It is understood the championship-winner is set to join the WNBL franchise which has taken over the Dandenong Rangers' licence, leaving the reigning champions to prepare for life after Lei.

Mitchell's departure will leave the Capitals with a huge gap to fill following the loss of Bendigo Spirit-bound guard Kelly Wilson.

Capitals coach Paul Goriss will place his faith in rising star Maddison Rocci and a new import to fill the void.

But he won't be rushing into signing the first name that pops up on his radar, and history shows that is perhaps for good reason.

"The thing I go back to is, it was late in the piece that we got [import Kia Nurse] last season," Goriss said.

"We'll just do our due diligence and find the right player that is going to be the right fit for us. It's going to be difficult to replace some players.

"We're just making sure it's the right cultural fit, and the right skill set for what we need at that position.

"We definitely need a point guard. That's something I have taken a lot of time to pursue and work in. Obviously it's going to be an import in that spot.

"We've got Maddy there as a back-up but we legitimately need a starting point guard that is going to be able to come in and run the team.

"We've got to have someone with a little bit more experience, I'd rather not go with a rookie, but what's out there at the moment is mostly rookie guards.

"It's just a matter of making sure we get the right person for the role we want to fill. Last season we had great chemistry and that's something we wanted to continue to build on."

MORE CAPITALS NEWS

It comes as the Capitals unveil the seventh member of the squad tasked with defending Canberra's WNBL crown in Alex Delaney.

Delaney joins the Capitals after her rookie season with the Sydney Flames and is expected to be an impressive foil for the club's big three.

"Losing Kelly, we needed another shooter and scorer to come off the bench. She definitely gives us that depth," Goriss said.

"She is an exciting young player that has still got room for improvement. With her game, she is definitely a good shooter which will help spread the floor for us.

"She is somebody that wants to prove themselves and be established in the WNBL."

The Capitals have already locked up three of their championship-winning starters in Nurse, Marianna Tolo and the league's reigning most valuable player Kelsey Griffin.

Young guns Keely Froling and Rocci, who have been named in the Emerging Opals squad, join Kristy Wallace on the Canberra roster.

Canberra's title defence will begin in October but the final WNBL fixture is yet to be settled upon as league officials work with clubs around upcoming FIBA qualification windows.