J20 SuperElit – The visiting Orebro BK won 5-3 with an empty net goal over Rogle BK. Neutral Zone focused on Rogle’s players in their first year of NHL draft eligibility.
| Simon Zether | Rogle BK | SHL | R | C | 6’2″ | 180 | Helsingborg, SWE | 2005 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Zether is an October 2005 with an NHL frame who showed a willingness to go to the front of the net to battle for ice and scoring opportunities. While in the offensive zone he used his long reach to protect the puck and we liked the deception or unpredictability he showed as he rolled along the walls or through the seam at the tops of the circles. He was quick to recognize open ice and the puck did not slow him down. He scored a quick stick rebound goal midway through the second period by recognizing that his teammate was going to fire the puck and Zether used his skating ability to sprint into the scoring area. Before burying the puck he athletically used his left inside edge to direct a rebound to his forehand so he could quick stick the puck. On the play he knew he was going to get run over but he showed the poise to bury it. He did have two shots partially blocked but on each he was attempting to shoot through a screen and the defender got an extended stick on the puck. Yes he is a late 2005 playing J20 but he has the size. pace and tonight he showed the mentality to play a power forward game. Zether currently has a “B” 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone.
| Gregor Biber | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 6’3″ | 185 | Krems, AUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Biber is a long left shot defender who played primarily the right side. He showed an upright shoulder width skating base with a 3/4 length stride and a bit of a heel kick. There were times he looked a bit off balance or stiff when changing directions out of hard stops. Offensively he kept things very simple but we liked how he worked to be a passing outlet and how he understood how to set moving picks to give his teammates more time with the puck. In the defensive zone he maintained net side positioning through contact and showed the strength to pin his man to the wall. He finished forth among Rogle’s defenders with 18:21 in total ice time including 1:11 while shorthanded. He did not play on the power play. He finished even with 0 points, 1 shot, 0 hits, received 1 hard hit and this is what has us on the hook… he is winning 85% of his 50/50 puck battles this season. In the long run we feel his skating will improve and truthfully it is tough to ignore a player averaging 13 puck battles per game who’s winning 85% of those.
| Milo Fortkord | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | C | 5’9″ | 165 | Ostersund, SWE | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Fortkord is an undersized left shot forward who primarily played on the wing. He showed an easy glide and quick fluid strides. He finished -2 with 0 points, 2 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 0/1 on face-offs, had 2 hits and totaled 8:37 in ice time. So far this year he is splitting time between J18 and J20. In the J18 he has 3 goals, 3 assists and is +8 in 5 games played. While in the J20 he has 0 points and is -5 in 6 games played. At this point we feel he is smart and skilled but physically he will need to add strength and explosiveness to be considered for a professional career in North America.
| Love Gath | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | C | 6’1″ | 181 | Helsingborg, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Gath is a long lean left shot center with some physicality and bite to his game. He looked to initiate contact whenever possible and used an upward drive from his legs to lift his opponents off the puck. He played forth line minutes but finished with a primary assist after driving the net hard on a 2 on 1 from the offensive blueline and he was second on the team with four shots on net. His three other shots were curl and drag snapshots from the high slot that he changed the angle on and fired through screens to hit the net. At this point Neutral Zone has Gath with a “C” 2024 NHL draft grade because of the combination of his size, abrasiveness and willingness to go to the dirty areas.
| Johannes Neumann | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | RW | 5’9″ | 163 | Villacher, AUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Comments: Neumann is an undersized forward who is splitting his time between J18 And J20 hockey. During J18 play he has 4 goals, 4 assists and is +10 in 6 games while in three J20 games he has zero points. He did not play in this game.
| Laban Persson | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell | R | D | 5’11” | 176 | Goteborg, SWE | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Persson is an undersized right shot defenseman who looked more explosive and physically more confident with the puck since our last viewing. In the defensive zone he maintained defensive side positioning and did not allow himself to get trapped on the wrong side of the battle. We liked how he used his inside edges to drive his opponent into the wall and then pin them. As a smaller defenseman he used body positioning to arrive at the scoring area before his opponent and again used his inside edges to box out. Offensively he missed a few teammates on open passes but he generally kept himself out of trouble by keeping things simple during transition but he did have three shots blocked. On the night he was third among Rogle’s defenders with 21:04 of total ice time including 0:44 while shorthanded. There were no power plays. He finished even with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 hits, received 1 hard hit, had 3 shots blocked and this season he is winning 47% of 50/50 puck battles.
Logo courtesy of Rogle HK