The 2024 NHL Draft saw a historic two Norwegian prospects selected in the 1st round. However, I don’t know if the Swedish region, more specifically Sweden the country, has ever had such a down year at the draft. Of the six players selected in the top 50, only three of them were Swedish-born. Sweden fans, fret not. While it is still early, the regional class of 2025 is looking very talented and very deep – especially at forward. Let’s get to know some of the big names!
Photo: Kenta Jönsson / BILDBYRÅN
#1 - Anton Frondell – C/LW, Djurgarden (HockeyAllsvenskan)
To those who watched him last year, should come as no surprise that Frondell is headlining the Swedish 2025 draft class. He dominated the J20 level and made his pro debut with Djurgården playing up to 20 minutes a night and looking great doing so. Had his season not been cut short due to a lower body injury, I’m certain his name would be more prominent in conversations about who starts the year at 1st overall.
Brilliant hockey sense. Reads the ice and anticipates play almost innately. Grandmaster levels of tactical play on display night in, night out. With the puck on his stick, expect trickery and manipulation in order to set up the play he planned out in his head before even touching the puck. His shot is laser quick and he can whip it with pinpoint accuracy. He makes expert passing plays other players could only dream of. A triple threat on offence, and a mature, refined two-way game. He’s a pickpocket with the stick, has an exceptional sense of timing and positioning off puck, and has advanced physical skills for his age.
I could go on and on, but the point is this: Anton Frondell is the total package on offence and on defence. You could easily project him as a top 6, do-it-all forward already. So why not a slam-dunk star? What holds Frondell back from that elusive 1st overall type of projection is the relative lack of explosiveness and pace to his game that the truly elite players of the sport possess. It affects his ability to create separation when carrying pucks in transition or to cycle around the offensive zone and play keep away from the opposition. He can’t use pure agility and quickness to tilt the ice in the same way that a Kiril Kaprizov or a Nathan McKinnon can. Frondell is nowhere near a poor skater, in fact he’s a good one, but that’s what’s missing from the equation.
I remember thinking the same thing about Leo Carlsson in 2023 - if he only had some extra quickness to his already fantastic toolkit, maybe him going 2nd overall would haven been a much different conversation. While Carlsson was a more highly touted prospect heading into his draft year, Frondell has a very similar play style and will face similar obstacles to reach his true potential. We witnessed the birth of a pro last year. He’s set himself up for a big year in 2025 in the HockeyAllsvenskan - will we witness the birth of a star?
Everyone is playing checkers while Frondell (#14 blue) is playing chess. Before he even receives the puck, he sees the wide-open space in the middle and his teammate sneaking behind the defence on the far side. So, he orchestrates a give and go play to beat his man, draw in additional pressure on him and set up his teammate for a tap in on the doorstep.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen this move before. Frondell (#14 blue) has some serious hands and a quick processor in his brain to be able to pull that off.
I mean… what are you supposed to do about that as a goalie? Sure, he had to slide all the way over, but Frondell (#14 Blue) didn’t shoot it right away. Just a perfect shot through the puck-sized hole over the shoulder.
Here is an example of that lack of explosive skating. It looks like Frondell (#14 White) thought about chipping it in, but the D didn’t close in on him right away so he chooses to skate it. It looks like wanted to take this puck all the way deep, but his defender caught up and he ran out of room. Had he been quicker, he could have probably kept his initial step on his man and taken it all the way behind the net.
#2 - Victor Eklund – LW, Djurgarden (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Much like his brother William (San Jose), Victor Eklund is entering his draft year with a solid sample size of pro hockey under his belt and “top prospect” status attached to his name. While his lineage does account for his high work rate, fine skill, and solid hockey sense, that alone doesn’t tell the full story.
You don’t have to look very hard to see that players who play like Eklund are plentiful in the NHL. You can throw him over the boards in any situation and good things will happen. He uses his quick and shifty skating on zone entries, on the forecheck, and to push opponents back on their heels when attacking. He’s adept at finding little pockets of ice to work in and is skilled enough to create and maintain that space. Though he’s slightly undersized, he’s tenacious and physical along the wall and in the corners, never backing down from a battle. He shows great two-way habits through smart off-puck positioning and a good stick. On top of it all, he’s got excellent playmaking instincts, inviting in pressure from multiple defenders with his puck-handling in order to free up a passing lane to a teammate in a dangerous spot.
While Eklund’s bravery is undoubtedly a positive trait, it can sometimes border on recklessness and overconfidence, especially with the puck on his stick. At his current skill level, Eklund can sometimes invite too much pressure for him to stickhandle or pass his way out of and will end up turning the puck over. While his fine skill continues developing, he’ll have to hone his decision making and figure out the happy-medium between risk and reward at the pro level. In the dirty areas, it’s a bit more straightforward: he’s got to get physically stronger to play his game at higher levels. Eklund has the tools to play effectively through contact in the HA, and he’s certainly got that dawg in him, but he still needs a bit more bite behind his bark. Not really a whole lot of negative traits to talk about – these are more steps I’d like to see him take to really elevate his game to the next level.
Here’s the evasiveness and work ethic on full display. Eklund (#7 Blue) takes this puck along the wall and is looking to move it along, dodging stick check and buying himself some space with some nice agility. His pass to his defender is risky and he turns it over, but he grits his teeth and gets that puck back. How can you not love this guy?
Eklund (#7 white) never giving up on the play. He recovers this puck off of a missed shot and moves it from low to high. He gets around the reach of one defender and throws it on net. It’s deflected, but he follows his shot and scores on the second effort.
Eklund (#7 Blue) gets this puck at his blueline and is looking to move it all by himself. He skates it just past the offensive blueline and cuts back before running into a defender, but he falls. It’s a bit of a scramble an he buys some time for reinforcements to arrive, but he ultimately gets knocked off the puck and turns it over. Maybe a little too much bravery here when a simple chip n chase would have accomplished the same thing.
#3 - Luka Radivojevic – RHD, Örebro HK (SHL)
Radivojevic first caught my eye while watching the great crop of 2024 draft eligibles on the powerhouse Örebro J20 team. He was easily their most skilled puck-moving defenceman, balancing creative playmaking with refined and responsible play in the defensive zone. At the J20 level, he outscored some of his draft eligible teammates who play forward. He even drew into a few games in the SHL, even if he only played a grand total of 20 minutes or so. He also played a big role internationally with Slovakia at both the U18 and the U20 WJC, supplying some much-needed offence from the blueline.
If I had a nickel for every time Radivojevic got the puck along the blueline, drew in multiple defenders by looking shot all the way, all before slipping a pass to a teammate for a scoring chance, I could buy a Mercedes. So much of Radivojevic’s offence flows through his mobility, deception and shot - or the threat of it, anyway. He’s got quite a rip. Defenders have to respect it, which opens up tons of space for Luka’s teammates to get fed the biscuit. Every now and then, he’ll activate into the play below the blueline and even behind the net to really send the defence into a frenzy with some shifty maneuvering from his edges.
He's not all offence, though. Radivojevic has pretty refined physical skills and can deal with larger opponents vying for pucks in dirty areas effectively. He does struggle to get inside positioning and can’t box them out from the net-front, instead relying on his reads and smarts to advantageously position himself where he can tie up sticks or push and pull loose pucks from a maze of feet. Honestly, he plays a pretty well-rounded game for a 5’10” defenceman.
For all the magical moments Luka showed in 2023-2024, there were times his lack of quickness held him back. Most of the time, he can move pucks effectively through both passing and skating in the Swedish juniors. However, it’s a bit tough to project his puck-moving abilities to higher levels without that extra top gear. He could be a surefire 1st rounder if he adds some extra quickness to his step.
