Forward prospect set to begin pro career in Washington or Hershey of AHL
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Andrew Cristall was a pleasant surprise during Washington Capitals training camp prior to last season.
At age 19, the forward was one of the final cuts after playing four preseason games and tying for the team lead in scoring with three points (two goals, one assist).
The expectations are high this time around with Cristall in the mix to be on Washington's opening-night roster. If not, he will begin his professional career with Hershey of the American Hockey League.
"He's going to come in, if he has a camp like last camp, it's going to be hard on the coaching staff to not keep him on their NHL team," Capitals general manager Chris Patrick said during development camp earlier this month. "And if he's not up here, he's down in Hershey and getting adjusted to pro hockey. I think we're going to see Andrew playing NHL games sooner rather than later."
Selected in the second round (No. 40) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Cristall, now 20, is coming off a solid fourth season in the Western Hockey League, when he won the Bob Clarke Trophy as the league's top scorer with 132 points (48 goals, 84 assists) in 57 games for Kelowna and Spokane. He led the WHL with 2.32 points per game (minimum 55 games) and ranked second in goals, assists and plus-minus (plus-59).
Cristall scored a league-leading 21 goals in 19 playoff games, the most by a WHL player in a single postseason since 1999 and tied for third most all-time. He ranked second in playoff points (41), power-play goals (seven) and game-winning goals (three) to help Spokane reach the best-of-seven WHL finals, a five-game loss to Medicine Hat.
"I got traded at the deadline, obviously, and I was pretty fortunate to get put in a really good situation," Cristall said of the trade from Kelowna to Spokane on Jan. 8. "It was kind of my first long playoff run and going deep in the finals. We had such a good team. It was really cool to learn that process, how you've got to take care of yourself, and the way you've got to play in the playoffs to have success. Just a really fun year all in all."
Cristall was named to the Canadian Hockey League First All-Star Team and the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team. He ended his junior career with 412 points (157 goals, 255 assists) in 248 games and became the first WHL player since 2000 to reach 400 points.
There was one uncomfortable moment, though: a high stick behind the net resulted in Cristall losing a front tooth, leaving a very noticeable gap. He has dentures to fill the space but prefers not to wear it.
"I mean, probably not something my family wants me to keep but I mean I kind of like rocking it," Cristall said of the gap. "I like the no-tooth look. I'll rock it for a little bit, but in formal settings I'll probably fill it in."
He was told a gap works well for potential teammate Alex Ovechkin.
"Yeah, so if he can do it, maybe I'll try," Cristall said.
The Capitals lost four forwards in free agency who combined for 28 goals last season (Andrew Mangiapane, 14; Taylor Raddysh, seven; Lars Eller, six; and Michael Sgarbossa, one). Although they could still add someone via trade, Cristall and a group of forwards including Ivan Miroshnichenko, 21, Hendrix Lapierre, 23, and Ethen Frank, 27, will compete for roster spots in training camp.
At 5-foot-10 and 167 pounds, Cristall continues to work on adding speed and size.
"Yeah, just being as ready as I can to come into camp and try to make the team," he said. "Getting bigger, faster stronger. Just getting ready to win puck battles along the boards and just little details in the defensive zone will help me a lot in camp and if I can do that, I think I can push the needle pretty well."
