The players the Capitals could select with the 27th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft

   

The Washington Capitals are scheduled to draft 27th overall in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. The draft is being held at LA Live’s Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, starting with the first round at 7 pm on Friday, June 27.

The Capitals’ first-round pick is their first of five selections in the first five rounds this year. This year’s event will be the first non-COVID-impacted draft to be held in a decentralized format in NHL history, meaning teams will not be physically present at the venue to make their selections.

Capitals general manager Chris Patrick did not rule out trading the 27th pick in the right deal, but the Capitals have made a first-round selection in six of the last seven drafts. “Yeah, I think you have to be open to all options…we’ll try to be creative with what we can do,” Patrick said last month.

The Caps have picked 27th in the first round three other times in their history, with the latest time coming in 2008 when they selected John Carlson. Carlson was preceded by two other defensemen, Joe Finley (2005) and Jeff Schultz (2004).

Here’s a list of names at all positions that the Capitals could consider selecting this year.

Big-bodied blueliner Blake Fiddler could bolster Flames defensive ranks at  the 2025 NHL Draft

 

Blake Fiddler – RHD, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)

#26 ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

Fiddler’s last name should be familiar to some fans, as he’s the son of longtime NHL forward Vern Fiddler, who played 14 seasons with the Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and New Jersey Devils. The younger Fiddler played 64 games for the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings this past year, recording 33 points (10g, 23a) in his second junior season.

The six-foot-four-inch, 209-pound defenseman is one of the strongest right-handed rearguard options in this year’s class after Radim Mrtka and Logan Hensler, and one of two righties projected to go off the board around the Capitals’ pick in the first round. Fiddler moves well, despite being such a large defender, and uses both his long reach and physicality effectively to protect the net and secure center ice.

Fiddler’s size and the fact that he’s a right-shot defender likely make him jump off the page to some, but his offensive game needs a lot of work, and it may never get to the point where he’s considered a true two-way threat. Despite that, players of his build don’t grow on trees, making him a guy that could even go off the board before the Capitals are on the clock.

Chris’s take: The Capitals took two defensemen in the second round last year, hitting a home run with Cole Hutson and getting a pro-ready Leon Muggli. However, both are left-handed, and the Capitals have a shallow pool of right-handed defensemen in their system. Fiddler isn’t the most exciting option, but I definitely wouldn’t mind the club taking him just for his NHL projectability alone.

Daniil Prokhorov – RW, Dynamo Saint Petersburg (MHL)

#18 ranked International skater by NHL Central Scouting

As usual with an NHL draft, there is a ton of dispute and discrepancy in rankings with almost every single Russian prospect in the class, and that’s no different with Prokhorov. He certainly has one thing going for him, though, and that’s having an absolutely massive six-foot-six-inch, 218-pound frame. He also scored 20 goals in 43 games for Dynamo Saint Petersburg’s junior MHL team.

The 18-year-old winger, who only turned 18 this past April, is a bit of a late riser, jumping from 27th in Central Scouting’s International midterm rankings to 18th in their final rankings. He has a deadly release, can more than keep up with play despite his size, throws crunching hits (particularly on the forecheck), and loves getting to the net.

Despite the glowing scouting report, there is a reason Prokhorov is projected anywhere from a first-round talent to an early third-round pick. Some scouts are concerned about his ability to think the game at a high level, especially without the puck, and others don’t love that he only posted 27 points in his draft year.

Chris’s take: If I’m in charge of making the Capitals’ pick this year, Prokhorov is top two on my list. Not only do the Capitals have recent success developing players of his build, for example, Aliaksei Protas, but I also think Prokhorov is even further along in terms of skating than someone like Protas was. If they can help him put it all together, they could have quite the army of giant offensive threats on the way.

Cole McKinney – C, USA U18 (USNTDP)

#32 ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

McKinney was one of the leaders for the U18 USNTDP team this past season, recording 61 points (27g, 34a) in 60 games. He added 26 points (15g, 11a) in 23 USHL games. The six-foot, 201-pound center is committed to the University of Michigan to play college hockey in the NCAA.

The 18-year-old Illinois native is defensively responsible, a natural penalty killer, wins faceoffs, and throws his body around. All of the base skills are there for a team to build around, and if he can find an offensive niche at the next level, he could be a solid middle-six, right-handed centerman.

The downside with McKinney is that his offensive game isn’t there yet and may never come. While his shot is good and he uses his aggressiveness in all three zones, the playmaking ability isn’t there for a typical first-round draft selection. Whether that takes him out of the first or not is yet to be seen.

