Washington Capitals: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
4. Martin Fehervary
When the Washington Capitals drafted Martin Fehervary in the Second-Round (No. 46 overall) at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, not much was known about him. At the time he was drafted, he had just finished his first season in the Allsvenskan, which is the second highest league in Sweden. He went on to play the following season in the SHL for HV71 Jonkoping, where he had just seven points in 45 contests.
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Given his modest totals during his last few seasons in Sweden before heading overseas, there was not a lot of hype surrounding Fehervary. That all changed last season however. Though the now 21-year-old spent most of the season with the Hershey Bears in the AHL, he received his first ever NHL call up in February. As a result, he suited up for six regular season games with the Capitals, where he chipped in with one assist. His play clearly impressed management as he appeared in two of their postseason contests. While he is set to play for the Bears again for the 2020-21 season, he may have a shot to become a full time NHLer in 2021-22.
3. Vitek Vanecek
The Capitals likely didn’t envision it taking as long as it has for Vitek Vanecek to develop when they grabbed him with the 39th pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, but it appears he has finally arrived. The 25-year-old goaltender has spent the past five seasons developing, mainly with the Hershey Bears. The 2019-20 season was his personal best as a pro, as he posted a 2.26 goals against average (GAA) and a .917 save percentage (SV%) in 31-games played.
While it was certainly deserved given his success last season, it came as somewhat of a surprise when the Washington Capitals announced this season they were keeping Vanecek for the 2020-21 season to back up Ilya Samsonov. Though it’s early, it looks like a great decision so far. He has played in four games to Samsonov’s two due to the latter testing positive for COVID-19, and he has risen to the challenge so far, posting a 2.87 GAA along with a 912 SV% and a 2-0-2 record.