NHL Draft Results: Washington Capitals Steal Filip Forsberg at No. 11

The steal of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft belongs to the Washington Capitals—and they did not have to do anything at all to achieve it.

The NHL draft started off predictably enough. There were no real surprises through the first four picks.

It was when Toronto selected defenseman Morgan Rielly at No. 5, as opposed to drafting a forward as many had predicted, that you got the sense things might go off the rails a bit.

What ensued was a full scale derailment.

At No. 6, Anaheim drafted Hampus Lindholm five to 10 spots higher than most had projected.

Minesota then made the right call by selecting Matthew Dumba at No. 7.

Things then took a definite turn toward the surreal as the Penguins dealt Jordan Staal to the Hurricanes. As part of that deal, the Penguins got the Hurricanes' No. 8 pick. With that pick, the Pens addressed their defense, but selected Derrek Pouliot about five places higher than most had projected.

Winnipeg took another defenseman at No. 9 in Jacob Trouba, which was a good pick by the Jets.

At No. 10, the Lightning took yet another defenseman in Slater Koekkoek. While that pick came in about 10 places higher than many had predicted, I personally think it is a great pick as Koekkoek was one of my sleepers.

Which brings us to the Caps at No. 11—and probably wondering what the hell just happened.

Seven straight blueliners had been taken, effectively changing the landscape of the first round.

Lost in the shuffle was a man predicted by practically everyone to be a top-10 pick, if not top-five.

That man is Filip Forsberg, and by drafting him at No. 11, the Capitals may just have gotten the steal of the draft.

I'll be the first to admit that I did not do a lot of studying up on Forsberg over and above getting a basic understanding of what he brings to the table in the process of completing my own mock draft. Like most Caps fans, I just did not think there was any chance he would end up a Cap, unless they traded up for him.

Since the surprising selection, however, I have done quite a lot of research into just who Filip Forsberg is.

Impressive does not begin to describe this kid. Once you start digging deeper into scouting reports, if you are a Caps fan and you are not excited about this pick—well, I don't really know what to say.

According to his profile at NHL.com, Forsberg helped his team win a silver medal at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships, recording six points in six games. At the 2011 Ivan Hlinka Memorial, Forsberg scored five points in six games.

According to NHL Director of European Scouting, Goran Stubb, Forsberg is a leader who plays a lot like Corey Perry. He is a creative playmaker, good skater and an effective two-way player.

That sounds pretty good to me.

His scouting report at draftsite.com is equally glowing, noting his surprising strength, ability to finish a play and the fact that he can have an edge to him at times.

Elitehockeyprospects.com has a similar review of Forsberg, noting his stick-handling skills and excellent shot.

CSNWasington.com did an extensive article on Forsberg after he was drafted. It is an excellent piece that goes into how the Caps were rather stunned to find Forsberg still available at No. 11, pretty much like the rest of us. The scouting report in this article is even more thorough than the others previously mentioned.

The qualities Forsberg has that stood out in the scouting report from CSNWashington are his awareness, his mental toughness, his sniping ability and his athleticism. CSNWashington believes he is NHL ready, although they acknowledge that Forsberg will stay in Sweden for another year before coming to the Caps.

And the really amazing thing? He is only 17.

If you are still undecided that Forsberg might be the steal of the draft, then watch the video profile included in this article. It is a very good piece and really gives some insight into this dynamic young man who could very well be the Caps' second-line center in about a year.

Eben if Forsberg does not turn out to be the steal of the draft, all indications are that he is going to be a tremendous player and a huge acquisition for the Capitals.

After all, how can you really go wrong with a Swedish player named Forsberg?