The Washington Capitals have sent their first pick from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Filip Forsberg, to Swedish second division outfit Leksands for the 2012-13 season.
Forsberg, still only 17 years old, recently signed a three-year entry level deal with the Caps while participating in their prospect development camp. Despite impressing with his play, the decision was made to return him to Sweden -- at 188 pounds, Forsberg still needs to mature physically and has only played a handful of games outside the junior level.
That said, his play at the junior level is what made him the highest-rated European forward heading into the draft. At the 2011 World U-18s and the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournaments, Forsberg combined to score eight times -- Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting, later compared Forsberg “to Anaheim’s Corey Perry a little bit.”
The Caps took Forsberg 11th overall at the draft. Five picks later, they took OHL Plymouth forward Thomas Wilson at No. 16.
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