The Washington Capitals made five selections during the 2025 NHL Draft at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. On Friday, the Capitals selected left wing Lynden Lakovic with the 27th overall pick. During the second day of the draft on Saturday, Washington selected forwards Milton Gastrin (37th overall), Maxim Schafer (96th overall), Jackson Crowder (155th overall) and defenseman Aron Dahlqvist (180th overall).
Lakovic, 18, was ranked second among North American left wings and 14th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 6’4”, 200-pound forward spent the 2024-25 season with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and established single-season career highs in goals (27), assists (31), points (58) and power-play goals (7) despite appearing in just 47 regular-season games. Lakovic led Moose Jaw in goals, points and shots on goal (183) and ranked second on the team in assists. Lakovic’s 1.23 point-per-game rate led the Warriors and was the fifth highest among draft eligible WHL players. The Kelowna, British Columbia native registered a career-long 13-game point streak (10g-9a–19p) from Nov. 8 – Dec. 27, which marked the 11th-longest point streak by a WHL skater in 2024-25. On Feb. 14, Lakovic was named Moose Jaw’s captain. In addition, Lakovic represented the Canadian Hockey League at the inaugural CHL-USA Prospects Challenge, where he registered two points (1g, 1a) in two games.
During the 2023-24 season, Lakovic registered 39 points (18g, 21a) in 68 regular-season games with Moose Jaw, marking a 32-point improvement from his rookie season in 2022-23 (2g-5a–7p in 37 GP). Lakovic added eight points (5g, 3a) in 20 playoff games, helping Moose Jaw win the WHL championship. Lakovic represented Team Canada Black at the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording three points (1g, 2a) in seven games.
It marked the 20th time in franchise history that the Capitals selected a player from the WHL in the first round and Lakovic became the 10th left wing selected in the opening round by Washington.
Gastrin, 18, was ranked third among all international skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 6’1”, 194-pound forward spent the 2024-25 season with MoDo’s junior team (Sweden-Jr.), recording 42 points (18g, 24a) in 40 games played. Gastrin, who served as an alternate captain, led the team in goals and ranked second in assists and points. The Ornskoldsvik, Sweden native also made his professional hockey debut and appeared in eight regular-season games with MoDo of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Internationally, Gastrin has captained Sweden at the 2025 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. At the 2025 Under-18 World Championship, Gastrin earned a silver medal after tallying 10 points (3g, 7a) in seven games.
Schafer, 18, recorded three points (1g, 2a) in 31 regular-season games with Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (Germany-1) in 2024-25. Schafer was one of three teenagers to dress for Eisbären Berlin this past season and the only one to record a point. The 6’3”, 182-pound forward also appeared in six DEL playoff games, helping Eisbären Berlin capture the league championship. In addition, Schafer played 15 games with Eisbären Berlin’s U-20 team, registering 35 points (12g, 23a), and three games with Lausitzer Füchse of DEL2 (Germany-2). Shafer represented Germany at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2025 Under-18 World Championship and the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, amassing seven points (5g, 2a) in 14 games. At the World Junior Championship, Schafer recorded three points (2g, 1a) in five games, which ranked third on his team. Schafer served as an alternate captain for the Germans at the Under-18 World Championship, where he tied for the team lead in goals with three in five games.
Crowder, 18, recorded 24 points (11g, 13a) in 56 games between the Sioux City Musketeers and the Chicago Steel (USHL). The 6’2”, 184-pound forward ranked fourth among USHL rookies in penalty minutes (82), ninth in shots on goal (99) and tied for 17th in points. Crowder, a native of Allen, Texas, spent the 2023-24 season with the Dallas Stars Elite Under-16 team (16U-AAA), where he recorded a team-leading 107 points (48g, 59a) in 62 games. Crowder is committed to Ohio State University for the 2025-26 season.
Dahlqvist, 18, was ranked 17th among European defensemen and 48th among all European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. During the 2024-25 season, the 6’3”, 205-pound blueliner registered 12 points (2g, 10a) in 37 games with Brynäs IF’s U-20 team (Sweden-Jr.). Dahlqvist ranked second among the team’s defensemen in penalty minutes (43) and third in assists and points. The Gävle, Sweden native also appeared in 16 games with Brynäs IF in the Swedish Hockey League (Swedish-1). Internationally, Dahlqvist represented Sweden at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge, earning a silver medal.
