LAS VEGAS — Terik Parascak picked up a standout nickname right off the bat in his first season with the Prince George Cougars.
Washington, D.C
Capitals take winger Terik Parascak with 17th pick in NHL draft
With 43 goals and 62 assists in 68 games, Parascak led all rookies in the Western Hockey League in scoring and was second on Prince George in goals. Zac Funk, whom Washington signed as an undrafted free agent in April, led the team with 67 goals.
“I kind of went on a little bit of a tear at the start and was hot, and I think they started calling me that after that broadcast,” Parascak said. “It just caught on. Everybody calls me that now. … Definitely got a little bit old after a while. I don’t love the attention that much like that, but obviously super cool to have a nickname like that.”
Macklin Celebrini went first overall to the San Jose Sharks. Celebrini, who turned 18 just two weeks before the draft, won the Hobey Baker award as the top player in college hockey — and the youngest — with a 64-point season in 38 games at Boston University.
About 90 minutes later, Parascak heard his name called. His 105-point season was something of a revelation. As a 16-year-old, he was sent back to the Edge School for another year of prep hockey rather than joining the WHL full time as most high-end prospects do at 16. Parascak got a taste of the WHL that season, playing five games scattered throughout the campaign, but didn’t record a point in those four games. At Edge, he averaged more than a goal per game, with 32 goals and 34 assists in just 30 games.
“Really intelligent player. Really, really smart player,” said Washington assistant general manager Ross Mahoney, who oversees amateur scouting. “Sees the ice really well. Has a really good touch around the net. … Hard-working kid. Really like the hands and the hockey sense.”
Looking back now, still processing everything that has happened in the past 12 months, Parascak believes he wouldn’t have become a first-round pick without that extra year of prep hockey.
“Understanding what it takes to jump to a junior level like that,” Parascak said of his leap this season. “I got a little taste for it the year before and just kind of took that information and took it into that last year there. … I wasn’t in a position where I would get enough ice time to really develop my skills and didn’t want to really kind of ruin my development that way. Got them to send me back and build tons of confidence, so I was able to come into this season and do what I did.”
Parascak was projected to go later in the first round or even early in the second in most mock drafts, making his selection at No. 17 potentially a bit of a reach, but the lack of consensus in this draft class opened the possibility of teams taking swings on players for whom they had a particular affinity.
When Parascak heard his name called by General Manager Brian MacLellan, the look of surprise on his face was evident across the enormous screen at the Sphere.
“Just the whole experience of everything, I didn’t really know what to expect,” Parascak said, noting that he had several meetings with the Capitals ahead of the draft. “It was all kind of, just play everything by ear. That was my whole year, just go with the flow of everything. I was definitely surprised but couldn’t be more excited.”
Parascak’s awareness of the game is perhaps his biggest strength, according to scouting reports, which highlight his off-puck positioning and understanding of how to put himself — or his linemates — in positions to score. Whether he’s shooting the puck himself or setting up a teammate, Parascak seems to have a keen grasp of where the scoring areas are, and how to get there.
“Parascak’s off-puck timing and spatial awareness have defined his game, as he regularly gets into the right spots at the right time to bang home rebounds, tap in backdoor passes or get out in transition to give his D a stretch option on outlets (without really cheating for it),” wrote the Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, who had Parascak as the 20th-ranked draft prospect. “He anticipates play offensively and defensively at a very high level, knows how to get open and play to his linemates’ strengths, has a great wrister and one-touch shot from midrange, always goes to the net when the play funnels there instead of hanging out wide, and has skill around the net and in tight to his body when challenged by defenders.”
The next step of Parascak’s development will be to add muscle to his 6-foot, 179-pound frame, which he believes will help improve his skating and give him another gear to reach.
And after taking a slightly unconventional route to being a first-round pick, Parascak views that route as additional motivation to reach the NHL.
“Everything I’ve been through so far has been a learning experience,” Parascak said. “Definitely been cut from quite a few teams growing up and taken that all as a learning experience. That’s kind of shaped me into the person and player I am. Nothing’s ever going to be given to you. You have to earn everything. Everything happens for a reason. Just taking all those things and being able to face adversity like that and hopefully get to where I want to be one day.”
Washington, D.C
Nurses at Washington D.C.’s largest hospital call on leadership to reverse planned cuts to maternal health
RNs at MedStar Washington Hospital Center say closure of postpartum unit will disproportionately harm marginalized and underserved communities
Union nurses at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC) in Washington, D.C. are demanding that management stop the planned closure of an entire postpartum unit, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). The hospital notified the union on May 26, 2026 of its intention to eliminate 11 maternal health beds and displace eight nurses by July 26, 2026, leaving MWHC with one postpartum unit.
