a deal to Boston. The full trade was Allison along with Jim Carey, Anson Carter, a third-round pick in 1997, and a 1998 second-round pick that was conditional for Adam Oates, Bill Ranford, and Rick Tocchet. Oates was a key part of the deal that Poile was able to get back. He played with Washington for parts of six seasons before going to play with Philadelphia, the Anaheim Ducks, and Edmonton before retiring.
Allison, meanwhile, played for the Bruins from the 1996-97 season until 2000-01. Prior to 2001-02, he joined the Kings. His last NHL season was in 2005-06 with Toronto before hanging up the skates. Allison, overall, played in 552 games, where he produced 154 goals and 331 assists for 485 points.
Like in the case of the Islanders with the Sutter brothers, Washington also picked 17th overall in back-to-back seasons. They took forward Brad Church in 1995. He only played two NHL games in his career during the 1997-98 campaign, going pointless. He mainly spent time in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL. After picking Church in 1995, they used the 17th overall selection in 1996 to grab forward Jaroslav Svejkovsky. He played more NHL games than Church. In 113 games, he notched 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points. Most of his NHL games were with Washington, but he also suited up for 29 games in 1999-00 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Most recently, the Capitals had the 17th pick in the 2002 Draft. They chose forward Boyd Gordon. He played a good amount of time in Washington. His rookie season in D.C. was 2003-04 where he played in 41 games and had six points (one goal and five assists). In total, he was a Capital from 2003-04 to 2010-11. He was not known for his scoring touch, but he was a nice depth forward who helped the team. He would get his points here and there. Here are Gordon’s stats with Washington:
- 2003-04: one goal and five assists for six points in 41 games
- 2005-06: one assist in 25 games
- 2006-07: seven goals and 22 assists for 29 points
- 2007-08: seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in 67 games
- 2008-09: five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 63 games
- 2009-10: four goals and six assists for 10 points in 36 games
- 2010-11: three goals and six assists for nine points in 60 games
Gordon also played for the Coyotes, Oilers, and Flyers before retiring. In 706 total career games, he posted 56 goals and 105 assists for 161 points.
The Future Awaits
The Capitals now decide who their next 17th overall pick will be. Many names will be available for the taking when GM Brian MacLellan and his staff take the podium later this month. It is not even known what position they will target specifically. They could go defense like Adam Jiricek or forward with someone like Cole Eiserman. It will depend on how the draft board falls and if they even decide to keep the pick. Capitals fans will have their answer come June 28.