All the best parts of Radivojevic (#29 Red) coming together in one play. He moves the puck from coast to coast, he skates down low and fires a quick shot that glances off the goalie, he makes a ridiculous play for a tap in goal. Looking for more of this in 2025.
He can take the body, too. Radivojevic (#26 Blue) makes a great defensive play, laying out his man and causing a turnover.
Quick and deceptive, but not quick and deceptive enough. Radivojevic (#29 Red) tries to skate the puck from his defensive end through the neutral zone, but can’t escape the reach of the lone forechecker in his way. He ends up taking a penalty on a play where a quicker player would have just blown by his man.
#4 - Filip Ekberg – LW/C, Almtuna IS (HockeyAllsvenskan)
I can’t quite explain it, but it feels like Filip Ekberg is already flying under the radar heading into 2025. He didn’t make the Swedish 2023 Hlinka Gretzky team (although he made the roster in 2024), nor did he play in the U18 worlds, but he did dominate at the U17 level internationally. He scored at nearly a point per game in the j20 for a middling Almtuna IS team and played a ton of games in the HA for a 16-year-old. At face value, that’s a pretty impressive resume for a D-1. So, where’s the hype?
At his peak, Ekberg is a quick, shifty puck handler, dynamic on his edges, faking out defender after defender, on a mission to create a scoring chance. He can really explode into a sprint on rush chances, and it rarely feels like he stops moving his feet once he gets them going. He sees the ice well, hitting teammates with creative and accurate passes. He’s got a laser of a shot that I wish he used more often. There is even a will to get physical, even if he doesn’t quite have his man strength yet. When Ekberg is pushing the pace on and off the puck and he’s driving his line, he is a 1st round talent, no questions asked.
However, moments where that Filip Ekberg showed up only came in flashes. You saw that Filip Ekberg emerge at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky against Slovakia, and then disappear for the rest of the tournament. In fact, he was a healthy scratch in the bronze medal game against Team USA. When he’s off, more specifically off-puck, he’s invisible. Boxed out, pinned against the wall, pushed to the perimeter. Carelessness with the puck, skating with a lack of awareness, turning it over without a fight. There were painful moments in the HA (even a few in the J20) where the physicality and the pace of play overwhelmed him, which is frustrating because he’s shown that he can keep up and he can ride the lightning. Ideally, as he continues to gain experience at the pro level, his confidence in his skill with the puck will increase and he’ll figure out a way to make a greater impact on play away from the pucks. Sounds optimistic, but that’s what you have to be with high upside swings like Ekberg. Not unlike Lucas Pettersson’s (ANA) profile just last year. You bet on the potential and hope everything comes together in due time.
This is peak Ekberg (#67 White). Pushing defenders on their heels with skill and evasive skating, manipulating their sticks and bodies to free up passing and skating lanes, making PLAYS. He makes gorgeous feed to a wide-open teammate who hammers it home.
This is a pretty ridiculous shot. Sharp angle, not a lot of room to get it off, and he roofs it. Would love to see Eklund (#67 red) use his shot more at the pro level.
One of those moments where Eklund (#67 red) really looked like a junior player amongst men. Gets the puck with tons of space, fumbles it, gets smooshed against the wall and basically eliminated from play. More mental and physical maturity should prevent situations like this from arising too often in the future.
#5 - Viktor Klingsell – LW, Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
Klingsell made a bit of a mockery of the J18 level in 2024, scoring 28 goals and 34 assists in 31 games and going over a point per game at the u17 level internationally for Sweden. His stint at the J20 level proved to be an adequate challenge for him. The higher pace of play, physicality, and skill meant that the undersized forward couldn’t just score at will. However, if his performance against the world’s top prospects at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky is any indication, it looks like Klingsell has his sights set on dominating whatever level he climbs to in 2025.
