| Noel Fransen | Farjestad BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 6’0″ | 179 | Karlstad, SWE | 2005 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Fransen might be the fastest defenseman in the 2024 draft class. He accelerates from a dead stop to top speeds in 3 strides which allows him to fly past opponents on the rush. He activates often and plays an aggressive but smart offensive game that allows him to help generate chances from his deep play style. Every once in a while, he was caught down low with the puck headed in the other direction, but his high-end speed allowed him to quickly recover and get back into position. Fransen wants the puck on his stick and works hard to get into open space where his teammates can feed him. He snaps the puck around quickly and was given time on the top power play unit as the point man. He also has quick hands which he combines with agile edgework to escape pressure and burst into space. Fransen was also able to show off a heavy wrist shot which he let go from the point. He was unable to score in tonight’s game, but he currently leads his team in points as a defenseman and is top 5 in the entire league in scoring.
| Elias Straume Vatne | Farjestad BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | RW | 5’8″ | 152 | Stavanger, NOR | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Vatne is a skilled and speedy forward that plays the game at a very high pace and seemed to have infinite energy in tonight’s game. He flies around the offensive zone with the puck and is able to weave through opponents using his quick hands and smart decisions to change lanes and take advantage of open space. He was able to collect 2 assists in this game. Both were primary and directly set up due to his passes. The first came in the second period where he slid a pass through traffic to the far side of the cage for a tap in goal. His second was during a power play in the third period where he flew around the top of the zone, avoiding opponents with quick dekes, then found a wide-open teammate on the far side and hit him with a crisp, powerful seam pass for a one-time finish. Vatne also showed off a hard forecheck and backcheck. His motor never seemed to run out of gas. Impressive game from Straume-Vatne.
| Jack Berglund | Farjestad BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | LW | 6’2″ | 196 | Karlstad, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Berglund is a 6’2, draft eligible forward. Early in the game he showed good hustle; winning a race to a dumped puck and battling hard to earn possession. Unfortunately, as the game went on, we were very unimpressed with his effort level shown. He played the game with very little energy and did very little to create an impact with or without the puck. He had a lot of trouble possessing the puck, especially under pressure. He constantly fumbled and turned possession over without much pressure applied to him at all. His pass decisions were rushed and there were multiple times where we noted him whack the puck away to no one in particular just to avoid the incoming pressure. Berglund was able to pick up one assist in this game where he slipped a pass from below the goal line to a teammate’s back door for a tap in finish. Other than that, one play, this was not a very good showing for him. He is currently second in scoring on his team so this may have been an off game. We will check back in on Berglund soon as he is a highly rated forward for the class of 2024.
| Gabriel Eliasson | HV71 J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 6’6″ | 192 | Kungsbacka, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Eliasson is a 6’6 giant with the potential to become a productive 2-way defenseman. He looked a bit slow at times but still moves well for a player of his size. He was able to rush the puck up ice with a ton of speed and confidence on one occasion in the first period. His play with the puck is going to need a lot of work. His decisions were often poor as he rushed passes and forced low percentage shots. He needs to become more patient with the puck. On his rush attempt he was able to make it inside of the blue line but immediately fired a shot from just barely inside of the zone which had zero chance of finding the back of the net. He had multiple teammates around him and could have slid the puck over to set up in the offensive zone. Defensively he played a solid game. He broke up plays with his stick, cleared the net front, and battled hard behind his net. He does have a tendency to chase the puck around a bit. Discipline was a trait that we feel Eliasson needs to put a lot of work into learning. He was often caught joining the rush before possession was fully established by his team and he got burned with multiple opponents behind him. He took a terrible penalty in the second period where his wires got crossed and punched an opponent in the head for dropping Gabriel with a legal check. He plays a physical game but there were multiple times where he could have been called for late shoves after the whistle. Eliasson’s size and skating combo makes him an intriguing player, but he needs to become a more patient and disciplined player in nearly all aspects of the game to become an effective defenseman at the pro level.
| Viktor Olofsson | HV71 J20 | J20 Nationell | L | LW | 5’8″ | 165 | Jonkoping, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Olofsson is a skilled and speedy, undersized forward. He is very calm and in control when the puck is on his stick. He has quick feet in transition and is able to weave past opponents with quick lane chances and smooth hands. He remains calm under pressure and is able to spin away from pressure and complete passes in a poised and confident manner. All of his movements are incredibly smooth, and he is able to slip through defensive coverage very easily. He was given time on the powerplay where he executed quick, one touch passes in an attempt to create dangerous chances. Viktor scored a goal on a powerplay in the third period where he wired a heavy wrist shot, top shelf from the faceoff dot. Calm, mature, and smooth style of play from Olofsson tonight.
| Jamiro Reber | HV71 J20 | J20 Nationell | L | C | 5’9″ | 170 | Lagnau, SUI | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Reber is a high motor player that does good work without the puck. He wins races to loose pucks, keeps his feet moving to defend opponents, joins board battles, and effective forechecks and backchecks. He works hard to earn the puck for his team. With the puck on his stick, he was a bit choppy today. He had a lot of trouble handling the puck, especially under pressure. He often over handled it when under duress which resulted in turnovers. Reber scored the opening goal of the game. He received a pass in the slot, made a quick stick handle to control the puck under pressure and fired a snipe to the top corner of the goal. Another plus to Reber’s game was his retrieval ability. He stayed in motion and planned ahead to make sure he had a good escape plan. He was consistently able to collect the puck around the boards under pressure then slip past opponents, pulling the puck towards the middle of the ice. His energy and effort were good in this game, but he will need to improve his ability to handle the puck to move up to higher levels of play.
Scout: Henry Lawrence