We are currently smack-dab in the middle of the 2024 NHL offseason. But have no fear, it won’t be long before workouts commence and players begin returning to their team’s cities for the beginning of training camps. In the mean time, four Washington Capitals prospects will begin preparations for the 2024-25 season this weekend in Plymouth, Michigan.
The 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase, which will also include teams from Canada, Finland and Sweden, will take place from July 26-August 3 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan. Capitals prospects Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson and Nicholas Kempf will compete for Team USA while Andrew Cristall will lace them up for Team Canada.
The annual showcase provides teams the opportunity to assess and work with players as they begin preparations for the upcoming World Junior Championships this December in Ottawa.
Ryan Leonard, 19, was drafted by the Capitals in the first round (8th overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and is entering his sophomore season at Boston College.
The Capitals selected Andrew Cristall from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets in the 2nd round (40th overall pick) of the 2023 NHL Draft. Cristall, who turned 19 in February, is listed at 5’10″ and 174 pounds. He signed an entry-level contract with the Capitals, which will begin after he starts his professional hockey career.
The Capitals selected defenseman Cole Hutson with the 43rd overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Hutson is 5’10” and from North Barrington, Illinois, who posted 36 assists and 51 points in 51 games with the U.S. National Under-18 team. He also led all defenseman at the tournament with nine assists and 13 points in seven games for the U.S. U18 squad at the 2024 World Junior Championships. The left-handed blueliner set USA’s NTDP record for career points by a blueliner (119).
The Capitals selected Goaltender Nicholas Kempf with the 114th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft Saturday afternoon at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kempf, 18, is 6’2″ and weighs 190 lb. and hails from Morton Grove, Illinois.
During the 2023-24 season, he played for the U.S. National 18 Under team as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program. He posted a record of 23-7-0-3 in 37 games. He posted a save percentage of .897 and a goals-against average of 2.99.
Team USA will first take the ice Sunday at 1PM.
By Jon Sorensen
