Andrew Cristall goes to Washington (Capitals): The only Jew from the 2023 NHL draft is from Vancouver

Only one Jewish rookie out of 244 was selected at the NHL 2023 draft, held from June 28-29: Andrew Cristall. If the surname sounds familiar, it’s because the 18-year-old is the son of Alex and Jodi Cristall, leaders and philanthropists who are deeply involved in Vancouver’s Jewish community.

On July 7, Cristall signed his three-year, $2.85-million (USD) entry-level contract with Washington, after completing development camp and orientation in D.C. While he didn’t get the chance to meet any of the team’s current players—including superstar captain Alexander Ovechkin, who, like Cristall, also plays left wing—he now intends to spend the rest of the summer back home in Canada preparing for his rookie camp, which this year, just happens to fall on Rosh Hashanah.

Cristall loves challah, he calls NHL star Zach Hyman his favourite Jewish athlete, and he hopes to represent his own community the way Hyman does.

Cristall joins Ellin for his first feature interview, on this special crossover episode of The CJN Daily, along with Gabe Pulver, co-host of The CJN’s Jewish sports podcast, Menschwarmers.

What we talked about

• Watch Andrew Cristall being drafted into the NHL on YouTube
• Read how Andrew Cristall’s father, Alex Cristall, played rugby for Team Canada at several Maccabiah Games in Israel, in The CJN
• Hear how Alex Cristall is helping spearhead the development of Vancouver’s JWest, the Jewish community campus, on The CJN Daily from Sept. 2022
• Subscribe to _Menschwarmers _on The CJN Podcast Network

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our intern is Ashok Lamichhane (@jesterschest on Twitter).Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.