The Washington Capitals selected Lynden Lakovic with the 27th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Lakovic is a 6-foot-4-inch, 200-pound Canadian left wing, drafted from the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. His NHL comparable is former Capitals forward Anthony Mantha.

Lakovic, the nephew of former NHL player Sasha Lakovic, was quickly introduced to excited Capitals brass via Zoom after the selection, meeting with general manager Chris Patrick, head coach Spencer Carbery, and assistant general manager Ross Mahoney.

“Hey Lynden. How’s it going? We’re really excited to have you a part of the Washington Capitals family,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said on ESPN’s broadcast. “We were sweating it out the last few picks, hoping you’d be there, and we’re glad you came to us.”

“It’s a huge honor, and I couldn’t be more thankful and happier for the opportunity you’re giving me today,” Lakovic replied.

In 47 games for the Warriors, Lakovic recorded 58 points (27g, 31a), which was good for the top mark on his team. His 1.23 point-per-game rate was fifth-best among draft-eligible WHL skaters. Despite being such a big player, he only recorded four penalty minutes.

Lakovic won the WHL championship with Moose Jaw during the 2023-24 campaign. He was previously teammates with fellow Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall’s older brother, Tyler Cristall, while with the BCHL’s West Kelowna Warriors during the 2021-22 season.

The Capitals often tend to draft from the WHL in part due to assistant general manager Ross Mahoney’s deep connections with the league. Mahoney was previously an assistant coach with the Regina Pats and played for the Pats in his on-ice days.

Lakovic joins Terik Parascak (2024), Andrew Cristall (2023), Brett Hyland (2023), Ryan Hofer (2022), Vincent Iorio (2021), Dru Krebs (2021), Bear Hughes (2020), Garin Bjorklund (2020), Brett Leason (2019), and Aliaksei Protas (2019), who were all selected from WHL teams over the previous six drafts.

The 18-year-old winger was the 14th-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting in this year’s draft class. Lakovic was a consensus top-20 pick before the first round began, and experts believe the Capitals have added great value late in the round.

The Capitals have taken wingers with four straight first-round picks, including Lakovic, Parascak (2024), Ryan Leonard (2023), and Ivan Miroshnichenko (2022).