Once Lynden Lakovic heard the Washington Capitals call his name 27th overall at the 2025 NHL Draft, his mind started racing. Almost a week later, it still hasn't slowed down.
Lakovic is getting his first taste of the NHL at Capitals development camp this week, and though it's been a bit of a chaotic few days, he's loving every second of it.
"As soon as you hear your name called, you're doing a bunch of things and it's all happening really fast all at one time. Next thing you know, you're on a flight the next morning to Washington, place you've never been before, and you're meeting all these good players.
"Lots has come at me fast. I'm really enjoying Washington and the organization right now, they're treating me amazing and I couldn't be happier," Lakovic said.
The 18-year-old is coming off a strong season in the WHL with the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he took over as captain and put up 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points in 47 games.
His first camp has given him a good taste of the NHL, with the wake-up call being the power skating sessions with coach Wendy Marco. He's gotten more accustomed to the pace as time has gone on and has been learning from his fellow prospects, including Andrew Cristall, who he hopes to follow a similar development path to.
"He's someone that he's developing really well right now and he's kind of been tearing up the (WHL) for a bit now," I think the most important thing is winning hockey games at that level and developing as a player and person. To take that path is going to be huge for me."
Going into training camp, Lakovic is determined to continue to build on his all-around game.
"Rounding out my game, using my body more efficiently, I think you see I have a big frame and I think using it to my advantage is only going to make me a better player," Lakovic said. "Just rounding out my 200-foot game, I think it's something I'm improving on. That's what's going to make you stay in the NHL. You need to learn how to play both sides of the puck. I think that's something that I'm looking forward to working on with the development stuff."
