In this player evaluation we focus on Team Sweden and the players Neutral Zone feels helped fuel their come from behind win versus Team USA. Not all of them will hear their name called next June in the 2022 NHL Draft, but all of them played impactful games.
| Noah Ostlund | Sweden U15 | International | L | F | 5’10” | 163 | Nykvarn | 2004 | 2021-2022: A |
#12 Team Sweden – Ostlund was the driving force for Team Sweden. He never took a shift off and he demanded to have the puck on his stick. He was tactical a magician on zone entries and showed the skill set to tease the USA defender’s into mental and physical mistakes. It was obvious from the first shift that his opponents knew who he was and they respected his ability to play high pace elusive hockey. Ostlund’s deep knee bend and almost bow legged skating style allows him to stop on a dime and then explosively cross-under so he’s back to full speed in one quick outside edge thrust. Defensively he stopped on pucks, won 50-50 battles and started transition on every shift. He played with his eyes up and was a threat to produce offense from all three zones. Ostlund took 28 face-offs and won 22 of them. His hands are strong and he was dangerous from the opening shift. He played a game high 21:11 including 3:28 on the power play.
| Elias Salomonsson | Skelleftea AIK | SHL | R | D | 6’1″ | 160 | Skelleftea, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: A- |
#3 Team Sweden – The right shot defender is explosive in all directions. His quick lateral mobility allowed him to maintain tight gaps which forced poor decisions as Team USA carried the puck through the neutral zone. In transition his passing was hard accurate flat and his stretch passes hit the forwards in stride. We loved his ability to join the rush as a forth wave and his mindset to move pucks quickly rather than trying to dangle was an asset to Team Sweden’s offensive game. He consistently defends with an active stick and he showed the strength to knock his opponents off stride while battling for loose pucks. His puck poise on the power play was excellent as he deceptively ran the top of the umbrella and showed the ability to fire cross box sauce or one touch hard passes into the bumper man. Salomonsson played 17:17 against Team USA including 3:33 on the power play and 1:34 while being a man down. He finished plus 3 with 9 give aways and 6 take aways, but we feel he played like a leader and huge impact on Team Sweden’s come from behind win.
| Calle Odelius | Djurgardens | SHL | L | D | 6’0″ | 183 | Sodertaije, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#7 Team Sweden – The left shot defender is equally confident and effective playing either the right or left side. Physically he looked as though he believed he would win every loose puck battle and it sure seemed like he did as he finished the game with 2 giveaways and an incredible 10 takeaways. He cleared shooting lanes early and was a presence in front of his net. In transition we liked his ability to look in one direction and snap hard flat passes in another. Odelius retrieved pucks with the purpose of spending little time in his end and generating clean zone exits or entries. He finished the game minus 1, but for our Neutral Zone staff he played a hard pro styled game that has us very intrigued.
| Mattias Havelid | Team Sweden | International | R | D | 5’10” | 168 | Taby | 2004 | 2021-2022: B- |
#5 Team Sweden – One explosive stride and Havelid is at full speed. There were times that after giving an outlet pass he would simply blow by the Team USA back checkers to create odd man rushes. Offensively he played with no panic or pressure in his game, and while manning the top of the umbrella on the power play (2:41 of ice time) he would be playing with his feet outside of the offensive zone while his stick was inside the zone. We liked his ability to receive poor passes cleanly and quickly recognize when to walk the offensive blue line to generate shooting lanes. His hard accurate point shot hit the net and looked to be tippable. He was also an impactful player while short handed where his 3:04 of ice time led Team Sweden. Havelid had 7 give aways, but responded by having 12 take aways.
| Elias Pettersson | Team Sweden | International | L | D | 6’2″ | 175 | Vasteras, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#2 Team Sweden – Pettersson is a long lanky left shot defender who played the right side. He is listed at 6’2, but looks and plays longer than that. His stick was very active and he seemed to have a knack for getting the toe of his stick in the way just as the Team USA player was ready to attempt his shot. His stride is fluid and we liked his acceleration after receiving a pass in the neutral zone, behind the Team Sweden net and especially along the offensive blue line which resulted in his goal. He finished the game with a goal and an assist in 16:29 of ice time including 2:56 while short handed. Petterson’s quick burst of speed also allowed him to draw a penalty early in the first.