Klingsell is a lethal weapon offensively. He’s a perimeter player, but he still makes magic happen. He oozes skill. His passing ability, peripheral vision, and his ability to read the play is extremely high-level. It allows him to skate and stickhandle with his head up, spot streaking teammates across the ice, and hit them with a perfect tape to tape pass. He’s poised and patient on puck, surveying his options, never feeling the heat - even in tight spaces. He can control play almost equally well from his backhand as he can his forehand. His shot is quick and accurate, on and off his stick in an instant thanks to his quick hands. Quick hands, quick shot, quick skating, quick thinking. Seemingly everything Klingsell does is quick, yet never feels rushed.
When the pucks not on his stick, things get murky. He supports his teams transitional play very effectively, but can sometimes cheat for offense a bit too much. Despite this, he’s actually a pretty good backchecker and defends opposing offensive transitions well with the stick. However, he doesn’t forecheck or play with much of a physical edge at all. In fact, he has a pretty tough time making plays through physical contact… at the U18 level. If there’s one thing Klingsell is going to have to do in order to reach his enormous potential, it’s the same thing countless undersized offensive forwards have had to do: get physically stronger in order to play your game through heavy contact. He could also stand to chip in on defence a bit more, but if he’s filling the net with pucks, you can live without it – even if it substantially lowers his floor.
Here we see the playmaking prowess of Klingsell (#39 Yellow). He receives the puck at the offensive blueline and starts working over his defender. Opening and closing his stance, daring the defenceman to make a move, getting him all the way behind the net before pulling a pretty insane spinning pass right on the tape of his teammate in front for the easiest goal of his life. Knowing Klingsell, that was 100% intentional.
Klingsell (#25 Yellow) finishing off a 2-on-1 with a gorgeous shot. He and his line absolutely carried Sweden at the Hlinka. Most conversations for best forward/tournament MVP may have been between Gavin McKenna (CAN) and Adam Benak (CZE), but I think Klingsell edged them out.
If there was any doubt that Klingsell (#25 blue) has a tough time playing through contact, here he is getting knocked over by 5’8” Cameron Schmidt of Team Canada White, turning the puck over for a 2 on 0 against. That simply cannot happen. Time to hit the weightroom.
#6 - Viggo Nordlund – F, Skellefteå AIK (SHL)
After a monster 2nd half of the regular season, going nuclear in the J20 playoffs, and being selected to the Swedish U18 WJC roster, Nordlund cemented his status as a top prospect to watch for 2025. The undersized forward found phenomenal chemistry on Skellefteå J20’s unstoppable top line with Oskar Vuollet (CAR 2024) and Swedish U18 WJC teammate Valter Lindberg, carrying the team to a J20 Nationell championship.
When Nordlund hits the ice, expect the unexpected. He’s got silk in his mitts and a deep bag of tricks. With his great vision, skill, and creativity, he pulls off passing plays and chains together moves that you normally only see in video games. Nordlund plays with lots of quickness and pace thanks to his strong skating and agility on his edges. He’s a shifty and slippery puck carrier. He shows off a lot of intelligence on the fly and adaptability, using cutbacks to pivot to plan B when plan A is no longer an option. His shot, like everything else, is quick and accurate.
Despite his small stature, Nordlund doesn’t shy away when the physicality of the game increases. While he’s tenacious and fights through contact well, the reality remains that he gets removed from play fairly easily in the dirty areas - either by a bigger player, or by virtue of him not being strong enough to make a difference in puck battles. He also has a tendency to play a bit of hero puck. While I would rather see a skilled player take risks and learn what works and what doesn’t while developing, there are moments where the obvious best option would be for him to use his teammates… and he looks them off to go 1v5.
He’s a ton of fun to watch, and that shouldn’t change too much while still playing at the J20 level. However, Nordlund isn’t the first small, extremely skilled forward out of the region to be hyped before his draft year. The same question marks apply to him as well. How well will he deal with increased physicality? Will his quickness be enough to be an advantage at higher levels? How much of his skill will translate to smaller ice surfaces? Can he make an impact outside of the offensive zone? There is definitely a boom-bust factor here. Nordlund has shown a lot to be optimistic about, but he’s going to have to prove it at every level he climbs to.
