Washington Capitals select Terik Parascak No. 17 overall in 2024 NHL Draft

A young man who has burst on the scene recently has potentially found a future home.

On Friday at The Sphere in Las Vegas, the Washington Capitals took Terik Parascak of the Prince George Cougars in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, No. 17 overall.

Parascak is one of the better stories heading into the draft. After playing AAA hockey up until the 2022-23 season, the Lethbridge, Alberta native made an immediate impact with the Cougars. He led all rookies in the Western Hockey League in goals (43) and points (105), helping Prince George make it all the way to the Western Conference Final.

The 18-year-old came into Las Vegas as the 15th-ranked prospect among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting Scouting. Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis has Parascak as the No. 46 prospect.

“Some scouts are worried his game isn’t rounded enough,” Ellis said. “And that playing on an offensively dominant team has helped him significantly, and his skating is a real problem.”

Though he has only been playing at a higher level in recent years, people are quickly learning there’s a lot to like about the winger’s game. At 5-foot-11, he needs to improve on his skating, but Parascak has shown he has a great scoring touch to make up for it. He has a keen eye for making plays and finding space to create them as well. If Parascak continues to improve the little things, there is no reason he cannot be a top-six forward.

Parascak’s play earned him a spot in the CHL Top Prospects Game, and was named to the WHL B.C. Division’s Second All-Star Team.

Prior to playing junior hockey, he played for the prestigious Edge School Hockey Progam in Calgary, where he was a part of the team that won the 2023 Canadian Sport School Hockey League Under-18 championship. Parascak played four seasons, from U-14 to U-18, before getting his first call-up to Prince George late in the 2022-23 season.