Prospect Prospective - Andrew Cristall is one smooth operator
Andrew Cristall is having a pretty fantastic draft plus one season for the Kelowna Rockets. However his production wasn’t enough to earn him an invitation to Canada’s selection camp for the under-20 World Junior Championships (WJC). Who knows if they would have still lost in the quarterfinals with him or not? What is Cristall’s NHL upside? Can he translate this fantastic production to the professional ranks? We will dig into those questions and much more.
Andrew Cristall (#28), D-1. On PP, from the bottom of the circle, attempts a backhand cross-ice pass, but it gets cut off by the opponent and results in a shorty the other way. 2021-10-15#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/FmaqFp4mpV
— Fantasy Hockey Doctor - Victor Nuño (@VictorNuno12) January 4, 2024
The Washington Capitals selected Cristall with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NHL draft. The EP Rinkside team rated him as the 19th best forward so it’s fair to say we think the Capitals got good value here. The team rated his passing and hockey sense as his best attributes. The team sees shades of Jonathan Huberdeau