Washington Capitals forward prospect Alexander Suzdalev is finding his stride in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The 18-year-old rookie recorded another pair of goals on Saturday night against the Winnipeg Ice, increasing his total to 12 tallies on the season, with six of those goals coming in his last seven games. He also has nine assists in the last seven games.
Suzdalev’s first goal on Saturday night was the first goal of the game, coming at 2:11 of the second period. He would take the puck below the goal line and use the back of the goaltender to redirect his shot for the score.
Alexander Suzdalev calls bank (off the goaltender). His 11th of the season. 5th in last 7 games. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/sx2YxcZ4UY
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) November 20, 2022
Suzdalev’s second tally came on a 6-on-5. It was his 12th goal of the season and sixth tally in the last seven games. He also extended his point streak to eight games.
Alexander Suzdalev with his second of the game, 12th of the season, 6th in last 7 games. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/A1pVrrnpZq
— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) November 20, 2022
“I think Alex is making really good strides. I think Washington is pleased with him also,” said Pats head coach and general manager John Paddock after the game. “There’s lots of strides to keep making, but he brings an element to the game that you have to have and he’s doing a good job.”
The Capitals selected Suzdalev in the third-round (70th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft. They acquired the pick as part of the trade that sent goaltender Vitek Vanecek to the New Jersey Devils on second day of the draft.
The Capitals announced on July 15, the last day of the team’s development camp, that they had signed Suzdalev to a three-year deal. Suzdalev 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.
Suzdalev is expected to depart Regina in the coming weeks in order to join Team Sweden in their preparations for the upcoming 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship in December. The 47th edition of the Championship is scheduled to be held from December 26, 2022 through January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.
The Pats’ next contest is Friday, November 25 when they start their West Coast trip with a visit to the Langley Events Centre to take on the Vancouver Giants. Puck drop for that contest is set for 9:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time.
By Jon Sorensen
Go Suds!
Very nice pass from Bedard. At the rate the Caps are going, there’s a realistic chance he could be on their team next year…
This kid has the natural talent. He was originally a projected first rounder but dropped late. I’m dying to know why.
He plays a VERY loose game, and sometimes that can lead to an ill advised between-the-legs pass, but his style of play also demonstrates his skill level. I’ve been very impressed with the 12-15 games I’ve watched of his so far this season.
My research said that he dropped due to not being strong defensively. In fact, I believe that was a knock on both him and Persson.
I’m surprised poor defense didn’t show up in the league’s initial ranking. Will definitely keep an eye on it in the next game.
I think that the Caps have some very good prospects not only in the Bears and Stingrays but also in college, in the juniors, and abroad. The question is, what will they do with them. I just threw out some supplies I had bought for hurricane season last year and never used. Obviously I thought enough of the items to spend my money on them in the first place, but leaving them in the back of the pantry did me no good.
It’s great to have depth in the system for a change. Not all of them will make it. Really once drafted, the development really begins. Some will get it. Some won’t. But certainly a lot of optimism with our prospects right now.
I’m not ready to call it ‘depth’ yet. How about ‘a-wee-bit-of-depth’? The Caps are so far from where I’d like to see them depth wise. What saves them is a great selection process. Much of our talent is in other organizations now, but at least Mahooney has a good idea what he’s doing.
if he keeps up this scoring he can make it to the NHL where he’ll be a healthy scratch 8 out of 9 games, be kept off the PP, and play 5 minutes when he does get a sweater.