Here is a regular shift featuring regular moves from Viggo Nordlund (#8 Yellow) … only regular if you’re him, though. The idea was spectacular even if the pass didn’t quite connect.
Another extended clip of Nordlund (#8 Yellow) being a one-man army, battling through contact, even throwing a reverse hit, slipping and sliding through everyone to set up a man on the doorstep from behind the net. I never tire of watching him.
Nordlund’s (#8 Yellow) amazing skill on the puck is also a double-edged sword, as we see him look off a good pass option through the middle and skate into an unwinnable situation, turning the puck over.
#8 - Jakob Ihs Wozniak – LW/C, Luleå HF (SHL)
The Ihs Wozniak hype train left the station at lightspeed after a ridiculously productive year both at home and internationally. The big, Australian-born forward led all D-1 players in the J20 Nationell in scoring with 50 points and placed top 15 in points scored overall. That’s quite the bar he’s set for himself heading into his draft season. If I’m being completely honest, I’m not sure how he’s going to live up to expectations. After a rather disappointing start to his draft year campaign at the Hlinka Gretzky, mustering only 4 goals in 5 games, I may not be the only one who thinks so. Now, I’m a big believer in Ihs Wozniak’s stellar offensive package. However, I feel like there are so many tools that he hasn’t figured out how to get the most out of yet.
What he’s definitely got working for him is his passing ability. He’s got the ability to find seams across the ice and put it right to his teammate’s tape. He’s got a lot of poise on odd-man rushes as well, waiting until the defender(s) and the goalie is down and out before sending a cross-crease pass for a tap in goal. Ihs Wozniak has got a terrific shot as well, which may even be better than his playmaking. He can get a lot of whip behind his wrister and seems to put it wherever he wants. He shines his brightest on the man advantage, where he has the time and space to plan from behind the net. It should be mentioned that he had a bit of a tough time generating scoring chances at even strength since neither his hands nor his feet are quick enough to create the same space he thrives in on the PP.
While the points came in bushels and the offensive tools are great, there are bound to be growing pains. Ihs Wozniak is a very raw prospect. He’s still figuring out how to make an impact outside of the offensive zone. He’s got a tall, lanky frame, and has no idea how to leverage it to his advantage yet. No real physical edge, no battling along the wall. Limited contributions defensively, save for using his long reach to poke or deflect pucks. In this regard, he reminds me of Simon Zether (FLA) – lots of hype, lots of points in his D-1, wasn’t able to round out his game during his draft year and fell all the way to the 5th round. There is still time for Ihs Wozniak to figure that stuff out. Big men usually need a little extra seasoning. I just want to throw up a bit of a warning sign before the hype train goes completely off the rails in the pre-season.
A perfectly placed shot from Ihs Wozniak (#71 Red), above the pad and below the blocker. Goalie had no idea where it went. If he has the time and space to get it off, his shot is the most lethal weapon in his arsenal.
I love this play from Ihs Wozniak (#71 Red) on the rush. He uses his big frame and reach to protect the puck from a defender’s stick, but still has the hands to pull the puck across his body a few inches from the crease to thread a pass to his teammate for a tap in goal.
That’s not what hitting looks like. I know that he’s young, but he’s also 6’3”. Ihs Wozniak (#71 yellow) has got to learn to use that frame to his advantage away from the puck.
#8 - Arvid Drott – RW, Djurgården (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Despite being overshadowed by his Djurgården teammates at the top of the list, Drott is an impressive talent in his own right. Drott profiles as a power-winger. He’s got good size and plays with a physical edge. He’s an exceptional skater with lightning quick straight-line speed and impressive agility, which he uses to create miles of separation on the rush. He’s constantly pushing the pace on and off the puck, pushing defenders on their heels on offence and disrupting opposing breakout attempts by forechecking hard. In addition, Drott sees the ice quite well and can typically find skating lanes in transition or pockets of soft ice to work with in the offensive zone without much of a hassle. He’s got a nice shot and he can get it off in stride, adding to the lethality of his rushing game.
