| Simon Forsmark | Team Sweden | International | L | D | 6’2″ | 195 | Kumla,SWE | 2003 | 2021-2022: C+ |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, September 2021: After playing key minutes for Team Sweden at the U18’s Forsmark is a player NHL teams will be watching closely. He’s listed at 6’2″, but every time I see him play I think he takes up more ice than that. His stick is always in lanes and he seems to have a knack for having the other team’s forwards just skate right into him. Coming into this season I’ll be watching for improvements in his foot speed and explosiveness. There were times at the U18’s where he seemed to have difficulty shutting down the cycle, but I think he’s just a big heavy kid who can gain that step through training and repetitions. Offensively he’s pretty straight forward and keeps it simple. He shows poise with the puck and has touch on his passes. I like how he works with his partner or low support after a turnover in his end, but again I’ll be watching to see how his foot speed has developed over the off season.
SHL Preseason: Orebro HK vs Djurgardens IF, August 20: 2021: In Orebro’s 5-2 win Forsmark earned 15:54 in total ice time including playing a role on special teams with 3:30 on the power play and 0:40 while being shorthanded. Statistically he finished with 1 power play primary assist where he was running the top of the umbrella, a plus/minus rating of +2 and 3 giveaways compared to 2 takeaways. Offensively Forsmark looked poised with the puck. His passes were firm, on the tape and gave his teammates an opportunity to make a play. Defensively he maintained tight gaps through the neutral zone and communicated well with his backchecking forwards.
U18: Team Sweden vs Team Switzerland, April 29, 2021: In the 3-1 win Forsmark earned 12:27 in total ice time including 1:07 while on the power play and 0:45 while shorthanded. Statistically he finished with plus/minus rating of -1, 2 shots on goal and 3 giveaways compared to 7 takeaways. Offensively Forsmark played a simple game, moving the puck quickly and showing that he did not need to stickhandle before making a play. In defensive transition he maintained tight gaps through the neutral zone and shut rushes down early, often times forcing poor decisions and turnovers. One thing of note, Forsmark seemed to have difficulty containing the smaller quicker Swiss forwards while they were cycling and that is how his minus occurred.
U18: Team Sweden vs Team Canada, April 28, 2021: In the 12-1 loss Forsmark earned 16:34 in total ice time including 0:15 while on the power play. Statistically he finished with a plus/minus rating of -3 with 8 giveaways compared to 1 takeaway. On the bright side he did score Team Sweden’s only goal after making a strong read at the offensive blueline to keep the puck in the zone and then firing a hard snap shot high to the short side. All in all tonight was a tough game and one they all should move on from quickly.
U18: Team Sweden vs Team USA, April 4, 2021: In the 6-2 loss Forsmark earned 15:21 of total ice time including 0:58 on the power play and 3:59 while short handed. Statistically he finished with zero points, a plus/minus rating of zero and three giveaways compared to 7 takeaways. He also had 1 shot on goal and drew 1 penalty. Forsmark looked and played bigger than his listed 6’2″. His active stick was always extended and moving through passing and shooting lanes. While on the penalty kill he showed good awareness by not overcommitting to a player in full puck possession and still maintained shooting lanes. Offensively he kept the game simple and moved the puck to his forwards quickly. We liked his lateral mobility while defending quick transition through the neutral zone. The late 2003 is a player to watch for the 2022 NHL Draft
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Game Stats are from InStat.