| Jonathan Lekkerimaki | Djurgardens | SHL | R | C | 5’11” | 175 | Huddinge, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#23 Team Sweden – Lekkerimaki is a very quick agile right shot forward who played primarily right wing. In the defensive zone he clogged lanes, had a very active stick and showed nice combination of ice awareness and poise after receiving passes for clean breakouts. As a puck carrier through the neutral zone he used a change of speed to create favorable gaps and often times looked like he had Team USA’s defender’s guessing what he was going to do next. In the offensive zone Lekkerimaki has the ability to vanish into thin air and then explode into the quiet area with his stick prepared looking to score goals. He had 19:36 in total ice time, including 3:40 on the power play. He had 1 goal on six shots and finished with a plus 2 rating. The interesting stat that certainly did not effect his total ice time was 8 give aways versus 1 take away.
| Filip Bystedt | Linkoping HC | SHL | L | C | 6’4″ | 185 | Linkoping, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#18 Team Sweden – The big centerman was a noticeable presence versus Team USA. He showed poise with the puck in all three zone and did a nice job of moving his feet after making a pass so he did not turn into a passenger. We liked his awareness during wall battles where he did not get trapped along the boards. He not only used his reach to his advantage as a puck carrier, but he also used his long frame to create space by pushing off of contact and then quickly moving into the open ice. He had 17:24 in total ice time and was a key contributor on both the special team’s units (3:04 power play) (1:39 penalty kill). Bystedt did not end up on the score sheet, but he he had four high quality shots from the slot.
| Liam Ohgren | Djurgardens | SHL | L | LW | 6’1″ | 190 | Stockholm, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#20 Team Sweden – Physically Ohgren is an explosive player who looks like he has the mentality to play a brash power forward game. He was the net front presence on Team Sweden’s power play who showed soft hands and the ability to slide to the goal line while looking to make soft touch passing plays. He forechecked in straight lines intent on causing turnovers and when there was a loose puck Ohgren came away with it as was proved by his 6 take aways and 1 give away. His breakaway goal in the first was the epitome of his game. After back-checking through the middle to deter a scoring chance and finishing a hit along the mid-wall, Ohgren literally exploded out to his point forcing a turnover and continued accelerating through center ice while pulling away from Team USA’s defenders before ripping a snap shot for a beautiful goal. Ohgren contributed to all facets of Team Sweden’s win including 3:00 of power play time and 1:20 of short handed time in his 17:29 of total ice time. This was a very impactful game for Ohgren.
| Fabian Wagner | Linkoping HC | SHL | L | RW | 6’0″ | 176 | Nyköping, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#10 Team Sweden – Wagner can flat out fly. Normally we would say that player with this type of speed and quickness tends to drift and not be detailed orientated, but in this outing Wagner played like a professional. He consistently maintained net side positioning, led with a stick on puck defending style and his quick first step allowed him to take away time and space before his Team USA opponents were ready. He scored a huge goal in the second period after winning a race to a loose puck and keeping the cycle alive. Wagner then beat his man to the high slot, cleanly settled a bouncing pass and confidently ripped a shot to the high blocker side. Considering he only played 12:45 he finished with 1 goal, 1 assist and was a key face-off man down the stretch.
| Dennis Good Bogg | Team Sweden | International | L | D | 6’1″ | 185 | Sundbyberg, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#17 Team Sweden – Good Bogg is another lanky Swedish defender who looks and plays longer than his profile sheet says. His active stick is always extended and ready to disrupt shooting or passing lanes. He plays the body with authority and showed us the core strength to battle through contact and win 50-50 pucks. Good Bogg moved the puck quickly and did not need to dust the puck off in transition before making the quick outlet. We like that he played with an edge and established his net front positioning before Team USA could generate their point shots. He finished the game with 17:24 of ice time (1:41 penalty kill), three hits and was plus 2.
| Hugo Fransson | HV71 | SHL | L | D | 5’11” | 159 | Tranås, SWE | 2004 | 2021-2022: C |
#4 Team Sweden – This young man had a very difficult start to the game. On his first shift Fransson attempted a pass that was intercepted and led directly to Team USA’s first goal and early lead. Because of this we were closely watching to see how he would respond. In the end he earned 17:21 of total ice time including 2:50 on the penalty kill and 0:14 on the power play. He also had 2 blocked shots, 4 give aways and 6 take aways. In a highly stressful situation Fransson showed nice mental toughness and rebounded to play a very strong two-way game. He is not as flashy as some of his teammates, but he plays a very consistent game that is positionally sound. He showed a long stride and has the ability to maintain tight gaps with his low base and lateral movement.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Game Stats are from InStat.