Theodor Niederbach is a smart offensive center who produces points with strong instincts and vision. He likes to make plays from the outside-in but is equally as good at finding open spots inside the slots for a rebound, tip-in or a one-timer. He is an average skater, quite soft and a smallish center which might scare some teams off, but he thinks the game fast which cover up the risks with picking him early. He is a player that needs to play in a top two line and I can’t say that I’m sure that he makes that long term but he is worth a shot late in the first round or in the second round.
Tampa Bay is an example of a team that has been successful in picking skilled and smart players with risk. Niederbach might be that kind of player in this draft. His skills and hockey sense have elite potential. He produced ridiculous numbers as a younger player and the game looked effortless for him then, but after missing a full season due to injury he jumped from U16 to U20 hockey and found new ways to produce points. The way he has rebounded from injury has impressed me as has his ability to think the game at that level right away. The next step is for him should be to play senior hockey where he hasn’t been tested yet. I see him as a top six forward prospect and a good pick in the late first round or early second round.
| Theodor Niederbach | 2020 NHL Draft Eligible |
|---|---|
| Position: C, Shoots R | H/W: 5-11", 172 lbs |
| Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) | Frolunda HC J20, SuperElit (40-15-33-48-12) |
| Frolunda HC J18, J18 Elit (7-7-4-11-27) | |
| Frolunda HC J18, J18 Allsvenskan (7-4-6-10-4) |
Photo: JOHAN LÖF / BILDBYRÅN /
Skating: Niederbach lacks explosiveness and strong foot speed, but as the season has progressed, he has gotten a bit quicker and uses his feet better. He missed the entire 2018-19 season due to Osteochondritis (knee injury) and that probably slowed his skating development. Niederbach is an average skater and can’t travel around players with the puck but he isn’t a slow skater and skating won’t be a big issue in the long run as he has other assets that cover it up such that his game isn’t overly reliant on foot speed. As such, the fact that he looks at least average now pushes his potential higher for me. Niederbach has a good long stride, he agile and has okay lower-body balance. Grade: 50
Shot: Niederbach is a good goal scorer and has a good wrist shot. He scores mostly at close range though and isn’t be a big threat from the circles. He is good at finding open spaces and being in the right place at the time inside the slot. He often plays on the outside but gets inside at the right time and is very effective in doing so. He had a fairly high shooting percentage (18.5%) this season and will probably continue along those lines as he picks his spots well from high percentage areas. He one-times with accuracy in the slot and can shoot with a quick release. Niederbach could use his shot more often and still be effective but he is more of a pass-first player when he drives the play. Grade: 55
Skills: The playmaking skills of Niederbach are near elite. He works effectively down low on the power play and moves up to the circles, along the boards and from behind the net. He likes to shift positions and always seems to make the right play in finding an open teammate in the slot with a precise pass. He has good control of the puck and passes the puck well in all three zones. He has good split vision in the way that he plays with his head up all the time, even when he has the puck. Grade: 60
Smarts: All of Niederbach success is an effect of his great vision. He thinks the game fast and has strong offensive instincts. He is easy to play with in the way that he makes himself open for an easy pass in the breakout. He sees the ice well and makes that open pass when he has the puck and in the offensive zone, he will move around to get open and beats his opponents by being a step ahead. He makes up for his lack of explosiveness by reacting to situations faster than his opponents. He hasn’t yet played senior hockey and to beat opponents that way will become harder at every subsequent level. Niederbach has strong instincts though and he processes the game fast. I would be more worried if he was beating junior defensemen the same way all the time. He reads the situations and acts differently every time. His defensive game is solid too, but he is primarily an offensive center. He is positionally sound defensively. He has the smarts to play the penalty kill but is too soft in the physical game to be an obvious choice there. Grade: 65
Physicality: Niederbach isn’t a big center and plays quite soft when it comes to physical competitiveness. He rarely blocks a shot or wins the puck with physical strength. He can protect the puck well though and has good balance. He doesn’t shy away from high traffic and gets involved physically when needed. Grade: 40
Overall Future Projection (OFP): 56.25
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.