It was a busy weekend for the Washington Capitals at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The top affiliate of the Hershey Bears made selections in the draft to bolster their future. At the same time, their top brass made some trades that impact the landscape of the organization including the Bears. These players will often start their professional careers in the AHL as Bears.
Prince George Connection
It was a relatively uneventful first night of draft action for the team from the Nation’s Capital. Washington used their first-round pick to select Terik Parascak 17th overall. The forward, who only turned 18 at the end of May, is coming off of an electric first season in the Western Hockey League. He racked up 105 points (43 goals, 62 assists) in 68 games for the Prince George Cougars.
Parascak had tremendous chemistry with another of Washington’s young future stars in Zac Funk. He becomes the third Cougar to join the organization in recent time, with Funk already under contract with the Caps. Hudson Thornton, the team’s captain this past season, inked an AHL contract with the Bears to make his professional debut in 2024-25.
“I completely blacked out,” Parascak said after being selected. “It’s such an unbelievable moment, I’m completely lost for words.”
Dealer’s Choice
The Caps made a splash to open the second day of the draft in Las Vegas. General manager Brian MacLellan announced the team traded Calder Cup winner Beck Malenstyn to the Buffalo Sabres. In exchange, the Caps received a second-round pick at number 47. They used the pick to select defenseman Cole Hutson. Washington’s boss maintained they would have signed Malenstyn, but wanted to select Hutson.
Hutson skated with the US National Development Team for the last two seasons. He’s viewed as a top-tier defenseman in the draft, with smooth skating and puck-moving abilities. The tools are there to develop into a top defenseman on the power play and strong playmaking skills.
Muggli Means Business
The Caps used their next pick at 52nd overall to select defenseman Leon Muggli. Washington acquired the pick in their midseason trade of Anthony Mantha as part of the deal. Muggli has quite the resume coming into the draft and hasn’t even turned 18 yet. He played for Zug EV of the Swiss-A league, tallying 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 42 games played. Add in a plus-13 mark, it’s an outstanding season for the young defenseman.
It’s an impressive mark for Muggli to be this far along at such a young age. He demonstrates good awareness and some puck moving skill. In the clip above, he intentionally shoots the puck wide of the net to find a bounce to the open player on the other side. As he develops, those skills will become even better as a tantalizing prospect on the blue line in addition to Hutson.
Friendly Faces in Vegas
Washington used two of their picks to move up to 75th overall in the draft in order to select a familiar face. The Capitals drafted Ilya Protas, brother of current Capital and former Bear Aliaksei Protas. The elder brother was in attendance for the draft, making for a heartwarming moment in the stands. Ilya introduced himself to Caps fans on social media as “Little Pro” and is set to follow in his brother’s footsteps through Hershey.
Not long after, the Capitals announced the acquisition of goaltender Logan Thompson from the Golden Knights in exchange for two picks. Thompson, who signed an AHL contract with the Bears for the 2019-20 season, was on-site signing autographs when the trade came through. Aliaksei Protas stopped by to meet up with his new teammate as the two were roommates early in that season.
The acquisition adds question marks to the goaltending situation in 2024-25. As it stands, the Capitals will likely go with a tandem of Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. Hunter Shepard will battle to earn the spot at training camp but would have to clear waivers to join the Bears. Hershey would likely ice the same tandem of goaltenders that just shattered the team record for shutouts in that scenario.
Capital Gains
Washington selected forward Eriks Mateiko with the 90th overall pick in the draft. He racked up 43 points (23 goals, 20 assists) in 49 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. In addition, he skated with Latvia in the World Junior Championships, scoring a goal in five games. 2023-24 marked his second season in the QMJHL as he continues to develop his skills.
The Caps selected goaltender Nicholas Kempf with the 114th pick in the draft. The Illinois native stands at 6’2 and skated with the US National U18 Team, posting a 2.99 GAA and a 0.897 save percentage in 37 games. He is committed to playing for Notre Dame in 2024-25 at the NCAA level and was teammates with Hutson.
In the sixth round, the lone Capitals selection was forward Petr Sikora at 178th overall. He has no relation to the other Sykoras to have played in the NHL in the past. His top experience includes 22 games for Trinec Ocelari HC of the Czech League. Sikora tallied three points in that span.
Son of (Miroslav) Satan
Lastly, the Capitals did draft a player with former NHL connections. Washington traded up to acquire the 212th pick in the draft and select Miroslav Satan Jr. His father played 14 seasons in the NHL and even had a brief stop in Wilkes-Barre back in 2008-09. Satan’s son is massive, standing at 6’7 and weighing in at 190 pounds. Satan Jr. was born in 2006 while his father was playing for the New York Islanders.
Satan Jr. is a bit of a diamond in the rough at the early stage of his career. He tallied 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 26 games in the Slovak U20 league. Additionally, he played for Team Slovakia at the U18 World Championship with four assists in seven games.
The draft is often the first step for new players reaching the AHL. So many of Washington’s previous picks have left their mark in Hershey with their last two Calder Cups. This year’s iteration is the next generation of players who will make their first professional strides in Chocolate and White.
