Before the Washington Capitals drafted winger Lynden Lakovic 27th overall, Caps asistant general manager Ross Mahoney turned to his boss, Chris Patrick, and whispered into his ear that the team’s first rounder “skates well, can score, makes really good plays in tight spaces.” At no time did he say he was physical. And for good reason.
The 18-year-old spent the last three seasons in the WHL as a member of the Moose Jaw Warriors, posting an impressive 58 points (27g, 31a) in 47 games during the 2024-25 campaign. Lakovic credits his disciplined play as a major reason for his offensive success. He spent just four total minutes in the penalty box all last season and hasn’t earned more than 14 in a single season going back to 2019. Despite that, he hopes to develop more physicality into his game as he works towards the NHL.
“I would say it’s something I could add, just maybe a little bit of nastiness,” he said.
Though he mentioned wanting to add a grittier aspect to his game, Lakovic distanced his style of play from that of his uncle Sasha, a physical NHL player in the late 1990s. In 37 career games with the Calgary Flames and New Jersey Devils, the elder Lakovic racked up a whopping 118 penalty minutes. He also had a career-high 416 (!!) penalty minutes during the 1995-96 season as a member of the IHL’s Las Vegas Thunder.
Sasha, who died in 2017 at age 45 after a brief battle with brain cancer, was known by fans as the “Hitman,” “Pitbull,” and “Sascha the Basha” for embracing his role as a team’s enforcer. He famously tried to jump up and over the glass behind Calgary’s bench during a game on November 23, 1996 to rough up a fan who dumped beer and popcorn on then-Flames assistant coach Guy LaPointe. He served a two-game suspension for the incident.
“If you expect me to be like (my uncle) completely, I don’t think Washington would have drafted me,” Lakovic added jokingly. “But no, I think I do need to add a little bit of nastiness, but I think it’ll come.”
He’ll have plenty of opportunities to learn from some of the Caps’ best bruisers like Tom Wilson — one of several players who have already welcomed him to the Capitals.
“Pierre-Luc Dubois, TJ Oshie, Tom Wilson, and Logan Thompson, those are a few guys that reached out to me and welcomed me with open arms,” Lakovic said. “And that goes to show the character of the guys in this organization. And it really goes a long way for a kid like myself or any other kid, right? And it’s kinda awesome.”
At a towering six-foot-four and weighing in at 200 pounds, Lakovic has the build to potentially make some opponents regret being on the ice with him. His NHL comparison on draft night was former Capital Anthony Mantha (six-foot-five, 234 pounds). Lakovic believes the team’s staff will help him take advantage of that.
“I think just rounding out my game and using my body more efficiently, obviously, I think you see I have a big frame,” he said of his development goals. “And I think using it to my advantage is only going to make me a better player. Just rounding out my 200-foot game, I think it’s something I’m improving on. And that’s what’s going to make you stay in the NHL. You need to learn how to play both sides of the puck.”
Lynden said he’ll be keeping lessons from his uncle taught him in mind as he navigates his future professional career.
“One lesson (he taught me) is you have to work for it,” Lakovic recounted. “He’s told me stories how hard he worked and the things he would do to make it. And talent can only take you so far. So I think if you put in the work over time and stay consistent with it, your dreams are going to come true.”
Lakovic is among the 31 prospects in town for the Capitals’ Development Camp, telling reporters Wednesday he’s having a blast in his “surreal” first week as a pro.
“It came at me fast but I’m really enjoying Washington and the organization right now,” he said. “They’re treating me amazing and I couldn’t be happier.”
He said he’s been taking inspiration from fellow Caps prospect Andrew Cristall, the Caps’ second-round pick in 2023 (40th overall).
“He’s really smooth and he’s one of the most skilled players I’ve seen,” Lakovic said of Cristall. “I think he’s a hell of a player. He’s developing really well right now and he’s kinda been tearing up (the WHL) for a bit now. And I think the most important thing is winning hockey games at that level and developing as a player and person. And to take that path, I think is going to be huge for me.”
Lakovic added that he’s enjoyed meeting other Development Camp attendees he’s played against in juniors, including Terik Parascak and Alex Suzdalev, as well as reuniting with former Moose Jaw teammate Jackson Unger.
Many of the newbies have bonded over the Caps’ unorthodox skating drills, led by coach Wendy Marco. Lakovic called Marco’s training sessions a major “Welcome to the NHL” moment.
“The power skating yesterday. That humbled me quite a bit,” he said. “[Marco] knows what she’s doing and you can see it works for the best players in the world. So if I get better at that, it’s going to be a recipe for success, I would say.”
Off the ice, Lakovic and a group of fellow prospects have already explored Georgetown in their time off, though DC’s summer humidity took some getting used to, especially compared to his hometown of Kelowna.
“The weather was kind of a rude awakening for myself,” he said. “But where I’m from, it’s pretty hot. And I come here and it’s still 30 degrees [Celsius], but it’s got 90% humidity. I’m like, what’s going on here? I feel like I’m in Mexico.”
He told reporters he was looking forward to seeing DC’s Fourth of July celebrations, though he “didn’t get the memo” from the group of prospects trying to snag tickets to Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour this weekend.
From attending the draft in LA to getting his first taste of Capitals hockey in DC, Lakovic’s been plenty busy over the past week, but he’s still hanging on and enjoying the ride.
“As soon as you kind of hear your name called, you’re doing a bunch of things and it’s all happening really fast all at one time,” he explained. “Next thing you know, you’re on a flight the next morning out to Washington, a place you’ve never been to before and you’re meeting all these good players. So it is kind of coming at me fast, but I’m really enjoying it and I love it here.”