Drott has shown flashes of finesse with the puck and has good playmaking instincts, but he tends to turn the puck over a bit easier than you’d hope for. He’s a determined, creative player, but his hands need to catch up to his feet and his ideas. To take it a step further, it would be very beneficial for Drott to work on adding some east-west into his already very promising north-south offensive game. Again, this hinges on his ability to refine his puck handling ability.
If his Hlinka performance is any indicator, Drott can do everything you need from a bottom six forward already, but the offensive game still needs a bit more time to cook. I don’t expect him to make the jump to the HA right away like his two highly touted teammates already have. However, I could easily see him getting into pro games later in the season, depending on how far his game progresses and how big of a role he seizes with the Djurgården J20 squad. Drott already has a pretty high floor thanks to his skating, physicality, and motor. If the softer skill continues to develop, we might be mentioning his name among the best in the region in a few months.
Really good speed, really good shot. Drott (#66 White) showing off the best parts of his game on this play. He’s pretty hard to stop once he picks up his feet. Would love to see more drives to the net in situations like this, too.
Drott (#66 White) using his speed, frame, and motor to turn a blocked shot into some offensive zone time. I love his intensity and the way he initiates contact in the corner. Gold star in my books.
Unfortunately, Drott (#66 White) hasn’t learned how to apply his skill at the pace he plays the game yet. As a result, you get situations like this. You can clearly see he wants to pass the puck to his teammate waiting along the boards near the blueline, but he has to stop moving his feet to attempt a pass or a move.
#9 - Oliwer Sjöström – LHD, Luleå HF (SHL)
Making the list is another undersized, offensive defenceman who earned a brief call up to the SHL. Luleå is chalk full of interesting prospects in their system, and Sjöström is no exception. He led the Luleå J20 team in scoring by defencemen as a D-1 and moved the puck up ice well with some smooth and mobile skating. Points are great and all, but points don’t tell the full story. In that respect, it feels like Sjöström has a little bit more to prove despite his productive year.
Sjöström definitely looks his best in the offensive zone. He can walk the blueline with some great lateral mobility, he can bomb a shot from the point, or spot and feed a teammate set up for a shot. He can activate into the play, exhibiting stellar control from his edges and pull in defenders to open up space for his teammates in high danger areas of the ice. Sjöström’s IQ helps him seemingly always be in the right place at the right time off-puck, whether it be jumping up on the rush or supporting the breakout. He rarely leads the breakout, however. His passing and puck handling in general is very safe and lacks a certain creative flair.
Unfortunately for Sjöström, creative flair and risk is something I tend to want from undersized blueliners, especially on offence. He lacks a certain dynamism, too timid to attempt the dramatic. I know he’s skilled and capable enough to pull those kinds of plays off, so it’s frustrating to watch him play it safe. Defensively, there isn’t enough pace or compete in his own zone, even if his physical skills are pretty good. He tends to fade into the background quite a bit in general. This point was further reinforced by his diminutive performance at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky. He just couldn’t find a way to make much of an impact. I think Sjöström must go within himself and find a little more confidence. Players who profile like he does don’t go far unless they can prove that they’re game breakers in one form or another. As it stands right now, the best parts of Sjöström’s game are solid, but haven’t shown to be ice-tilters at higher levels *yet*.
Here, we see the smarts and the playmaking of Sjöström (#27 Red) allow his team to take advantage of a poor change and score. It isn’t the highest pace play; he doesn’t try to do everything himself. Instead, he calmly skates up the ice and distributes the puck to a teammate with a ton of space and a good shooting angle.