In a follow-up town hall with staff nurses, Chief Nursing Officer Ariam Yitbarek confirmed the closure. Other leaders have additionally informed staff that the hospital will strictly limit scheduled C-sections and inductions for patients from numerous D.C. maternal health organizations. The list of organizations includes many that primarily serve low-income patients, immigrants, and patients of color, all communities with significantly higher risks of maternal mortality. Additionally, staff were informed that Kaiser Permanente, which notably insures a large number of DC city employees and even many of MWHC’s own workers, will see a strict limit on scheduling inductions and C-sections for their patients as well.
“Closing postpartum unit 5F will gravely impact those most affected by health disparities,” said Stephanie Sims-Coates, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit. “Our low-income families and families of color will be most affected by this closure. Families trust the medical staff at MWHC and plan to come to us for their care. In a city where Black women make up 90 percent of pregnancy-related deaths despite being only half the population, the hospital’s decision to close this unit is a significant mistake.”
Community leaders and healthcare workers are joining the call for MedStar to put patients before profits and keep the unit open. This past weekend, nurses met with D.C. mayoral candidate and Ward 4 councilwoman Janeese Lewis George about the planned closure and the impact it would have on DC’s most vulnerable residents.
“Maternal mortality is a crisis for Washington, DC, and our healthcare system needs to address the crisis immediately, rather than exacerbate the challenges that birthing parents face,” said Councilwoman Janeese Lewis George. “Now is the time to invest in health care, rather than make cuts. I want to work with the hospital to identify solutions that work for patients and the provider.”
“In my time at Washington Hospital Center, I’ve seen the hospital tout its Safe Moms, Safe Babies program and host a community baby shower specifically designed to call attention to the maternal mortality crisis,” said Marcqueata “Tiya” Butler, RN in the Mother/Baby unit. “Their current plan to shut down 11 postpartum beds betrays the hospital’s stated commitments. They are aware of persistent inequities in access to care. We are calling on the hospital to consider the impacts on the community, safeguard the mothers and infants of DC and commit to addressing the maternal mortality rate.”
In 2024, MedStar Health, a registered non-profit, reported $9 billion in operating revenue.
NNOC/NNU represents more than 2,200 registered nurses at Washington Hospital Center.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
The LINE DC is delighted to announce the appointment of Sherry Abedi as its new General Manager. In her new role she will oversee all aspects of the hotel, including operations, people and culture, sales and marketing, and guest experience strategy. Abedi will lead day-to-day hotel operations while driving programming, business development, and initiatives that strengthen the property’s connection to Washington D.C.’s cultural and creative communities.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Tuesday was the last day the D.C. Council could vote to enact an expanded curfew in time for summer.
7News learned it never even made it on the agenda for a discussion and went to council members to find out why.
For the next two months, it’ll be up to the mayor to declare a curfew until the permanent version kicks in. There is already a city curfew. The curfew that has been up for debate for more than a year is the expanded version of the curfew. The expanded version allows the Metropolitan Police Department to create zones where teens 17 and under cannot gather in groups of nine or more.
RELATED | DC curfews pushed large groups into local neighborhoods, some residents say
Mayor Muriel Bowser currently has her own curfew order in place, which ends Saturday. The mayor can continue issuing an order. Councilmembers against the expanded curfew said that’s why it doesn’t need to come from the council.
In a video posted two weeks ago, D.C Council public safety chair Brooke Pinto said she wanted her councilmembers to vote to fill the gap today. 7News asked her why she never presented it to the council.
“Unfortunately, in working with my colleagues over the last several weeks, we did not have the votes,” said Pinto. “We have to have enough votes to pass the law and make sure that we didn’t have a gap.”
Bowser, in a letter to council Tuesday, said councilmembers Trayon White, Robert White, Zachary Parker, Brianne Nadeau and Janese Lewis-George are “blocking the will of the public and majority of council.”
7News spoke to three of the members she called out about the mayor’s pushback.
“I reject the rhetoric and the political games that are being played, and I’m wanting for us to get to the bottom of how do we stop the teen takeovers and the delinquent behavior we’ve been seeing,” Parker said.
“I stand by my belief that a curfew policy is a failed policy, kind of smoke and mirrors, and what we really needed is investments in our young people, so I’m pretty firm on that,” Nadeau said.
“We have to choose our tools and the time we use those tools. I’ve supported the curfew in the past, but I think with the current surge of more federal troops that have been impending, we’re putting our youth in even more danger by extending that work. I know the executive has put in an emergency executive order that will fill the gap. I hope that comes alongside extended hours, I’ve funded at DPR, extended weekends, and opening more safe spaces for youth here in the city. And that’s the solution that we do agree on,” Lewis-George said.
The mayor has not confirmed if she’ll issue another order, but it is on the table.
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