The Washington Capitals have assigned 2013 first-round pick Andre Burakovsky to Erie in the Ontario Hockey League, after what coaches and teammates believed to be a strong showing at training camp.
“He’s going to be a very, very good hockey player,” Capitals head coach Adam Oates told The Washington Post.
“We sent him back to juniors so he can have a good year and keep learning, learning the language, and all the little things of growing up. We’re very happy with him.”
Burakovsky added an assist in Washington’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
The Capitals selected the 18-year-old Burakovsky, a left-winger originally from Klagenfurt, Austria, with the 23rd overall pick in this year’s draft.