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We did the 2019 re-draft and there's a big surprise for the Washington Capitals
With the 2025 NHL Entry Draft right around the corner, the boys over at Washington Capitals Insider have taken the time to do a little re-draft in honour of the big event. We chose to focus on 2019 because, although the Caps' didn't have a first-round pick that year, the data shows something unexpected - they struck gold with some of their late-round selections, specifically forwards Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael.
I think it's safe to say the 2019 NHL Entry Level Draft was one of the most significant ones in recent memory.
From Jack Hughes and Trevor Zegras to Cole Caufield and Kaapo Kakko, the 2019 draft class helped shape much of today's rising NHL talent.
But how did our Washington Capitals fare that year? Let's take a closer look.
Washington Capitals Insider 2019 NHL Entry Level Re-Draft
After hours of screen time and deep analytics, we've completely revamped the 2019 NHL Draft Class - here's what we came up with:
1. Jack Hughes
2. Moritz Seider
3. Cole Caufield
4. Matt Boldy
5. Dustin Wolf
6. Bowen Byram
7. Thomas Harley
8. Trevor Zegras
9. Pavel Dorofeyev
10. Dylan Cozens
11. Pyotr Kochetkov
12. Spencer Knight
13. Aliaksei Protas
14. Kaapo Kakko
15. Connor McMichael
2. Moritz Seider
3. Cole Caufield
4. Matt Boldy
5. Dustin Wolf
6. Bowen Byram
7. Thomas Harley
8. Trevor Zegras
9. Pavel Dorofeyev
10. Dylan Cozens
11. Pyotr Kochetkov
12. Spencer Knight
13. Aliaksei Protas
14. Kaapo Kakko
15. Connor McMichael
New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes still rightfully holds the top spot, but there have been some major shake-ups throughout the rest of the top 15.
The big surprise for the Washington Capitals is forward Aliaksei Protas jumping up to 13th, bumping out Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight, while Connor McMichael slides into the 15th spot, taking the place of Cole Caufield, who has climbed third overall.
Aliaksei Protas has emerged as one of the elite goal scorers in the NHL.
Originally selected 91st overall by the Washington Capitals, Protas' 30-goal season this year has general managers around the league kicking themselves for passing up on him in the first round.
McMichael, who was originally selected 25th overall, has been another pleasant surprise.
His clutch goal last night against the Carolina Hurricanes is a prime example of his scoring ability and highlights exactly why he's climbed to 15th in the rankings.
This season, Connor McMichael notched an impressive 57 points in 82 regular season games.
Do you agree with our 2019 NHL re-draft? Answer our Capitals Insider poll to have your say!
| POLL | ||
MAI 9 | 13 ANSWERS We did the 2019 re-draft and there's a big surprise for the Washington Capitals Do you agree with the Washington Capitals 2019 NHL Entry Level Re-Draft? | ||
| Yes | 9 | 69.2 % |
| No | 4 | 30.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
