Andrew Cristall is not a prototypical hockey player.
The Washington Capitals‘ 2023 second-round pick is small, both in height and weight. He doesn’t have the blazing speed of a more diminutive forward. Yet for everything he’s not, he makes up for it with everything he is: an intelligent playmaker who has elite vision, thinking the game better than almost anyone at his age.
Recently, after representing the Capitals at the NHLPA Rookie Showcase along with Cole Hutson, Cristall was asked by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, “If someone is watching you for the first time this season, what do you hope they say after the game?”
“‘Wow, I didn’t realize how good he is,'” Cristall responded. “I’m a pretty smart player where I can make reads and end plays. I’m not a brute force out there. So if they could be like, ‘Oh wow, this Cristall kid’s pretty slippery, and he makes plays,’ that’s something that I’d like to hear.”
Cristall had a sensational rookie season in the AHL last year, posting 60 points (20g, 40a) in 72 games with the Hershey Bears. Together with Ilya Protas, he accomplished a staggering feat: the two prospects became the first rookies in franchise history (88 seasons) to finish first and second on the team in points at season’s end.
Cristall further evolved his game in the playoffs, leading the team in points — he had 7 (2g, 5a) in 6 games — and showing that he could still produce with less space and more physicality. His play suggested that it’s only a matter of time before he makes his NHL debut.
Cristall’s comment of, “Wow, I didn’t realize how good he is,” may play into the fact that he doesn’t have the same name recognition or notoriety as other high-ranking, point-producing prospects. Cristall has only represented Team Canada just once, with their U-18 World Junior Championship team during the 2022-23 season, and was a second-round pick, 40th overall, at the NHL draft. Cristall fell down the board due to perceived skating issues, which he has since vastly improved.
Cristall was named the third-best prospect in the Capitals’ system by The Athletic. Sooner than later, NHL fans outside of Cristall’s stops in Hershey and junior, will likely be saying, “Dang, he’s good.”
