Yesterday we looked at the first 15 in our Top 25 Under 25…now it’s time to move into the top 10.
10) Andrew Cristall, LW/RW
Age: 19
2023-24 season (WHL): 62GP, 40-71-111
Based on pure skill, Cristall is probably the best player under 25 that the Caps have. He has an elite brain, hands, vision and passing ability, and he rounds it out with an above average shot and release. When it comes to offense, Cristall is one of the best prospects in the league, not just for the Caps. This past season, he led his team by 27 points in two less games than the next player, so he could have easily led his team by 30+ points. The only thing Cristall needs to do to transfer these skills to the NHL is find a way to create space for himself.
That’s one of the big questions with Cristall, how he will create that space. We know it won’t be through his build (5’10” 174lbs) and even though some players have thrived at that size like the late, great Johnny Gaudreau (5’9” 165lbs), they usually can create space with their speed. And that’s the other issue – Cristall isn’t the fastest player on the ice, though his edges are superb. He has improved his skating, which is great, but we won’t know exactly how that will translate to the professionals until he plays against professionals (granted he’s looked very good in NHL preseason).
Unfortunately, due to the stupid CHL rule where CHL players can’t play in the AHL until they are 20 or have played four full seasons in the CHL, Cristall is probably stuck dominating the WHL this upcoming season. There really isn’t much for him to learn in that league, so hopefully he just keeps working on his skating and defensive game before he can join the Bears in the spring. Then we should be able to see how much his skating has improved. If he can hit his potential in the NHL, then the Caps have a future first liner on their hands.
9) Vincent Iorio, D
Age: 21
2023-24 season (AHL): 60GP, 4-10-14
Iorio is continuing to do what he always does and that’s provide reliable, smart defense on the blueline. His offensive numbers dipped a bit from the previous season, but that’s not really a big deal since offense was never really his game. He’s a big, smooth-skating defensive defenseman that makes smart break out decisions and his pass is always on the money.
There probably isn’t much left for Iorio to learn at the AHL level, proven by the fact that he got seven games in the NHL this past season (and probably would have gotten more if he wasn’t hurt in the first game of the playoffs). He’ll be the first called up to the Caps if there are any injuries on the blueline in the upcoming season. Hopefully, this is his last season in Hershey.
It’s always hard to project defensive defenseman because without production or in depth puck possession stats, it’s hard to see what they can do at the next level. Based on play in the AHL, Iorio looks like he could certainly be a reliable NHL defensemen; it’s just a matter of where he’ll fit in. At the very least he should be a bottom pairing defenseman but certainly has top four ability. He reminds me a lot of under the radar defensemen, Brett Pesce. Let’s hope Iorio hit’s the same trajectory.
8) Alex Alexeyev, D
Age: 24
2023-24 season (NHL): 39GP, 1-2-3
It’s crazy that Alexeyev is on his last Top 25 Under 25 list. Time flies! Alexeyev had basically a copy-and- paste season last year as he did in the 2022-23 season, playing sparingly to start the season and struggling, but performing better when he received consistent time (which we delved into more deeply a few weeks ago). Basically, when Alexeyev is playing a lot consistently, he’s a very helpful, even impactful, player.
So…will this season be any different than the last two seasons? He is once again on the outside looking in, with six full starters in front of him, and his only hope at grabbing a regular spot is probably beating out Trevor van Riemsdyk. Even if he does that, though, he’ll have to play on his offside. So without a move, Alexeyev could be in for a similar season, which would be a waste of his talents. You have to wonder when a trade request becomes apparent, if it hasn’t happened already.
If you were building the perfect blueliner, Alexeyev isn’t far off in terms of physical ability. He’s big (6’4” 214lbs), can skate very well, is physical, and smart. He isn’t the most elite offensive player but he can make some great passes, especially in the offensive zone, and has a boom of a shot. In my mind, he’s proven to be at least a good bottom pairing player but with more upside, but he has to be given a chance. The question is will it be here or elsewhere, like Jonas Siegenthaler.
7) Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW/RW
Age: 20
2023-24 season (AHL): 47GP, 9-16-25
2023-24 season (NHL): 21GP, 2-4-6
It’s always a “brace for impact” moment when a European player comes over to North America for the first time, but Ivan didn’t back down for a second when he made the move last season, taking the challenge full on. He played 89 games across the NHL (22, including playoffs) and the AHL (67, including playoffs) and put up 18 goals and 25 assists for 43 points. That might not seem spectacular, but you have to remember it was his very first year in North America, he’s only 19, and he was given bottom-six minutes and second-unit power play time. Put that all together and you can’t help but be impressed.
It will be a bit tough for Miroshnichenko to make the big club this season though. The Caps are kind of stacked on the offensive side, especially if Jakub Vrana ends up earning a contract. Even if Ivan starts in the AHL, you can still bet money that he will at least make a couple trips to the NHL at some point. But it won’t hurt him at all to spend the season with the Bears. As long as he’s getting legit top-six minutes and top-unit power play time, cooking another season in Hershey will be very beneficial for him. He still has a lot of growing to do both physically and mentally, which is great news because he’s already been so impressive.
Miroshnichenko has huge upside as a top-six player in the NHL. He’s got an elite release and one timer, but beyond his goal scoring ability it’s his goal-scoring brain that makes him so dangerous. He knows where to be and makes space for himself, then once he has the puck he knows how to put it in the back of the net. He also has good playmaking ability, which makes him a dual threat. Mix that with his power-forward build and mentality, there’s very little, if anything not to like about Ivan. He will certainly be in the top five of this list very soon.
6) Hendrix Lapierre, C
Age: 22
2023-24 season (AHL): 21GP, 5-12-17
2023-24 season (NHL): 51GP, 8-14-22
Lapierre’s 2023-24 season was a very busy one, as he played 96 games between the NHL and AHL, regular season and playoffs – a run which including scoring the most points in the AHL playoffs and being named the Jack A Butterfield trophy winner as the playoff MVP when the Bears secured their second of back-to-back championships. His NHL rookie season wasn’t shabby at all after getting fourth line minutes and averaging about a minute of power play time a game, which means he basically came on for the last 15-30 seconds of the power play every time. His 2.19 points per game at 5v5 was second-best among the Caps forwards, and it was 61st among all NHL forwards that played at least 500 minutes. That’s some good stuff.
He is eligible to go back to the Bears this upcoming season, but it’s a safe bet he will not. He’s too good for the AHL and he can instantly make an NHL impact. The question becomes, what position does he play? With Pierre-Luc Dubois and Dylan Strome taking up the two top-six center spots and Nic Dowd anchoring the fourth line, that leaves just the third-line center position, but we also can’t forget about Connor McMichael who is also a natural center. It will come down to those two to see who grabs that third-line center spot and the other will probably shift to wing. Lapierre, a better playmaker, should take that center position but we’ll see what head coach Spencer Carbery does with those two. It’s a good problem to have.
In his draft year, before a tough, injury-ridden draft season, Lapierre was considered a top-six potential center. The Caps front offense admitted they thought he had number one center ability. That seems unlikely at this point, but this doesn’t mean he can’t turn into a very good two-way second-line center who plays in all situations. If that can happen, that would be huge. Being able to play that sort of talent on your third line is the kind of luxury Stanley Cup-winning teams have.
Tune in tomorrow as we wrap up our countdown with the top 5 players under 25!