Once we put his feet to the fire a little bit in the SHL, some good stuff starts to happen. The speedy Isak Born is barreling down the wing and Sjöström (#26 Red) has him gapped up. It looks like he’s about to be beat, but Sjöström smacks the puck out of Born’s control and takes him to the boards. The puck comes free, there’s a bit of scrambling, but Sjöström takes initiative and grabs it before rimming it to a less busy side of the ice.
So where was that at the J20 level? This is an extended shift for Sjöström (#27 Yellow), but there’s really no excuse to defer this much or to be this passive and removed from play. I need to see the fire, the want, the need to get that puck.
#10 - Milton Gästrin – C/LW, MoDo Hockey (SHL)
It wasn’t every game that they shared the ice, but Gästrin certainly caught my eye a few times while watching last year’s 35th overall pick Lucas Pettersson. If you only go by counting stats, his 16 points in 41 games with MoDo’s J20 squad may not be the most interesting thing in the hockey world. If you factor in his performance at the u17 WJC and the most recent Hlinka Gretzky cup, however, you’ll see that every high-flying offensive duo needs a pacey workhorse to do their dirty work. This was Gästrin’s role on the Klingsell-Gästrin-Stenberg line, far and away the most productive line at the tournament. brings size, speed and intelligence to the ice, and, since he’s captained almost every international team he’s played for, intangibles to the locker room.
He plays a very solid two-way game and has refined physical skills for his age. He knows how to use his frame to get inside positioning on foes in stationary battles along the wall, but he also uses his strong skating ability to backcheck opponents and knock pucks loose with his reach. He plays with great spatial awareness on offence and can skate the puck up ice pretty well in transition. Gästrin is the fantastic compliment to higher-skilled players who struggle in the dirtier areas, playing a vital role in retrieving pucks on dump-ins and supplying a steady dose of forechecking pressure.
Offensively, there isn’t a whole lot going on just yet. He’s got a bit of a tough time controlling the puck at a high pace, he often skates with his head down while handling, and he doesn’t have a lot of slick moves in his bag. He does have some vision and passing skill, so he can supply some secondary playmaking in a pinch. He probably won’t be scoring a ton of goals from the quality of his shot alone, but he can tap them in from the doorstep or clean up the garbage. Gästrin will always be a great glue guy with some intriguing tools. However, unless the offence takes a big step in his draft year, he may be limited to just that. We’ve already seen one positive step, considering he had 10 points (3G, 7A) in 5 games at the Hlinka. Will he be able to build on that heading into the J20 season and, more importantly, be able to create that kind of offence himself?
Here we see the amazing speed of Gästrin (#49 White) and his ability to use it to move the puck in transition. He gets a shot off in stride, too, even if it isn’t the best.
Gästrin (#49 White) digging deep at the end of his shift to catch up to an opposing puck carrier and stripping him of it.
The thing holding Gästrin (#49 White) back from being able to fully utilize his speed: Stickhandling with his head down because he has a hard time controlling the puck at high speeds. He runs right into a defender and can’t make a move in time before turning the puck over.
Honourable Mentions
Eric Nilson – C/LW, Djurgården (HockeyAllsvenskan)
You might have caught Nilson’s heroic performance in the bronze medal game vs the US at the Hlinka just a few days ago, where he scored three goals and added an assist in Sweden’s 6-3 victory. Nilson, son of former NHLer Marcus Nilson, is an Alberta-born Swedish forward who spent a good chunk of last season with Örebro alongside two of the top scoring draft eligibles in the whole J20 Nationell (Alex Zetterberg and Melvin Fernstrom (VAN)). Someone had to play defence on that line, and, luckily for the other two, that someone was Nilson. He’s got a mature, positionally smart two-way presence and solid physical skills for a kid who only weighs a buck-fifty according to his most recent measurements. He’s not afraid of using his frame to block shots or lay hits, and he clearly subscribes to the idea that “the best time to get the puck back is right after you lose it” – in other words, deftly using his stick to strip opponents of the puck in the OZ or in transition.
