page_title: 2011–12 Washington Capitals season
section_title: 2011 draft picks
hierarchical_section_title: 2011–12 Washington Capitals season / 2011 draft picks
caption_attribution_description: English: Edmonton Oilers select Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as top pick in Round One of the NHL entry draft. Français&#160;: Les Oilers d'Edmonton font de Ryan Nugent-Hopkins le 1er choix
context_page_description: The 2011–12 Washington Capitals season was the franchise's 38th season in the National Hockey League. Washington finished the year as the seventh place team in the Eastern Conference. In the opening round of the playoffs, they matched up with the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Due to injuries, the Capitals were forced to play rookie goaltender Braden Holtby. Washington's defeat of the Bruins marked the first time in NHL history in which all seven games of a series were decided by one goal. Facing the East's top seed in the Conference Semifinals, Washington was defeated in seven games by the New York Rangers. Holtby was lauded for his playoff performance, where he recorded a .935 save percentage and was credited with putting Washington in a position to win each game.
  Washington won their first seven games, setting a franchise record for consecutive victories to start a season. Shortly after, however, an early season slump prompted the benching of offensive star players Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin in separate games. The moves failed to produce results, and Head Coach Bruce Boudreau was eventually replaced by Dale Hunter.
context_section_description: The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 24 and 25. Heading into the draft, the Capitals had only five picks due to a variety of trades, which was tied for the fewest in franchise history. Believing that they had prospect depth in their organization and not seeing an available player who could help immediately, Washington traded their first round pick for Troy Brouwer. With just late round selections remaining, the Capitals decided to take players that required time to develop. Three of their four picks were in, or set to attend, college. Fourth-round pick Steffen Soberg, the lone player not attending college, played in the GET-ligaen, Norway's highest level of competition. At the 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships, he posted the second-highest save percentage in the tournament and was considered one of Norway's top three players, though no Norwegian goaltender has ever played an NHL game.
  source:
  Draft notes
  The Capitals' first-round pick in the draft was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Troy Brouwer.
  The Capitals' second-round pick in the draft, along with Brian Pothier and Oskar Osala, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Joe Corvo in 2010.
  The Capitals' third-round pick in the draft, along with Jake Hauswirth, was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Dennis Wideman.
caption: The stage at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
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