FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Spend enough time speaking with Washington Capitals assistant general manager Ross Mahoney, and before long his encyclopedic knowledge of the franchise’s draft history comes spilling out. Name a category. Any category. First-round picks tabbed in the 20s, where the Capitals will again select Friday night at BB&T Center? Easy. Prospects plucked from the United States Hockey League? Done. This is what 16 seasons steering an organization’s draft strategy does. It makes factual recall natural, like breathing.
So of course Mahoney has noticed the trends, or at least those believed to be as much.