The fifth overall pick in an NHL Entry Draft has the potential to have a star available to whatever team selects at that spot. Sometimes the player picked ends up being one of the best talents in the entire draft. In fact, writer Ryan Szporer discussed in his piece “Canadiens’ Fifth-Overall Pick Has Been Better Than First Before,” about times that fifth overall picks were better than the ones chosen with the first pick. In the case with the Washington Capitals, they have chosen fifth overall in the draft on three occasions. Like with the times they held first and fourth overall, it is a bit of a mixed bag of results. No player was a bust in the fifth slot. All three players chosen by the Capitals played some time for the organization. How much impact they had while in D.C. is what varies between each player.
Darren Veitch
The first time Washington held the fifth choice was for the 1980 Draft. Doug Wickenheiser went first overall to the Montreal Canadiens, followed by Dave Babych (Winnipeg Jets), Denis Savard (Chicago Blackhawks), and Larry Murphy (Los Angeles Kings). Then-Capitals general manager Max McNab went ahead and took defender Darren Veitch, who had grown his game playing for the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He had put up some nice stats while in Regina. His best campaign for the Pats came in 1979-80 when he exploded in point totals with 122 (his previous best before this was 47 points in 1978-79). Those 122 points were made up of 29 goals and 93 assists. Veitch joined a Capitals defense that for 1980-81 had Rick Green, Alan Hangsleben, Pat Ribble, Howard Walker, Pierre Bouchard, and Rick Smith among others. It was also the last season for longtime blueliner Yvon Labre, who only suited up for 25 games and accumulated six points (two goals and four assists).
Veitch in his first NHL campaign finished with four goals and 21 assists for 25 points in 59 games. That was good for second on the blue line in points, only behind Green who had 31. Veitch split his first season between the Capitals and their American Hockey League (AHL) squad, the Hershey Bears. Washington in general was a very talented group. They were good with individual success, but they could not put it together to get the right results and make the playoffs. Despite Dennis Maruk tallying 50 goals and 97 total points along with Mike Gartner getting 48 goals and 94 points, the Capitals finished with a record of 26-36-18.
Missing the playoffs was something that Veitch experienced a lot in the beginning when he was in D.C. He was fortunate though to play in five playoff games for Washington during their 1984 appearance. In that span of games, he posted an assist. Veitch spent most of the time between the Capitals and the Bears during his time with the organization. It was not until the 1984-85 season that he spent the entire time on the Capitals. That team made it to the 1985 postseason, and Veitch matched his previous production with one assist in five playoff games.
The 1985-86 season was the end of Veitch’s time with Washington. He played most of the campaign with the Capitals, but he was eventually traded to the Detroit Red Wings. The full deal was Veitch to the Red Wings for John Barrett and Greg Smith. Veitch during his time in D.C. produced the following:
- 1980-81: four goals and 21 assists for 25 points in 59 games
- 1981-82: nine goals and 44 assists for 53 points in 67 games
- 1982-83: eight assists in 10 games
- 1983-84: six goals and 18 assists for 24 points in 46 games
- 1984-85: three goals and 18 assists for 21 points in 75 games
- 1985-86: three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 62 games
Veitch was in Detroit for parts of three campaigns. He had his career-best season in 1986-87 by accruing 58 points in 77 games as a Red Wing (13 goals and 45 assists). He had the most points as a defender for that squad that season and was third overall on the whole team in that category as well. Only Steve Yzerman (90 points) and Gerard Gallant (72) had more. He then finished his NHL career in Toronto with the Maple Leafs. He played in 37 games for the club in 1988-89 and got 10 points, spent the entire 1989-90 campaign with the AHL affiliate Newmarket Saints, before playing his last NHL season with two games for the Maple Leafs in 1990-91. After that, Veitch played minor hockey until 1998-99. He was in the AHL, IHL, and WCHL.
Veitch overall had a good tenure with the Capitals. He was not a huge name on the blue line, but he did his job when he was there. He benefitted from the change of scenery he got with his point production in Detroit for 1986-87, but he eventually transitioned into being a minor league defender that never made it back to the NHL after 1990-91.
Scott Stevens
The best player the Capitals have picked fifth overall so far in their franchise’s history happened in the 1982 Draft. The players who went with the first four selections were Gord Kluzak (Boston Bruins), Brian Bellows (Minnesota North Stars), Gary Nylund (Toronto Maple Leafs), and Ron Sutter (Philadelphia Flyers). The Capitals chose defenseman Scott Stevens with the fifth pick, and he developed into one of the best defensemen in the history of the team.
Stevens’ first season in D.C. was in 1982-83 and he did not have any issues transitioning his game to the NHL. In 77 games, he notched nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points. He joined as new GM David Poile started making his impact with the club. This included bringing in blueliner Rod Langway in a blockbuster trade with the Canadiens. Langway and Stevens were also joined by Greg Theberge, Brian Engblom (part of the Langway deal), Timo Blomqvist, Randy Holt, and Veitch.
As the seasons came and went, Stevens’ production only got better. He put up the following stats while he was with the Capitals:
- 1982-83: nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 77 games
- 1983-84: 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 78 games
- 1984-85: 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points in 80 games
- 1985-86: 15 goals and 38 assists for 53 points in 73 games
- 1986-87: 10 goals and 51 assists for 61 points in 77 games
- 1987-88: 12 goals and 60 assists for 72 points in 80 games
- 1988-89: seven goals and 61 assists for 68 points in 80 games
- 1989-90: 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points in 56 games
There was a point when the Capitals had some of their best defensemen in franchise history all on the team at once. Stevens and Langway also got to be teammates with Larry Murphy and Kevin Hatcher. Stevens, Langway, and Murphy are all in the Hockey Hall of Fame, while Hatcher remains one of the best defensemen statistically in Capitals history. It was a stacked blue line when those four were all on the Capitals.
