Photo: BIK Karlskoga
The Washington Capitals announced on Friday the signing of Swedish center Ludwig Persson to a three-year entry-level contract. He will earn $775,000 in each of the first two seasons of the deal and $800,000 (NHL) in the third and $82,500 in the AHL. The Capitals selected Persson with their third round pick (#85 overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Persson, 18, a 6’-0” center/left wing from Goteborg, Sweden, recorded 25 goals and 36 assists in just 41 regular season games for the J20 team last season. He played for Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey league last season, but will step down a level to play in the HockeyAllsvenskan league next season. He has a signed contract with Frolunda HC but will be on loan to BIK Karlskoga in the HockeyAllsvenskan league for the 2022-23 season.
“I felt that I, as it looks now, I am not really ready to be a good player in the SHL. Karlskoga heard from me and was interested and I felt that playing here gives me an extremely good opportunity for me to establish myself on the next level and hopefully be able to take the next step in my development.”
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ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed forward Ludwig Persson to a three-year entry level contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Persson will earn $775,000 in each of the first two seasons of the deal and $800,000 (NHL) in the third and $82,500 in the AHL.
The Capitals selected Persson, 18, with the 85th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 6’0″, 185-pound left wing recorded 61 points (25g, 36a) in 41 games with Frölunda (Sweden-Jr.) in 2021-22, which led the team and ranked second in Sweden’s top junior league. Persson added three goals in three playoff games.
The Gothenburg, Sweden native also appeared in 10 games with Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Persson recorded one goal in three games for Sweden’s U20 team last season and five points (4g, 1a) in three games for the U19 team.
Persson was ranked 11th among European left wings and 46th among all European skaters by NHL Central Scouting.
Jon, I don’t think that last salary number is right:
You wrote: “Persson will earn $775,000 in each of the first two seasons of the deal and $800,000 (NHL) in the third and $82,500 in the AHL.”
What do you feel is incorrect? That’s from Capitals press release.
Only $82,500 for a year in the AHL? Do they really go that low?
Oh yes. Not sure what the new minimum is right now, but I’ve seen $60,000 in the past. That’s why even a one game callup (at NHL pay rate) is a big pay day for them.
Wow, ok, my error. I hadn’t seen any 5 figure AHL salaries before. To go from 775,000 and 800,000 down to 82,500 to me was just unbelievable. Sorry. Wow.
No worries! it’s a crazy differential.
Yes. That would be the players’ salary if he made the Hershey Bears. If he made the Capitals, 775k etc…
Both Persson and Sudzdalev also each year, for the next 3 years get a $95k bonus no matter what. This is to help them with their life expenses and such. If they take a year extra to get over here to Hershey, like both of these guys might and stay in the leagues they are in now, their contract will ‘slide’. Meaning the 3 year deal gets pushed forward a year, although their bonus that I mentioned are only in these first 3 seasons.
thanks. I knew that the ECHL was low, but didn’t know that the AHL was that low.
Actually that’s not as low as MLB pays their minor league players (below minimum wage, last I saw. You can live pretty well in Hershey on $82.5K/yr plus expenses. As opposed to even AAA baseball players who have to live in group homes sleeping on bunk beds eating nothing but ramen noodles…
Thanks. Am learning a lot today.
I realize that $82k isn’t bad — I was just getting a few thou more than that when I retired in Northern Virginia 20 years ago. It’s just the scale of difference that is jarring to me. I had a very different ECHL/AHL/NHL grouping in my head.
That’s why getting a one-way NHL contract (vs. a 2-way) is a big deal to guys coming up… they get paid an NHL salary while in the minors. You can live EXTREMELY well in Hershey on $775K/year…
Welcome to the Caps, Ludwig!
Interesting he is stepping down a league this season.
Same as Oskar Magnusson did.
Why signing new picks when they have previous draftees on Hershey contracts?
It begins their process within the organization, locks them to the Capitals. The rights to a draft pick expire after a couple of seasons, so if they are fairly confident in the player they will usually lock them down contractually right away.
Unsigned Hershey picks likely didn’t prove themselves enough, so a Hershey contract is the next best thing, NHL teams have a limited number of contracts (50)
Has nothing to do with playing time for the Capitals. They still have to earn that, including beating out prospects in Hershey.
The Caps now have 47 contracts for the next year, leaving 3 remaining.
I was trying to figure out why the two 3rd rounders were the first in this class to sign, but then remembered that Miroshnichenko is already under contract in Russia for the next couple of years, so he won’t be signing with DC for a while. Chesley is going to college, so can’t sign him now either.
Apparently none of the other kids at Dev Camp impressed enough to get contracts… Or are also going to/staying in college so can’t sign yet.
The one I hope they don’t lose right now is Has, though Gibson and Magnusson might also merit contracts before the league year is up next summer…
Spot on “GR”, although I will add that the ELC’s don’t count against the 50. I’ll also add that they typically announce a signing or two after camp, but you are right, that could be it.
We need to see Martin Has sign something so that he can move to Hershey this fall.
But can’t we lose the player in Hershey to another team? Whereas the recent pick is under control for a couple of years even unsigned?
Technically yes, but I’d imagine there is an agreement in place with the player.
The signing rights rules for Chesley (and all drafted prospects that go the NCAA route) is that the Caps hold his NHL rights for the duration of his NCAA eligibility. Even if he drops out of college after his sophomore year, he’d still have 2 years of eligibility left, so the Caps would be the only NHL team that could sign him. It should be noted that in recent years (well, since 2015), the Caps have lost the rights to two pretty good college players, Thomas DiPauli and Chase Priskie, who played out their collegiate careers and then decided to sign elsewhere.