The Washington Capitals drafted forward Alexander Suzdalev in the third-round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, part of a draft class that received rave reviews from Capitals Assistant General Manager Ross Mahoney and a prospect that partook in the team’s prospect scrimmage at Capital One Arena following their 2022 Development Camp.
Suzdalev, born in Khabarovsk, Russia but raised in Sweden, signed his entry-level contract with the Capitals last month and is coming off a season in which he showcased his skillset, recording 51 points (15 G, 36 A) in 45 Games Played with Sweden’s HV71 J20 club (spending time with the J18 club as well as five games in HockeyAllsvenskan). He spoke about his experiences during camp, his playing style and his hockey idols.
“I started playing hockey in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and [former Capitals right wing] Alexander Semin was from there, so I like to watch him when I was younger, and of course Alex Ovechkin. I think it’s [comparing his wrist shot to Semin’s] pretty good, could be better, but I’m working on it every day in summer.”
The 18-year old was Washington’s third-round selection in 2022, and participated in the Caps’ 2022 Prospect Development Camp, the first conducted by the team since 2019. It provided the 6’2″, 176 lb forward with a chance to showcase his game.
“Just really exciting, got some chills on my skin. Really happy and really proud, a great organization. I was a Caps fan when I was younger, so loved Alex Ovechkin…I would say I’m an offensively-skilled player, likes to be creative, and make scoring chances…I think it’s been great, smaller rink here and really good for me, and develop my game…getting ready to play in NHL, so really good.”
See the full comments from Suzdalev below:
“Just got some chills on my skin. Just really happy and really proud … I was a Caps fan when I was younger.”
Third-rounder Alexander Suzdalev checks in with @VogsCaps and discusses his excitement of being drafted, as well as what he learned from #CapsDevCamp #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/RqU588pCKP
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) August 11, 2022
See 2022 2nd-Round Pick Ryan Chesley’s interview HERE
By Michael Fleetwood
If he can master his wrist-shot to the level of Semin’s NHL clubs better watch out. Say what you will about Semin’s enigmatic persona, but he was one heck of a fun player to watch when he was on his game.
He’d better work on his other shots too… Wrist shots take a lot of time and space, and there’s a lot less of that in the NHL than in Europe. Learn to snap it kid!
This kid is beginning to excite me. Review his video, interviews, etc. Caps might have snagged real value in the third round.