| Zeb Forsfjall | Skelleftea AIK | SHL | L | C | 5’9″ | 168 | Skelleftea, SWE | 2005 | 2022-2023: B+ |
Neutral Zone’s Ian Moran, March 1, 2023: Forsfjall is an undersized left shot forward with very good straight line speed and the power to push through contact, especially at the U20 level. On both his forehand and backhand he has a very clean first touch allowing him to maintain top speed in transition and back opposing defenders off their defensive blueline. He recognizes the defender’s lack of gap control fairly quickly and I like that he has the confidence to keep his feet moving and use the defender as a screen. I don’t think he as a rocket, but he does have a sweeping wrister with expanded release point as well as an expanded shooting zone on his one-timer. Honestly I don’t thing he’s a potential NHL goal scorer or even a real threat to score, but the expanded shooting areas will help his deception in professional hockey. He’s fearless when he heads into traffic or while cutting through the royal road, but I am a little concerned that as an undersized player he’s winning only 45% of his 50/50 puck battles. Normally this number doesn’t increase when you leave Europe for North America and if you want to play in the National League you have to win your puck battles. Shooting wise 86 (63%) of his 156 attempted shots have hit the net, but he’s missed the net outright 26 times from in the slot and had an additional seven shots blocked. Now we have to figure out is he missing the net because he’s being too precise or does he just have poor aim? Either way with his quickness and fearlessness I would love to see him shoot for rebounds and then drive then net looking for rebounds and secondary opportunities. I have no doubt that he would generate more points and power play opportunities for his team if he did this.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: Zeb had a good showing at this tournament centering his team’s top line. He is small at 5’9 and 170 pounds and that will work against him a bit in his draft year, but his skill set should be enough to compensate and give Zeb a good chance at being selected by an NHL team. Right off the bat Zeb’s game is defined by his feet, they never stop moving and he is active in all 3 zones. Zeb works very hard to provide open man support both for his defensemen in his end of the ice and for his forwards in the offensive end of the ice. He is solid on faceoffs, and he works both ends of the ice. He will forecheck with speed, gets in quickly and is capable of stripping opponents of the puck from behind. He is focused on forecheck shifts and moves well from down low and grinding to out higher and supporting. He does not hesitate to hit a corner and engage in battle for loose pucks. He appears to be capable of putting pucks in the net and setting them up as well. When shooting his release is fairly quick although his shot needs more velocity on it if he is to continue to score at higher levels. His puck skills and poise with puck are very good, and he was used on the backend of his powerplay where he used good vision, good passing to contribute to the powerplay. I don’t think Zeb is ever going to be a top 6 scorer, but he certainly has the skill set, the IQ and the work ethic to be a decent bottom 6 forward moving on in his career.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images