Here's an update on several Capitals prospects.
The Washington Capitals saw a lot from their prospects in 2023, and the start of this year has been no different as Ryan Leonard, Clay Stevenson and more have picked up right where they left off.
Leonard put up an assist in Team USA's 7-2 victory over Latvia at World Juniors as the Americans advanced to the semifinals. He has picked up a point in each of his WJC appearances so far. Ryan Chesley also remained sharp, logging significant ice time while playing a shutdown role on the top pairing with Lane Hutson.
Meanwhile, Team Canada, which surprisingly didn't feature Capitals second-rounder Andrew Cristall, fell in the quarterfinals as Czechia scored with just seconds left in regulation.
Speaking of Cristall, the 18-year-old is enjoying his post-draft year in Kelowna and is having an outstanding campaign with 60 points in 29 games for the Kelowna Rockets. He is good for fourth in the league in scoring and had a hat trick and assist to close out 2023 the other night. Among all players with at least 12 games played, he leads the league in points-per-game (2.07). He didn't earn an invite to Canada's WJC camp.
Another prospect to keep an eye on in the WHL is Alexander Suzdalev. The 19-year-old, who started the season with Hershey but was loaned to Mora IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan after getting minimal ice time, will be returning to North America following a blockbuster trade that sent him to the Saskatoon Blades.
The move will hopefully help Suzdalev, who has primarily played fourth-line minutes this season, the confidence back that made him of the league's most impressive rookies just a year ago.
In other prospect news, Clay Stevenson was named the AHL's goaltender of the month after dominating December with the Bears. The rookie, who is playing in his first full season with Hershey, went 6-1-0 with a .942 save percentage, 1.73 GAA and two shutouts.