Chris’s take: I think, at best, you hope for McKinney to find a scoring spark in college and become a great third-line center in the NHL. I’m not sure if a “maybe” third-line center is what you aim for in the first round of drafts, but like I said above, the foundation of his game is excellent, and he’ll be a player that coaches love to coach.

William Moore – C, USA U18 (USNTDP)

#29 ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

Moore is another USNTDP product, recording 59 points (27g, 32a) in 64 games during the 2024-25 campaign. He added 21 points (10g, 11a) in 25 USHL games. The six-foot-two-inch, 180-pound center is committed to Boston College, where he’ll start in the fall.

The New York native is another late riser, primarily due to a strong second half that saw him record 36 points (15g, 21a) in 32 games after posting just 23 points (12g, 11a) in the first half. Moore, like McKinney, has an excellent baseline of skills for the team that drafts him, but really needs to grow into his big frame more during his college career.

There isn’t something that Moore does that obviously stands out when you watch his highlights, but he did display some great offensive instincts on a shift-by-shift basis in some games this season. However, there are other shifts of his that leave you a bit puzzled and wanting more when he has the puck, which is likely why he is more of a second-round talent.

Chris’s take: I’m not sure if Moore is actually a center or whether he’d be better off moving to the wing and staying there. I think that would cover up some of the holes in his game and let him develop more offensively as he gains more muscle. Do I love the idea of him at 27th overall for the Capitals? Not entirely, but I also don’t think he lasts until their high second-round pick (39th overall) either.

Sascha Boumedienne – LHD, Boston University (NCAA)

#18 ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting

Boumedienne is another familiar last name on this list and should especially ring a bell for any early 2000s Capitals fans or even mid-2000s Hershey Bears fans, as Sascha is the son of former NHL defenseman Josef Boumedienne. The elder Boumedienne played 43 games for the Caps from 2002 to 2004 and 52 games for the Bears during the 2007-08 campaign.

Sascha will be a sophomore at Boston University next year, where he’ll again be teammates with Capitals prospect Cole Hutson. During his freshman season, Boumedienne recorded 13 points (3g, 10a) in 40 games. The six-foot-two-inch, 184-pound defender is a tremendous skater for his size, one of the best skaters in the draft overall, possesses a hard shot, and has shown flashes of untapped offensive potential.

Where things went a little south for him in his big jump to the NCAA last year as a 17-year-old was on the defensive end. While he improved as the season progressed, he was inconsistent at best in his own end and never really found an offensive rhythm. The hope is that he takes a big leap this upcoming year on another great BU team.

Chris’s take: I watched nearly every single game that the Terriers played last season, and Boumedienne’s growth, game by game, was truly noticeable. You simply can’t teach the skating ability he possesses, and I think the rest of his game can be refined as he ages and becomes more confident. I’m a fan, but I’m not sure the Capitals want to take yet another left-handed defender high in a draft.

Canada's Leading Collection of Photos & Video | Canadian Press Images - WHL JOSHUA  RAVENSBERGEN 20241014

Joshua Ravensbergen – G, Prince George Cougars (WHL)

#1 ranked North American goalie by NHL Central Scouting

Ravensbergen is the top goaltender in this year’s class, serving as the Prince George Cougars’ starter for the past two WHL seasons. The 18-year-old backstop has appeared in 89 total games over the past two seasons, posting a 2.78 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage, and six shutouts.

The North Vancouver native is a huge goalie, standing six feet five inches tall, and is one of the rare netminders, like the Capitals’ duo of Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, who catch with their right hand. Despite his height, he is still a very athletic puckstopper when called upon, although he’s at his best when he’s tracking the puck well and not having to make any desperation saves.

The question marks on Ravensbergen include that he can get a little lost in traffic despite being so tall, which leads to poor tracking and then more rebounds than you’d like to see. His numbers last season also weren’t particularly impressive, but a lot of that can be attributed to Prince George not being an especially stout defensive unit.

Chris’s take: I have watched a whole ton of Ravensbergen’s junior career because he was teammates with Capitals prospects Zac Funk and Terik Parascak. While the Capitals tend to take at least one goalie in each draft, they haven’t selected one higher than the fourth round since taking Ilya Samsonov in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft. I think Ravensbergen’s timeline fits perfectly with the Capitals’ current goaltending situation, so he’s definitely an option at 27th overall.