Season-ending surgery ends Capitals prospect year

Moose Jaw confirmed Friday that Lakovic will miss the rest of the 2025-26 season because an upper-body injury requires surgery. General manager Jason Ripplinger called it an unfortunate circumstance and said the club will support him through recovery.

For Capitals fans, this hits different because Lakovic is not just a junior name on a watch list. Washington took the 6-foot-4 winger 27th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, then signed him to an entry-level deal with the plan he'd keep cooking in the WHL.

Before this season started, the storyline was pretty clean, captain, scorer, big-body winger learning to drive play instead of circling it. Lakovic led Moose Jaw last year with 27 goals and 58 points in 47 games, and that production is a big reason the Caps were comfortable betting on upside.

As a fan, it just stinks seeing a captain lose his whole year, especially right when the next step was supposed to get loud. The Warriors shared the update through their official X account Friday.

On the ice, Lakovic's value was never only the points, it was how he created them. He's a straight-line attacker when he wants to be, he can gain the zone with reach and soft hands, then turn a harmless entry into a slot look.

For Washington, the development math shifts without getting dramatic about timelines. The organization will keep the focus on rehab and strength, then reassess where his game is at the next time he's fully cleared to train and play.

The Capitals have built a prospect pool that can absorb bumps, but losing a full WHL season of reps still matters. The next milestone is simple and human, get healthy, then get back to playing the style that made him a first-rounder.