31 Teams in 31 Days - Washington Capitals

After ignoring the OHL for several years, Washington has selected an OHL player high in the NHL Draft the last two years.

1. Connor McMichael - London Knights
A breakout season by McMichael, his second in the OHL, helped to propel him into the first round where the Capitals selected him 25th overall this year. McMichael led the Knights in scoring, surely an impressive feat. A lot of that is thanks to his hockey sense, which is among the best in the OHL. He processes the game at another level and when you combine that with his strong skating ability, you have a kid who consistently pounces on offensive opportunities when they arise. McMichael also has a great shot and release, and operates mostly as a shoot first center. Next year, he has a chance to lead London in scoring again and could be in the 85-90 point range. But I would love to see a few things happen. First is attacking the middle of the ice more with the puck, all the while becoming a more consistent distributor. If he wants to stay down the middle as a pro (something that scouts have concerns about), this will be crucial. Second is improving his consistency away from the puck. I'm less worried about this as he gets stronger and looks to use his head to become an impactful two-way forward. 

2. Kody Clark - Ottawa 67's
First the good. I thought Clark's physicality really reached a new level this year. The consistency of this was something I had criticized before, because he had the potential to dominate every shift with his size and ferocity. And, for the most part, that was true this year. Clark transitioned into being one of the OHL's most physical forwards. He can really make an impact in all three zones with his tenaciousness and ability to separate his man from the puck. He had some of the biggest hits in the OHL this year and many were in puck pursuit. From an offensive stand point, however, his game hit a bit of a plateau. There were times that I felt he struggled with the pace at which Ottawa (and it's dynamic offense) wanted to play. He can be a factor when zone time is established and he can use his strength on the puck to work the cycle and open up room/space for his linemates. He is especially good at spinning off checks along the wall, cutting to the slot to make plays with defenders on his back. But his puck skill and decision making with the puck are lacking the touch that you would want from a truly dynamic offensive player. I'm just not sure that this will develop further as he looks to start his pro career next season. I do think that Clark can be an effective NHL player, but as more of a 4th line energy guy. Likely his ability to further improve his skating and his defensive play will be the key to this.