Following the 1989-90 campaign, Stevens and the Capitals parted ways. He signed a four-year contract with the St. Louis Blues worth $5.1 million. He was a restricted free agent and Washington made the tough decision not to bring him back and match the offer he received. The Capitals did receive significant compensation, as the two draft picks they got in the Stevens offer sheet turned into Sergei Gonchar and Brendan Witt. However, the loss of Stevens was still significant, as he played a solid season with the Blues before spending the rest of his career with the New Jersey Devils.
With the Devils, he won three Stanley Cups as one of their faces of the blue line along with Scott Niedermayer. Stevens retired after the 2003-04 season and finished his career playing in 1,635 games. In that span of time, he scored 196 goals and tallied 712 assists for 908 points. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007 and is a member of the 100 Greatest Players list as well.
Related: Devils’ Scott Stevens – Dirty or Tough?
It was unfortunate that Stevens and the Capitals had to go their separate ways, but he remains one of the best defenders in franchise history. He became the tough, physical, and offensive talent in Washington before he became one of the faces in New Jersey. He is one of the best draft picks in Capitals history and he will always be remembered for his contributions to the team.
Karl Alzner
The most recent time the Capitals held the fifth overall pick was in the 2007 Draft. The 2007 class had some nice names who had stellar careers. The Blackhawks had the first pick and chose Patrick Kane, while James van Riemsdyk went second to the Flyers. Other significant names picked during the 2007 Draft included Jakub Voracek, Logan Couture, Kevin Shattenkirk, Ryan McDonagh, Max Pacioretty, and Lars Eller among others. With the fifth pick, then-Capitals GM George McPhee selected blueliner Karl Alzner.
Alzner crafted his play in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen. He took part in five seasons for the junior team, and totaled the following numbers:
- 2003-04: zero points in one game
- 2004-05: ten assists in 66 games
- 2005-06: four goals and 20 assists for 24 points in 70 games
- 2006-07: eight goals and 39 assists for 47 points in 63 games
- 2007-08: seven goals and 29 assists for 36 points in 60 games
Alzner first debuted with the Capitals in the 2008-09 NHL season. He split time between Washington and Hershey in the AHL. In 30 games for the Capitals, he tallied a goal and four assists for five points. With the Bears, he chalked up four goals and 16 assists for 20 points in 48 games.
2009-10 was another split campaign for Alzner between Washington and Hershey. 2010-11 was the first season that he was fully a member of the Capitals. In 82 games, he accrued two goals and 10 assists for 12 points. One thing about Alzner was that throughout his career, he was not known for his point production, but more for how well he played defensively. Still, as a member of the Capitals, Alzner produced these offensive stats:
- 2008-09: one goal and four assists for five points in 30 games
- 2009-10: five assists in 21 games
- 2010-11: two goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 82 games
- 2011-12: one goal and 16 assists for 17 points in 82 games
- 2012-13: one goal and four assists for five points in 48 games
- 2013-14: two goals and 16 assists for 18 points in 82 games
- 2014-15: five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 82 games
- 2015-16: four goals and 17 assists for 21 points in 82 games
- 2016-17: three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 82 games
Alzner managed to stay healthy and go on a long streak of playing in every game for many seasons. He was dependable defensively and he gained a reputation throughout the league for his overall skillset. That led to his time in D.C. coming to an end in the 2017 offseason along with a lot of money as well.
Alzner left the Capitals to sign a five-year contract worth $23.125 million with the Canadiens. As was written in the Sportsnet article about the signing, Alzner felt that Montreal gave him a better chance at winning a Stanley Cup than the Capitals did. The Sportsnet piece said, “Karl Alzner says joining the Montreal Canadiens gives him a better chance to win a Stanley Cup than he had with the Capitals in Washington…‘It’s very emotional to leave Washington,’ he said. ‘That part is difficult, but at the same time, I want to win. That’s why we all play hockey, and it was frustrating to keep getting eliminated in the second round.’”
The first season immediately after Alzner left for Montreal, the Capitals won their first Stanley Cup. It is interesting how things play out sometimes, and Alzner would not get a Cup with the Canadiens during his time there. In fact, Montreal bought out the remaining two seasons of his contract back in October 2020. Alzner did not play in the NHL again after that and finished his career with 20 goals and 110 assists for 130 points in 686 games.
Overall, Alzner played his defensive role well. He did not light the lamp a lot, but that was not his job with the team. Other defenders like John Carlson and Mike Green handled those responsibilities, while Alzner just needed to be a solid shutout defender. If Alzner had stuck around in D.C. a season longer, maybe he would have his name on the Cup. He had a good NHL career though.
Mixed Results with Fifth Overall
Looking at the Capitals careers of Veitch, Stevens, and Alzner; I think they did alright when they had the fifth choice. Veitch made an impact when he was up in the NHL, but he split his time between D.C. and Hershey for a bit of his career, while Stevens remains one of the best defensemen in Capitals history. He may be more remembered for being the captain of the New Jersey Devils and winning Stanley Cups with them, but he became a star on the blue line while donning the Capitals sweater. Alzner was a success defensively, so much so that he got a lot of money to go elsewhere right before Washington won their first Cup. He always could be relied upon on the ice as a great defensive force and that is why he was successful in D.C. Veitch, Stevens, and Alzner is not a bad trio to have as fifth overall picks.
