Predicting which teenage hockey players will develop into NHLers is and always has been a tricky task. Hundreds of scouts log thousands of miles each year and scour highlight reel after highlight reel just to find a handful of players who maybe, one day, might make the NHL - and the odds are against them.
As the NHL prepares for yet another draft to kick off this weekend, let’s look at the five best draft picks in Caps’ history:
5. Braden Holtby. While goaltenders are notoriously tricky to draft, the Capitals have made a name for themselves over the past two decades for their ability to uncover netminding gold time and time again.