NASHVILLE - The Washington Capitals selected left wing Andrew Cristall (40th overall), center Patrick Thomas (104th overall), defenseman Cam Allen (136th overall), center Brett Hyland (200th overall) and goaltender Anotine Keller (206th overall) on the second day of the 2023 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. On Wednesday, the Capitals selected right wing Ryan Leonard with the eighth overall pick.

Cristall, 18, was ranked fifth among North American left wings and 15th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 5'10", 175-pound forward spent the 2022-23 season with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL), leading the team in goals (39), assists (56) and points (95). Cristall's 1.76 points-per-game rate ranked fourth in the WHL, while his 95 points ranked tied for sixth. Cristall was named Kelowna's team MVP and was selected to the WHL B.C. Division First All-Star Team. The Vancouver, British Columbia native won a gold medal with Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, finishing the tournament with six points (1g, 5a) in five games. In addition, Cristall served as an alternate captain at the 2023 Under-18 World Championship, where he registered six points (2g, 4a) in seven games and helped Canada to the bronze medal. During the 2021-22 season, Cristall set a Kelowna Rockets franchise record for goals by a 16-year-old (28) and tied the franchise record for points by a 16-year-old (69). In 129 career WHL games with Kelowna, Cristall has recorded 169 points (69g, 100a).

Thomas, 18, recorded 56 points (17g, 39a) in 66 games with the Hamilton/Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season. The Oakville, Ontario native led the Bulldogs in assists and points and tied for third in plus/minus (+10). The 6'0", 172-pound forward added six assists in six playoff games, which ranked first on the team. Thomas led Hamilton rookies with 27 points (6g, 21a) in 64 games during the 2021-22 season and appeared in all 19 of the Bulldogs' playoff games, recording eight assists en route to winning the OHL championship.

Allen, 18, was ranked 12th among North American defensemen and 46th among all North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. The 6'0", 192-pound defenseman recorded 25 points (5g, 20a) in 62 games with the Guelph Storm of the OHL in 2022-23. Allen ranked second on Guelph in penalty minutes (72) and third among the team's defensemen in points. At the international level, Allen represented Canada at the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he tied for the tournament lead in assists and helped Canada to the gold medal along with fellow 2023 Capitals' draft pick Andrew Cristall. Allen also captained Canada at the 2023 Under-18 World Championship, recording four assists as the Canadians won the bronze medal. During the 2021-22 season, the Toronto, Ontario native ranked fourth among OHL rookie defensemen in scoring with 37 points (13g, 24a) in 65 games. Allen won the Emms Family Award as the OHL's Top First-Year Player and was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team.

Hyland, 20, recorded a career-high 47 points (26g, 21a) in 42 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL last season. Hyland, who served as an alternate captain for Brandon in 2022-23, led the team in plus/minus (+11), ranked second in points-per-game (1.12), tied for second in power-play goals (11), third in goals and fourth in points. In 129 career WHL games with Brandon, the 5'11", 188-pound forward has recorded 86 points (43g, 43a).

The Capitals traded their 2025 seventh-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for San Jose's 2023 seventh-round pick (206th overall), using the pick to take Keller. Keller, 18, spent the majority of his 2022-23 season Genève-Servette's U-20 team (Switzerland), where he posted an 8-13-2 record with a 3.40 goals-against average. The 6'3", 176-pound goaltender also appeared in five games with HCV Martigny of MyHockey League in Switzerland, posting a 2-1-1 record with a 2.42 goals-against average. Keller, who was born in Dijon, France, recorded a 2.71 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage with one shutout in three games for France at the 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey U-20 World Championship Division I, Group A. Keller is the second French-born goaltender to be selected in an NHL Draft, following former Capital Cristobal Huet (214th overall by Los Angeles in 2001).