| Kristian Kostadinski | Frolunda HC J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 6’5″ | 214 | Goteborg | 2005 | 2022-2023: B |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, March 1, 2023: Kostadinski is a mountain of a kid. He’s born on May 20, 2005 and is already measuring in at 6’5″ 215lbs. That right there is grabbing every National League team’s attention because he’s probably going to be playing at close to 230lbs and what they’re going to notice right away is that he has a solid skating base as well as the posture and footwork to carry more weight and still be able to move. He has a really nice forward to backwards outside edge pivot without the need to crossover. His hips stay open and this allows him to easily face the play. Offensively his first touch is average, but that is something that he can continue working on and he will improve. He can make the passes he’ll be asked to make in North America and he seems to understand that the boards are his friend. Once he comes over to play he will not be asked to provide much offense, but he does show the awareness to activate into the rush at the appropriate times and I love how he’s willing to one-time any puck that is in his shooting wheelhouse. He’s going to have to add more jam to his game in front of his net so he can intimidate and own the net front ice, but he’s got the frame work to be a real defensive presence who can play against the other team’s top unit and kill penalties. There will be people that say if he was really good he’d be playing in the SHL right now, but I truthfully could care less about that and I love that he’s playing nineteen minutes a night and getting valuable developmental minutes as a penalty killer (2:19 per game). At this point I do not see him as a first rounder because I think he’s going take some time to get there, but I can’t see him lasting very long into the second round. I’m not sure who it will be, but there will be a team with multiple picks in the second who will take him. They’ll let him marinate in Sweden for another year so he can continue playing on the Olympic sheet working on his feet and playing games in the SHL. Then he comes over and he plays in the American League for two solid years of development and then at 23 years old you’ve got a 6’5″ 230lbs defender who is ready to compete for an NHL job.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: At 6’5 and 213 pounds at his age Kristian is sure to be a serious draft consideration. He is huge, he is strong and he plays a pretty simple defensively oriented game. For a big man his skating is pretty solid as a lot of prospects this age are simply awkward still with this growth but Kristian seems to have got past this stage. His pivots and first 3 steps are good, with room for improvement of course. He uses a big long stick to his advantage, but also displayed real good physicality for hits along the boards or open ice. Due to his size he is very hard to beat 1 on 1 as he can box out, keep players at bay with his stick and out muscle most opponents. When puck is on stick his passes are simple. He never waits for a better option, he is moving it to the first open man he sees. At the offensive blueline he is not much of a score threat but does a good job on pinches and standing up to keep pucks in play. Lots of room for improvement and development in this prospects game. (Scout: Marlin Muylaert)
U18: Team Sweden vs Finland and Czechia, November 10 and 11, 2022: Kristian Kostadinski Sweden U18 Watched Nov 10th and 11th. Physical defenseman who looks to punish opponents when he can. He has a presence on the ice. His size is imposing and noticeable. Limited in areas typically based on feet position. Needs to keep his feet underneath him then close on individuals. When he has good gap position he can use his size to squeeze off opponents. Needs to work on his puck handling skills and make better decisions under pressure. Needs to shoulder check more to read the pressure. (Scout: Greg Puhalski)
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images