The Washington Capitals have locked up their top pick from this 12 months’s draft. Washington signed forward Oliver Suvanto to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday. Suvanto is widely considered one in all the highest centers on this 12 months’s draft class, a house run pick for a Capitals team in need of depth down the center.
The deal carries a mean annual value of $1.075 million on the NHL level and $87,500 within the AHL. The 17-year-old is anticipated to spend the 2026-27 season on loan with Tappara of Finland’s top skilled league.
The Capitals chosen Suvanto 18th overall in the primary round of the 2026 NHL Draft. NHL Central Scouting ranked him first amongst international centers and third amongst all international skaters heading into the draft.
The left-handed centre made a right away impact on the skilled level last season, posting 11 points across 48 games with Tappara, essentially the most by a player age 17 or younger in Finland’s top league. He also chipped in three goals in three games with the club’s junior squad.
The 12 months before, Suvanto was dominant on the under-18 level, racking up 42 points in 42 games and helping guide Tappara to a league championship. He earned the Esa Peltonen Award because the league’s top forward and First-Team All-Star honors along the way in which.
Suvanto has already built a powerful international resume, representing Finland on the 2026 World Junior Championship and the 2026 Under-18 World Championship, rating amongst his team’s top three players at each events. He helped Finland reach the bronze medal game on the World Juniors and has also suited up on the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
For Washington, the appeal is obvious. Evaluators have consistently praised Suvanto’s two-way game and play-driving ability, noting he plays a heavy, physical style with enough flash to project as a legitimate scoring threat down the road. Given the Capitals’ need for center depth beyond their current core, he profiles as a possible middle-six pivot who could grow into an even bigger role as he develops.
The Washington Capitals have locked up their top pick from this 12 months’s draft. Washington signed forward Oliver Suvanto to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday. Suvanto is widely considered one in all the highest centers on this 12 months’s draft class, a house run pick for a Capitals team in need of depth down the center.