Home / News / Andrew Cristall, a talented playmaker and member of Connor Bedard’s roller hockey group, selected by Capitals in second round

Andrew Cristall, a talented playmaker and member of Connor Bedard’s roller hockey group, selected by Capitals in second round

By Chris Cerullo

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June 29, 2023 12:01 pm

The Washington Capitals were back on the clock early on the second day of the 2023 NHL Draft and selected one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire class. Andrew Cristall, a left wing from the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL, has tremendous offensive upside after finishing his draft season third in the entire league in terms of scoring rate.

One of the two players that finished ahead of him in the WHL in that regard was Connor Bedard, his good friend, roller hockey teammate, and the first overall selection of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Cristall was NHL Central Scouting’s 15th ranked North American skater in their final rankings. Cristall finished sixth overall in the WHL in scoring last season despite missing 14 games with a quad contusion. The British Columbia native is a natural, explosive playmaker, racking up an impressive 95 points (39g, 56a) in just 54 games.

Players with that sort of production normally go much earlier in drafts but scouts cite concerns about Cristall’s skating, defensive play, compete level, and his somewhat diminutive size as to why he didn’t end up a first-round pick. Cristall stands at five-foot, ten-inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.

Cristall was determined not to let any of that talk get to him. “To have eyes on me and people watching every night, it’s a privilege that I don’t really take for granted,” he told the Rockets in a pre-draft interview. “I’m just having fun playing hockey.”

The 18-year-old is a childhood buddy of Bedard as both grew up together in Western Canada. The two have played hockey either on the same team or against each other since they were just five years old.

They star together in a Wednesday night roller hockey league in North Vancouver alongside NHL players Kent Johnson and Jake Christiansen.

Cristall spoke about some of his roller hockey exploits with TSN’s Mark Masters.

“We’re not really the biggest roller hockey team,” Cristall said joking about the team’s record. “There’s a lot of guys that have systems and we might not be the most defensive team. We like to go for some offense. That could hinder our success a little bit but we’re in the win column now. We got a big OT win there and hopefully will turn things around.”

Cristall has also represented his country at multiple recent international youth events. At the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Cristall put up six points (1g, 5a) in five games on the way to winning a gold medal.

He followed that up with six points (2g, 4a) in seven games at the U-18 World Junior Championship.

Cristall is the first player the Caps have taken from Kelowna since they used their 2016 first-round draft pick on Lucas Johansen. Before Johansen, they also grabbed Madison Bowey in the 2013’s second round.

The Caps are prone to selecting prospects from the WHL perhaps due to assistant general manager Ross Mahoney’s deep ties to the league.

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