Corey Pronman details what to expect from the Washington Capitals’ new prospects and how they fit into the farm system.

2023 Draft Grade: B

Ryan Leonard is a very good two-way forward who fits into Washington’s timeline and should be a top-six wing for them in a few years. He’s the only guy from this draft I think is likely to play. Andrew Cristall and Cam Allen, for very different reasons, are good players with strong chances to play in the NHL but aren’t sure bets.

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Draft Class

8. Ryan Leonard, RW, USA U-18 (NTDP)

January 21, 2005 | 6′ 0″ | 190 pounds

Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Artturi Lehkonen

Background: Leonard has often been the top-line right wing on the U.S. NTDP playing a ton of minutes in all situations. He was invited to USA’s world juniors camp but was cut. He scored the golden goal in overtime at the 2023 U18 worlds. He played the most out of all the 2005-born players with the 2004 age group in the 2022 season. Leonard scored five goals and six points in five games at the 2022 U18 World Championships. He is committed to Boston College.

Analysis: Leonard is a versatile winger with a lot of elements to his game that an NHL coach will covet. He’s a strong skater who competes very well, with a direct style of play and despite an average-sized frame he has a lot of physicality in his game. He combines that with excellent hands and an ability to make highly skilled plays with the puck at full speed. His playmaking isn’t great but there’s vision and finishing ability in his game to score at higher levels. Leonard may never truly stand out at either end of the ice, but he will never give a coach a reason to sit him and projects as a quality top-six wing.

Thoughts on the pick: Leonard is a very good all-around and competitive forward. He’s not dynamic with the puck, but he has excellent skill and scoring ability as well. What I think Washington fans will also like is how physically advanced he is, and there is potential for him to be in Washington in two to three years due to that and his complete game.

40. Andrew Cristall, LW, KELOWNA (WHL)

February 4, 2005 | 5′ 10″ | 175 pounds

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Tier: Projected to play NHL games

Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Above NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average

Background: Cristall was one of the top scorers in the WHL this season and was a first team All-Star in the BC division of the WHL. He also scored over a point per game as a 16-year-old. He missed a portion of the season due to a lower-body injury. Cristall made Canada’s U18 team at the Hlinka in a limited role with power-play time. He was the eighth pick in his WHL Bantam Draft.

Analysis: Cristall is very talented offensively. He has puck-on-a-string type of hands and routinely beats defenders with his stickhandling. He has a highly-imaginative offensive mind and very good vision with the puck. Cristall is so dangerous on the power play because of his skill but also his great shot, as he’s scored a ton of goals from range this season. The concerns come down to his frame and especially his skating. He lacks footspeed for the higher levels and has awkward skating mechanics that are concerning for his NHL projection where he too often defaults into the 10-2 skating style, overly relying on his edgework. He doesn’t shy from going to the net, but I wouldn’t call him a high-compete type. He will need to score a lot in the NHL to justify his various risk factors, and while I think he can get games due to his immense offensive talent, I have a hard time seeing him as a long NHL career type given his various risk factors.

104. Patrick Thomas, C, HAMILTON (OHL)

August 21, 2004 | 6′ 0″ | 172 pounds

Analysis: Scouts like Thomas’ compete a lot. He skates well enough and has some skill, but the worry is that the talent doesn’t jump off the page at you.

136. Cameron Allen, RHD, GUELPH (OHL)

January 7, 2005 | 6′ 0″ | 192 pounds

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Tier: Projected to play NHL games

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Background: Allen’s stock was on a rise leading into this past summer. He was OHL rookie of the year and looked impactful as a 16-year-old in the league. He was then one of the top defensemen at the Hlinka. His game fell off quite sharply afterwards, though, esepcially offensively. He was the No. 3 pick in his OHL Draft. He was the captain for Team Canada at both the Hlinka and U18 worlds.

Analysis: Allen is a tough read as a player. As an underage, I thought he looked super smart, made a ton of difficult plays and showed legit offense between his big shot and great vision. He’s a smart player who has shown flashes of strong playmaking ability, albeit not consistently. This season, it was a different story. He fought the puck some games and lost power-play time. Allen is a strong skater who can stay with quicker forwards and skate pucks up the ice. Allen is average-sized, but competes quite hard. He has a lot of physicality in his game, and gives a good effort every night. If you believe the puck-moving could rebound, he could be a career NHL player. But if he continues to trend in the current direction, he may miss altogether after coming into the season as a player some scouts thought was the best defenseman in the draft.

200. Brett Hyland, C, BRANDON (WHL)

February 18, 2003 | 6′ 0″ | 180 pounds

Background: Hyland was a point-per-game game player for Brandon this season as a third-year eligible. Scouts like his feet and work ethic but question his pure skill/sense.

206. Antoine Keller, G, GENEVE JR. (SWISS-JR.)

October 6, 2004 | 6′ 2″ | 176 pounds

Background: Keller, a goalie of French descent, has come up playing his junior hockey this season in Switzerland. He was named top player for France at the World Juniors B pool this season. The prior season he helped lead France to promotion at the World Juniors C pool.

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Analysis: Keller’s one of the quickest goalies in the draft. He has clear NHL lateral agility and can make highly-difficult saves. When you see Keller on his best days, when he’s pushing off into spectacular saves, or breaking up scoring chances with his aggressive play, he looks like an NHL goalie. However, he’s rough around the edges. Keller can be all over the place at times in his crease, and his decisions can be iffy at times. I love his aggressive challenges, but it can bite him too. He’s not that big, so he’s a bit of a longshot, but there are some tools to build on him that give him a chance to make it.

(Photo of Ryan Leonard: Jason Kempin / Getty Images)