Capitals Make Five Selections in 2025 NHL Draft
Picks include Lynden Lakovic, Milton Gastrin, and Maxim Schafer
The 2025 NHL Draft took place on June 27-28, as Capitals GM Brian McLellan made some moves to help benefit the team.
This year, the Caps made five total selections in the Draft, which is less than the amount of players picked in 2024 with eight (the most since 2012).
In the first round that took place on Friday, Washington selected Canadian left wing Lynden Lakovic with the 27th overall pick. Lakovic, 18, previously played for the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors, where he totaled 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) in 47 games this past season.
On Saturday, the Capitals selected four prospects, including center Milton Gastrin (37th overall), left wing Maxim Schafer (96th overall), center Jackson Crowder (155th overall), and defenseman Aron Dahlqvist (180th overall).
Gastrin, 18, spent the 2024-25 season with Modo Hockey J20 in Sweden, where he recorded 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 40 games. He will spend next year in Sweden playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest tier of pro hockey in his home country.
Schafer, 18, spent 2024-25 with the Eisbaren Juniors Berlin U20 team and recorded 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) in 15 games. He played 31 games in the DEL, the top German league, playing against grown men and putting up a goal and two assists.
Crowder, 18, most recently played in the USHL, where he put up 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 56 games, including 14 (6 goals, 8 assists) in his final 25 games with the Chicago Steel following a trade from the Sioux City Musketeers. He is committed to play college hockey at Ohio State University next year.
Dahlqvist, 18, is coming off a season with Brynas IL of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), having played 16 games against grown men after developing with the junior teams and recording 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists) in 37 games with the J20 team.
