The Washington Capitals selected center Milton Gastrin with the fifth pick in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft. The Caps acquired the pick from the Boston Bruins in the 2023 trade deadline deal that saw Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway go to Boston.
Gastrin, 18, is a Swedish product from MoDo Hockey, where he appeared in eight SHL games last season.
The Ornskoldsvik native played the majority of his draft year in the J20 junior league, recording 42 points (18g, 24a) in 40 games. Gastrin was also the captain of Team Sweden at the Under-18 World Junior Championship, notching 10 points (3g, 7a) in seven games en route to a silver medal.
Gastrin is a 6-foot-1, 194-pound two-way centerman who was ranked the third-best international skater by NHL Central Scouting coming into this year’s draft.
The left-handed pivot is the first Swedish player the Capitals have picked since they took Alexander Suzdalev in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Gastrin was slated as a first-round pick coming into the draft, regularly mocked by experts to the Capitals at pick number 27. He’ll likely stick with MoDo next season and play in the second-tier pro league in Sweden, the HockeyAllsvenskan.
Gastrin is the fourth Swede off the board this year after Anton Frondell, Victor Eklund, and Sacha Boumedienne were all selected in Friday night’s first round.