Nilson is a very smart player in general, lending itself to his patient puck distributing abilities in the offensive zone and his vision lets him make some great passing plays. He’s got a decent shot that he locates well, and can get a surprising amount of power behind his one-timers. However, he lacks the high-end puck-handling abilities and quickness that would make his offensive game more projectible. If he can find some sort of go-to space creator, I could see Nilson being someone that skyrockets up draft boards in the mid to late season. It has just recently been announced that he’s transferred from Örebro to Djurgården, a team stacked with high-end offensive talent. Hopefully some of that rubs off on him.
Here we see transition defence turn to a goal for from the stick of Nilson (#19 Red). Some great awareness and off-puck movement to follow the play and to pounce on a puck-bobble by the defenceman trying to break it out, and some great moves to tuck the puck home.
Nilson (#19 Red) can’t pick his feet up or put a move on the defender closing him out in time and gets pinned to the wall. His 154 lbs frame can’t really push back too much, either, and the puck is stuck in a scrum. If he had higher-end skating or handling, he might have been able to escape that unscathed.
Mikkel Eriksen - C/LW, Färjestad BK (SHL)
After a historic draft for Norway in 2024, it looks like the country is entering a golden era of producing talent. Eriksen, nephew of Espen “Shampo” Knutsen, hopes to continue the trend. He was on my radar as one of the top Norwegian prospects for 2025 and did not disappoint at the u18 WJC, playing a huge role in staving off relegation and staying at the top level of competition. He showed a few different things at different levels of play in Sweden and in Norway, but ever-present was his high-end puck handling ability, high-end hockey sense, and stellar finishing touch. His sense of timing, his awareness and his ability to read and react to play is markedly above average and he’s weirdly good in the faceoff dot as well.
His two-way game is still developing, mostly relying on smart positioning on defence. Something I’m really missing from him is pace and intensity in his off-puck game. He can look very passive, especially since he plays without much of a physical edge and without much willingness to battle. Seeing that in high-end junior scorers always makes me skittish, but Eriksen is one of the youngest players in the draft so he’ll have loads of time to figure it out. Not to mention, he’s going spend 2025 in the terrific Färjestad BK program, who have the cupboards chalk full of Norwegians – including former Vålerenga teammate Stian Solberg (ANA) – so maybe they’ll have some tips for him.
Not a good idea to leave Eriksen (#16 Red) all alone in front. He’s got quite the scoring touch to be able to roof that thing from right up close.
This type of behaviour would frustrate any coach. Eriksen (#10 white) is skating the puck from the neutral zone deep into the Leksands zone with a defender a half step behind. As soon as the defender looks to close the gap, he just pulls away and cedes possession. I get that you don’t want to get hit, but that was a little bit soft to be completely honest. Hopefully he learns how to absorb contact properly so something like this doesn’t happen again.
Max Westergård – F, Frölunda HC (SHL)
Another very young prospect for the draft class and I love the cut of his jib. The Finnish Westergård is a quick, pacey offensive forward who does a great job of reading the play developing in front of him and reacting accordingly. Strong positional awareness, a great set of hands, feet, and a nice finishing touch saw him enjoy a torrid D-1 season in Frölunda’s junior system. Now, he’s very light, but that doesn’t stop him from driving the net and taking contact to make a play. The lightness doesn’t do him any favours in battles along the boards, but the heart and the hustle are there. We love intent, folks.
He’s a blast to watch when he gets his feet moving and dekes around guys, but his passing ability is still developing. The ideas are there, it’s just the execution and timing that has to improve. This is true in transition as well as in the offensive zone. His offensive game would be pretty hard to stop if he focuses on improving that this season.
And here I thought driving the net was illegal if you’re under 6’0! Westergård (#22 White) with a fantastic power move, catching everyone off guard and leading directly to a rebound goal.
One of the many well-intentioned passes that simply do not work out in Westergård’s (#22 Red) favour. They always seem to hit a leg or go just long/short. However, after many such cases, you gotta think the passing skills need some work.