Center/Left Wing
Lulea HF (SHL and SuperElit) and Swedish Men’s Junior Team
Size: 6’0 (184 cm) and 185 lbs (84 kg)
This talented Swede is coming out into the draft as the definition of a playmaker in a literal sense. He’s a pass first, possession focused guy that almost ignores good shot attempts. His corsi numbers will be absolutely insane, he loves to be down low or at the top of the circle and while he doesn’t have the best net-front ability, he has shown a decent proficiency at grabbing rebounds to turn nothing into something. He’s very strong on the puck, makes defenders miss with good edges and direction changes despite not having elite speed. I still think his speed is a plus for him, but it’s not at that top tier level, if you get what I’m trying to say here. Enough can’t be said about his passing. It’s solid at every turn and he makes lots of fancy fakes/no-look/backhand passes with ease.
Despite his interest in the occasional big hit, it should be noted that he’s not a physical player. He tends to use his good (not elite) hands to make quality zone entries, but nothing that would earn him a Datsyuk-ian moniker. I think his defense is a bit underrated, largely because he shows a very clear mentality in his own zone. He treats defensive play much like he treats his game in the offensive zone, focusing on getting into passing lanes and seeing them before they happen, but that comes at a cost of his own 1v1 coverage ability. His positioning and choices will have to get better, but I think the tools are there to get him to an decent level. While he probably lacks in high end skill, he’s a solid top 6 forward in the NHL. Likely will need help from teammates to make things happen and score around him. His lack of production in the SHL is mostly what keeps him from being picked in the top 10, but I think it’s safe to see him in the NHL about 2 seasons from now.
Likely draft position: 10-20
Best fits in the NHL: Dallas, Columbus, Los Angeles, Colorado, New York Islanders
Player comparison(s): Tyler Seguin, Valtteri Filppula, Henrik Sedin
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