ARLINGTON, V.A. — Logan Stuart was starting to feel stressed.

Sitting at home on the couch, Stuart and his family was locked in on the 2026 NHL Draft, seeing name after name go by. As it got into the later rounds, he started to question whether or not this would be his year.

Then, his name scrolled across the television, and he found out he was taken in the seventh round by the Washington Capitals. Even better, his name was called in the same venue that his father's, former NHL defenseman Brad Stuart, was, when he was taken third overall in 1998.

"It's pretty funny," Stuart said. "Even though I wasn't there, it's pretty funny. It's got be almost 30 years now. It's kind of crazy, but it's cool... super excited. This pace is amazing, and I'm definitely really comfortable here."

For Stuart, it's been quite the road to get to this point.

Born in Manhattan Beach, California, Stuart never really took for the warmer weather or the beach life; usually he was at the rink, following his father around and going to arena after arena to watch him take the ice.

All the while, he and his family moved around quite a bit for his dad's career, something that Stuart hated at first, but ultimately, warmed up to as he saw how it shaped his journey.

"It's cool, but (could) be a little bit annoying. You get used to a place, then you have to move again," Stuart said. "Once I was eight, luckily my dad retired and then we were just kind of in L.A. for quite a while."

Back in California, Stuart played in junior programs in Los Angeles, then played for Little Caesars. That path eventually led him to the U.S. National Team Development program, where he rounded out his game and embraced his identity as a fast, 200-foot player.

The 18-year-old prides himself on his footwork, speed and awareness; he keeps his feet moving, puts himself in the right position and is able to create space for his teammates. On the other side of the puck, he likes to chip in and help out his defensemen.

It served him well developing with the NTDP, where he had 30 points in 57 games with the program before putting up 15 points in 23 USHL games, along with a plus/minus of plus-11, with the USNTDP Juniors.

"I'm a reliable, two-way centerman," Stuart said. "I play hard. I'm a speedy guy, I like to play fast and use my skating to my advantage to get around guys."

For his post-draft season, Stuart is headed to the WHL to continue his development with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He believes that more minutes in juniors will help him continue to round out his playing style, and after that, he'll play in the NCAA with Denver.

After sneaking into this year's draft class, Stuart knows there will be quite a bit to work on; his first NHL development camp showed him several key areas he can improve in, including his skating and strength training.

That being said, he's ready to continue to put in effort and show the Capitals they made the right choice.

"Just keep putting the same work that I've been putting in the gym and on the ice. I know I need to get stronger and put on weight, so definitely focused on that," Stuart said, adding, "I'm focused a lot on getting better on the ice, but also off the ice."