Washington Capitals select Ryan Leonard with No. 8 pick in 2023 NHL Draft

The Washington Capitals have selected forward Ryan Leonard with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

Leonard packs a lot of punch. He’s not the biggest player in the draft, but he won over a ton of onlookers with his terrific showings at the U18s and with the USNTDP. He’s committed to begin attending Boston College for the 2023–24 season.

The 5-foot-11 forward, who plays both center and left wing, had 51 goals and 94 points in 57 games with the USNTDP. That includes 17 points at the U-18 World Championship, which he capped off with the championship-clinching goal in overtime against Sweden.

Leonard is the latest addition to a Capitals prospect pool that also includes Ivan Miroshnichenko, Alexander Suzdalev and more. The Capitals used their 2022 first-round selection on Miroshnichenko in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft.

Washington does not possess another pick in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Barring any additional moves, the Capitals will be back on the clock with the No. 40 pick in the second round.

Daily Faceoff‘s Steven Ellis ranked Leonard as the No. 7 prospect available in this year’s draft. Here’s what he had to say about Leonard in his final 2023 NHL Draft Rankings:

“Leonard is coming off an absolutely ridiculous U-18 tournament, which was capped off by scoring the championship winner,” Ellis said. “The seven-game affair was a perfect microcosm of Leonard’s true abilities: good speed, skill and physicality all wrapped into one. He’s the type of player every team wants.

The Capitals finished the 2022–23 regular season with a 35-37-10 record and 80 points in 82 games, enough to finish 6th in the Metropolitan Division and 25th in the league. They ultimately missed the playoffs.