The Washington Capitals announced on Tuesday that have loaned Swedish forward prospect Alexander Suzdalev to Mora IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden-2). Suzdalev started the 2023-24 season with the Hershey Bears in the AHL but has been unable to crack head coach Todd Nelson’s deep, league-leading squad.
Suzdalev will head to the Swedish men’s pro league after spending all of last year dominating the Canadian major junior level with the WHL’s Regina Pats. The Russian-born winger recorded 86 points (38g, 48a) in 66 games for Regina, leading all WHL rookies by 28 points.
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Suzdalev’s re-assignment overseas comes as no surprise as Hershey’s veteran-laden and talented roster was believed to boast 36 different players at one point this season. Suzdalev did not dress in any of the team’s first 11 games as he spent most of his time working out behind the scenes. While the 19-year-old, 2022 third-round draft pick has clearly graduated from the junior ranks, there was a belief that he still needs more strength and seasoning before taking the next step in North America.
The Capitals made a similar move with fellow 2022 third-round draft pick Ludwig Persson in August. Persson was loaned to IPK of the Finnish Mestis league (Finland-2) and is the team’s leading scorer (21 points) through 16 games.
Suzdalev is coming off of a preseason where he impressed top Capitals brass during both Development Camp and Rookie Camp. Assistant general manager Ross Mahoney was particularly pleased with the summer of training the prospect forward had.
“He had a really good year last year in Regina,” Mahoney said. “I think he had 80-some points. He actually trained really hard over the summer too. He’s probably made one of the biggest improvements strength wise. He’s put on some really good weight. Muscle, which he needs to.”
Mahoney also added that Suzdalev definitely still has some more work to do though. “[We want him to get] a little bit stronger [so he’ll] be better at holding position in front of the net for deflections or winning more puck battles in the corners,” Mahoney said. “Those sort of things. He’s always had the skating and the skill and the sense but he was a little bit light, a little bit thin.”
Suzdalev departs back to Sweden after that highly-successful season in the WHL that saw him named to the league’s All-Rookie Team and win WHL Rookie of the Month honors on three separate occasions.
Here’s the Capitals press release on the move:
Capitals Re-assign Alexander Suzdalev to Mora IK (Sweden)
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-assigned forward Alexander Suzdalev from the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) to Mora IK of HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden-2), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Suzdalev, the Capitals’ third-round choice, 70th overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft, recorded 86 points (38g, 48a) in 66 games with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL) last season. The 6’2”, 180-pound forward led WHL rookies in goals, assists and points and ranked tied for 11th among all skaters in scoring. Suzdalev was named the WHL Rookie of the Month for the months of December and February, the only player to earn the honor twice during the 2022-23 season. Suzdalev added 10 points (7g, 3a) in seven playoff games with Regina, which ranked third on the team.
Suzdalev, 19, spent the 2021-22 season in Sweden, leading HV71’s junior team (Sweden-Jr.) in scoring with 51 points (15g, 36a) in 45 regular-season games. The Khabarovsk, Russia native, who competes with Sweden internationally, also appeared in four games with HV71’s U18 team, where he recorded eight points (3g, 5a), and skated in five games with HV71 of HockeyAllsvenskan (Sweden-2). Additionally, Suzdalev won a gold medal with Team Sweden at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships, appearing in six games.
Headline photo: Katie Adler/RMNB
