Capitals select Oliver Suvanto No. 18 overall in 2026 NHL Draft
Another dynamic two-way forward is off the board.
The Washington Capitals selected Finnish center Oliver Suvanto with the Oliver Suvanto pick at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft Friday night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
Suvanto spent the majority of the 2025-26 season with Tappara of Liiga, Finland’s top domestic league. He recorded two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 48 regular-season games. He also scored three goals in three games with Tappara’s Under-20 SM-sarja squad.
The 6-foot-3 center represented his native Finland at the 2026 World Junior Championship, where he scored twice in seven games. He also scored a goal and added two assists for three points in five contests at the Under-18 World Championship.
Oliver Suvanto from Luca Santala and Samu Alalauri. Finland completes the comeback to win this 5-4. #U18MensWorlds
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Suvanto No. 28 in his final 2026 NHL Draft Rankings, writing that the 17-year-old forward showed “he can play a reliable two-way game.”
“I really like his play away from the puck, and I thought he looked solid at the World Juniors in a variety of roles,” Ellis wrote. “While there are times where he’s easily the best player on the ice, it wasn’t frequently enough, and he doesn’t have the offensive talent to suggest he’s anything more than a bottom-six player at this point.”
Ellis also complimented Suvanto’s physical game and penalty kill at the World Juniors, but added that he looked “completely invisible” at times and ultimately played a bottom-line role.
Suvanto spent the 2024-25 campaign with Tappara’s U-18 squad, where he scored 11 goals and recorded 31 assists for 42 points in 42 games.
He is expected to return to Finland for the 2026-27 season.
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