Photo Credit: Malmö Redhawks
Player Profile
D.O.B – May 10, 2002
Nationality – Sweden
Draft Eligibility – 2020
Height – 6’3
Weight – 192 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Right
Grans’ Style Of Play
Grans has a great physical package and is also a righty. That is a combination of attributes that NHL GM’s lust after. He skates well, with good power and impressive edge work, and while he is already a big boy he does not look close to being finished filling out. He also possesses nice puck skills, and he uses that ability alongside his skating to regularly skate out of trouble and send play the other way. The Ljungby native has a good, hard wrist-shot that he manages to get space to utilize often, rarely struggling to find a seam to get a shot off. He fits the archetype of a modern-day defenseman, and loves getting involved in the rush. Once on the rush he does not lack creativity, and creates space for team-mates with soft hands and accurate passing.
Already a veteran of half a season worth of SHL games, his passing and vision in the neutral and offensive zone also stands out. In full stride he can feather the puck to rushing team-mates, and also spring forwards into dangerous situations regularly. But it is not just on the rush that his passing ability shines. When set up in the offensive zone Grans can dictate play from the blue-line.
However, he is somewhat of a project. He will certainly be a darn good SHLer at very worst down the line, and very likely a bottom pairing NHLer just due to his tools. But he can make poor decisions with the puck, which leads to questions over his hockey IQ at times. His gap-work can be lacking, which means that he can get walked even with his plus skating ability. Additionally, he has seemingly not quite figured out how to best use his frame yet. Despite his size he is rarely physical right now, and can even appear timid to engage at times. Nevertheless, he could develop into a very good second pairing defenseman with a unique skill set that is the perfect for modern NHL.
Comparison
Andrej Meszároš, Defense, HC Slovan Bratislava, Formerly of the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators
Like the Slovakian ex-NHLer, Grans has physical talent in abundance. They both have high end skating ability, good hands, a high level of confidence with the puck on their stick, and a natural ability to be able to carve their way through the neutral zone. Both also excel at getting the puck through with a high-end wrist-shot. Their weaknesses are also not dissimilar. Like Meszároš, Grans can get lost defensively, and for a man with a big frame is not very physical.
Prospect report written by Alexander Appleyard. If you would like to follow Alexander on Twitter, his handle is @Avappleyard.
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