With training camp less than a month away, the Washington Capitals are fully turning their attention to next season.

Wednesday, the Capitals announced that they loaned Ludwig Persson, a third-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft, to IPK of the Finnish Mestis league (Finland-2) for the 2023-24 season

The 19-year-old center/left-wing spent last season on loan as well, playing 45 games for BIK Karlskoga of the HockeyAllsvenskan and one game for SHL Frolunda.

“This is exciting and I believe that this is a great opportunity for me to take the next step forward in my career,” Persson said in an IPK release and translated by Google Translate.

IPK head coach Marko Tuomainen said Washington reached out to the club to make a deal and had high praise for the prospect.

“When Washington contacted us, we quickly reached an agreement on a season-long loan agreement,” Tuomainen said. “Persson is a really talented forward who has played through the Swedish youth national team pipeline and has great hockey skills. When this is combined with the background from the famous ice hockey academy in Frölunda, the physics are also at a good level for their age.

“It’s really great that Washington and the player himself saw IPK as the best place for this season to develop towards the North American rinks. I’m excitedly waiting to get to work with this talented young man. IPK, the Washington Capitals and the player himself will really benefit from this loan agreement.”

Persson was one of two players the Capitals selected in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft. The team selected Alexander Sudzalev with the 70th overall pick. Persson’s drafting came 15 spots later.

Persson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals weeks later and was assigned to the AHL’s Hershey Bears when his playoff run in the HockeyAllsvenskan ended. He did not appear in any games.

Persson was eligible to play for Hershey this season, but with the Bears’ depth chart so stacked at forward, the team likely viewed another loan as the best way for him to develop.

Here’s the full press release from the Washington Capitals:

Capitals Loan Ludwig Persson to IPK of Finnish Mestis league

2022 third-round draft pick loaned to Finnish club for 2023-24 season

ARLINGTON, VA — The Washington Capitals have loaned forward Ludwig Persson to IPK of the Finnish Mestis league (Finland-2) for the 2023-24 season, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Persson will be eligible to return to North America at the conclusion of Mestis’ 2023-24 season.

The Capitals selected Persson, 19, with the 85th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Gothenburg, Sweden native recorded 15 points (4g, 11a) in 45 games with BIK Karlskoga of HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden-2) last season. The 6’0″, 186-pound forward ranked tied for ninth on the team in assists and 10th in points. Persson also appeared in one game with Frölunda of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in 2022-23.

Persson made 10 appearances with Frölunda and played 41 games with Frölunda’s junior team (Sweden-Jr.) in 2021-22, where he recorded a team-high 61 points (25g, 36a).

Internationally, Persson recorded one goal in three games for Sweden’s U-20 team in 2021-22 and five points (4g, 1a) in three games for the U-19 team. At the 2021 U-18 World Junior Championship, Persson recorded four points (2g, 2a) in seven games, earning a bronze medal.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB