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The Washington Capitals will be well-represented at this year’s World Junior Summer Showcase, a first step for prospects to show that they can play in one of the IIHF’s biggest tournaments come winter.
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Forward Terik Parascak was named to Team Canada’s roster on Sunday. Despite reportedly earning a late invite, Lynden Lakovic, Washington’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, will not play.
Parascak is coming off a bit of a tougher year with the WHL’s Prince George Cougars, where he had 28 goals and 54 assists for 82 points in 59 games, a drop from the 105-point rookie campaign he put up in 2023-24. For Parascak, it was a more difficult year for the Cougars as a whole, and Washington’s front office also attributed his decline to overdeployment and fatigue.
The hope is that Parascak can rebound and continue to grow his game entering his third year in the WHL, while also showing what he can do for his country in the showcase.
Meanwhile, two more Capitals prospects will represent Team USA, with defenseman Cole Hutson and goaltender Nicholas Kempf named to the Americans’ roster.
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Hutson, the younger brother of Calder winner Lane, is coming off a pivotal freshman year at Boston University, where he overcame some early struggles to finish the season with 14 goals and 34 assists for 48 points in 39 games while emerging as one of the league’s top prospects.
The Capitals are keeping a close eye on him and are eager to see how his sophomore year goes, and will decide from there whether or not he will make the pro jump this season or later down the road.
Kempf, meanwhile, had a bit of a different experience in his first collegiate season, going 2-10-0 with a .895 save percentage with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He’s eager to turn things around his sophomore season and show D.C. his upside as a legitimate starter and top goaltending option to have in the pipeline.
The U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland will all participate in the showcase from Sunday to Aug. 2.