There was a time when the aging Washington Capitals had probably the most shallow prospect pool of any National Hockey League team. A perennial Stanley Cup contender, the Caps have had a tremendous run in the Alex Ovechkin era, winning a ring in 2018 and enjoying several Presidents Trophies over the last decade.

But along with that success has been a glaring lack of draft capital and young prospects in the system. Although reinforcements have been few and far between throughout The Great Eight's career, the prospect pipeline in Washington has started to improve over the last few years. The team has stopped trading away first-round picks, something they did quite a bit of while Stanley Cup contenders. Still, the organization boasts just one player who has played in over 100 games dating back to the 2016 NHL Draft, and that was Martin Fevhary. Certainly not ideal.

With Ovechkin now 37, it really is only a matter of time before his incredible NHL career comes to an end and the Capitals have to face the reality of what will likely be a full-scale rebuild in the nation's capital. That will probably usher in a couple very dark years for the once-formidable Metropolitan Division dwellers, but there is improved prospect depth coming down the pipe.

Led by 2022 first-rounder Ivan Miroshnichenko, there are some intriguing young players in the system, and the team's stable of prospects could be finally rounding the corner and shedding the title of one of the league's worst pools.

3) Hendrix Lapierre, C

Hendrix Lapierre just finished his rookie professional season with the Hershey Bears, helping the American Hockey League juggernauts win their 12th Calder Cup trophy, the most in the history of the league. Lapierre was solid playing with men, scoring 15 goals and 30 points over 60 regular-season contests and adding another six points in the postseason.

The 21-year-old was originally drafted with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, although he was ranked as high as 10th overall and fell due to injuries in his draft year. Still, the 6-foot-0, 185-pounder played six NHL games to start the 2021-22 season, and scored at over a point-per-game pace with Acadie-Bathurst in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League previously.

Lapierre is a talented playmaker with a strong defensive game, and his excellent skating stride helps him to create separation from defenders. Although his development has been up-and-down, he still projects to be a NHL player, albeit likely in the bottom-six.

 

2) Connor McMichael, LW

A former first-round pick by the Capitals in the 2019 NHL Draft, Connor McMichael missed his entire senior season with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, but immediately hit the ground running in the AHL. McMichael scored 16 goals and 39 points in 57 games for Hershey in 2022-23, joining Hendrix Lapierre as a Calder Cup champion and chipping in with 10 points of his own in 20 playoff games throughout the run.

The 22-year-old has already had a cup of coffee in the NHL, playing 68 games for the Capitals in the 2021-22 campaign. Although it was a bit surprising that McMichael was sent down to the AHL after nearly a full season in Washington, he earned more playing time and carved out a role as an impact player in the pros. The goal is that the Canadian can play his way into a second-line center role as soon as possible.

McMichael has a great shot and is another responsible defensive forward, but he needs to prove that he can consistently produce in the NHL before he can be considered for everyday duties. Still, there is potential for him to make the opening night roster in 2023-24.

1) Ivan Miroschnichenko, LW

There was a time when Ivan Miroshnichenko was considered a consensus top-ten NHL pick. When he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in February of 2022, his draft stock fell, but Washington still took a chance by selecting the Russian with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Without a doubt, Miroshnichenko is the most intriguing prospect in the Capitals' farm system. The 19-year-old is a power winger with a heavy shot, and he uses his size effectively to drive to the net and battle hard for pucks. Miroshnichenko has played in 23 KHL games, the top-tier Russian league, with Avangard Omsk.

He has one more season under contract in the KHL before he presumably comes to North America, and the hope in Washington is that the Caps can get him acclimated to Western ice with the Hershey Bears before he makes his NHL debut sometime in the next two-to-three seasons. He certainly projects as an NHL player, and has powerplay upside as a net front presence.