Capitals Select Forwards Filip Forsberg and Thomas Wilson in the First Round of the 2012 NHL Draft
Comment
PrintARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals selected center Filip Forsberg 11th overall before drafting right wing Thomas Wilson with the 16th overall selection in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft, held Friday at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
Forsberg, 17, was the top-ranked European skater according to NHL Central Scouting. He was the youngest player on Team Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Championships, helping his team capture their first World Junior gold medal since 1981 by recording one assist in six tournament games. The Ostervala, Sweden, native collected 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 43 games with Leksand in the second division of Sweden’s senior league in 2011-12. Forsberg also captained Sweden to a silver medal in the 2012 World Under-18 Junior Championships, registering five goals and two assists in six games while being named the tournament’s best forward.
The 6’2”, 181-pound center won a silver medal at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships, recording six points (four goals, two assists) in six games, and at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial collecting five points (four goals, one assist) in six games.
Wilson, 18, was ranked 15th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He collected 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists) and 141 penalty minutes in 49 games with Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and added 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 13 OHL playoff games. The Toronto native was voted as the ‘Best Body Checker’ in the OHL’s 2012 Western Conference Coaches Poll and was a runner up for the ‘Hardest Worker’ category.
The 6’4”, 203-pound forward won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, posting three goals in five games. He also won gold with Team Ontario at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, recording one assist and six penalty minutes in four games.
Forsberg: http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?dpid=10834
Wilson: http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?dpid=10741
