The NHL’s 2008 Entry Draft is complete, and the Capitals have added a total of eight prospects to their organization. In the order they were drafted, they are:

(1) Anton Gustafsson (center) - selected 21st in the first round, 21st overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded the 23rd and 54th overall picks to New Jersey for the 21st overall pick in order to be able to make this selection. Gustafsson is the son of former Capital Bengt Gustafsson, and like his father is a natural center. Played most of 2007-08 in Sweden for Frolunda’s under-20 team, where he had 10 goals, 13 assists, 43 penalty minutes and a plus-17 rating in 23 games. Anton played one game with the senior squad last year but didn’t register a point.
The good: Gustafsson has been described as having a mid-first round overall skill set. This selection addresses a number of needs simultaneously for the Capitals: Gustafsson provides both size and two-way play at forward, as well as depth at the center position. He has been described as a mature player both on and off the ice.
The bad: Gustafsson has had significant injury trouble, most notably with a slipped disc in his back and doesn’t have all that much experience against high-level competition. It may have been unnecessary to trade up in order to take Gustafsson.
Initial Reaction: “What?! They traded up to take him?”
More Thought-out Reaction: The only serious issue preventing Gustafsson from being a projected mid-first round pick was his health, and given the Capitals’ meticulous nature, fans should rest assured that he is, or will be able to, recover completely. If that’s the case, Gustafsson looks like he could be a very solid second line center, and being drafted by the same team his father played for could prove to be a source of motivation.
Grade: B-

(2) John Carlson (defense) - selected 27th in the first round, 27th overall
The skinny: The Capitals traded Steve Eminger and the 84th overall pick to Philadelphia for the 27th overall pick in order to make this selection. Carlson is a big, physical, stay-at-home defenseman with the potential to be a shutdown defenseman in the NHL. He played for the Indiana Ice in the USHL this past season, where he had 12 goals, 31 assists, 72 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating in 59 games. He’s slated to play next season for the London Knights, Dale Hunter’s OHL team, and alumni to Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner.
The good: TSN compared Carlson to Mike Komisarek in their draft preview and he has the potential to be that kind of player: a mean, physical defender who can go against the NHL’s best forwards. Going to London helps to assure he will be well coached and develop at a steady pace. In trading Eminger as part of the package to get this pick, George McPhee got a very good return on a player who had fallen out of the Capitals’ long-term plans.
The bad: According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Carlson needs to work on his conditioning. Playing in the USHL means he has yet to have significant experience against elite competition.
Initial Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room.
More Thought-out Reaction: High-fives and jumping around the room. Carlson is exactly the type of player the Capitals need on their blue line (and who I wanted them to take with the 21st overall pick) and although the team has Joe Finley and Viktor Dovgan in the system, each is far from a sure thing.
Grade: A

(3) Eric Mestery (defense) - selected with the 27th pick in the second round, 57th overall
The skinny: Mestery is a tall (6′5”) defender who currently plays for Olaf Kolzig’s Tri-City American of the Western Hockey League. He’s fairly thin for his height (195 pounds), but you’d have to think he’ll fill out a little. The word on Mestery is that he could develop into a solid, but not spectacular, NHL defender. Before you go thinking Mestery is Version 2.0 of Jeff Schultz, consider that Mestery had three fights in the WHL last year, which is three more than Schultz has had in his life as far as I can tell.

(4) Dmitri Kugryshev (right wing) - selected with the 28th pick in the second round, 58th overall.
The skinny: Kugryshev spent this season with CSKA Moscow’s developmental team, playing in the Russian third league, where he had 29 goals and 29 assists in 35 games. Kugryshev has also represented Russia at the under-18 and under-20 levels; in the past World Juniors he scored a goal and three assists in seven games. Kugryshev is supposed to have good offensive instincts, but is in need of work in terms of his skating. He’s reported to have a strong work ethic and be a player who’s willing to go into corners and engage in board play, so it seems that his attitude is a plus.

(5) Braden Holtby (goalie) - selected with the 2nd pick in the fourth round, 93rd overall.
The skinny: It would appear the jury is out on Holtby: he was ranked as the fourth best North American goalie by the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau and 56th overall by the TSN, but 80th by Bob McKenzie and was left unranked by The Hockey News. Overall, a pretty good pick for the Capitals since if Holtby fulfills the promise some think he has, he should be a solid NHL goaltender and if he doesn’t…well, once you get to the fourth round, you’re inherently gambling anyway. Holtby was 25-29-8 with a 2.84 GAA and .908 save percentage for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL in 2007-08.

(6) Joel Broda (center) - selected with the 23rd pick of the fifth round, 144th overall.
The skinny: Broda has pretty good size, especially for a center (6′0”, 196 pounds) and potted 28 goals in 70 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL last season. The only scouting opinions I could find came via The Peerless Prognosticator, whose sources suggest Broda has the potential to be a solid depth player at the NHL level if he manages to put it all together.

(7) Greg Burke (left wing) - selected with the 23rd pick in round six, 174th overall.
The skinny: The extent of the information I have on Burke is this: he’s a 6′0”, 185 pound left wing who scored 21 goals and 25 assists in 40 games for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (who praise his work ethic on their website) in 2007-08 and has committed to the University of New Hampshire.

(8) Stefan Della Rovere (left wing) - selected with the 23rd pick in round seven, 204th overall.
Della Rovere is 5′10”, 196 pounds and had 171 penalty minutes and 14 fights in 68 fights for the Barrie Colts of the OHL last year, so I think it’d be fair to make a guess as to what type of player he is. It’s worth nothing, however, that Della Rovere does have some offensive talent though: he also had 32 points in 07-08.

Welcome to the Washington Capitals, gentlemen.