Scouting Report: Matthew Beniers

Photo Credit – Rena Laverty

There are quite a few NHL Draft eligible prospects who hail from New England such as Scott Morrow (CT), Mackie Samoskevich (CT) and Ryan St. Louis (CT) (Martin St. Louis’ son), but Matthew Beniers (MA) is the top prospect from the region. Beniers grew up in Hingham, Massachusetts, which is just due south of Boston. Just a quick drive down the I-93 and Rt. 3.

Beniers played for Milton Academy and the Cape Cod Whalers before joining the USNTDP. His brother, Bobby Beniers most recently played division three hockey at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Beniers was set to play for Ted Donato’s Harvard Crimson this year, but unfortunately due to COVID-19 that was no longer an option. The Ivy League had cancelled fall sports and it seemed inevitable that they would cancel winter sports (which did happen in November). With Harvard Hockey not active this season, Beniers decided to commit to the University of Michigan. He joined fellow 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospects, Owen Power and Kent Johnson in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the 2021-2022 season.

In his freshman season at the University of Michigan, he was a point per game player. In 24 games played, he had recorded 10 goals and 14 assists. In addition to his outstanding campaign in Ann Arbor, he represented the United States at the 2021 World Juniors and took home a gold medal.

Beniers will also be playing for the United States at the 2021 IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia. His Michigan teammate, Power will also be competing in the tournament, but for Team Canada.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 5, 2002
Nationality – United States
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’1
Weight –174 lbs
Position – Center
Handedness – Left

Beniers’ Style Of Play

Matthew Beniers is a very intriguing prospect. In my views, I have failed to find a fault in his game. While a lot of scouts and analysts have claimed that Beniers doesn’t have flash to his game, I would argue that he doesn’t need flash. If you are capable of mastering the fundamentals, flash is not necessary. It’s a nice to have. Plus, I would argue that mastering the fundamentals is flash.

Beniers is a smart hockey player. That statement is overused, but he does everything that you want him to do and knows exactly what to do to draw attackers to him and open up lanes for himself. Beniers always manages to get to the net and knows exactly what it takes to do so no matter what situation he is in.

Speaking of drawing attackers to him, Beniers does this with ease. If he is rushing up the right side of the ice and the attacker is to his left, he will opt to position the puck to his left. This draws the attacker in. When the attacker is approaching Beniers, he will shift the puck to his right and skate around the attacker. This allows him to bring the attacker to him and open up a clear path to the net. In the below clip, you can check out an example where Beniers was able to draw an attacker in to create an opportunity to open up a lane to allow him to complete a zone exit pass to his winger.

Beniers has proven that he has strong hands and the strength necessary to move the puck from left to right with ease and at the right time. Not only is his strength key in drawing attackers in, but it is also vital when it comes up to Beniers’ reach. In the pre-tournament game against Finland, we saw a great example of Beniers using his reach to secure the puck. Beniers is constantly hunting for the puck in all three zones. His relentlessness and determination to capture the puck reminds me quite a bit of Lucas Raymond. Beniers uses his reach in tough puck battles. Battles in which he was not the first player to the puck. He shows quality balance and strength to reach out for the puck.

While Beniers has shown to aggressively hunt for the puck on the forecheck, he seems to get to the puck too late in most situations. Yet, Beniers does not have acceleration issues. To gather more speed on the forecheck, Beniers should look to lengthen his first steps to help push him to the puck at a faster rate. But, I just want to be clear that plenty of NHLers struggle with gathering speed on the forecheck. This is not a fault. If Beniers did not acquire the speed on the forecheck that forwards like Raymond have, it would not hurt his future.

Moving along, Beniers has also shown that he can flee tight pressure consistently. No matter if Beniers is controlling the puck in the offensive zone or defensive zone, Beniers will fight his way around pressure. He has quick feet and can pivot/make a quick turn on a dime. At open ice, if an attacker is closing in on him, he will deceptively complete a behind the back pass to his defenseman. He will also opt to use the boards as a backboard when pressure is closing in on him and that allows him to be a threat in transition.

When it comes to puck distribution, Beniers is quick with his assessment. He knows exactly what he wants to do. Beniers doesn’t sit and wait for an opportunity to arise. Often that means, that Beniers will drop back, shift from the left-to-right side and vice-versa if he knows that there is a lane that he wants to exploit. Beniers’ passing is outstanding. His wind-up isn’t too lengthy. His range is pretty extensive too as he can complete cross ice, centered, drop and quick tape-to-tape passes with precision.

Let’s shift to Beniers’ shot. Beniers tends to find the most success down low right at the crease. While most of the success is at the doorstep, Beniers can manage to elevate the puck with an open blade to score quite a few top shelf goals with a strong snap shot. But, Beniers is also capable of firing quality shots from the mid slot, which is where he spends the bulk of his time when he is not working the cycle.

Last, but not least, let’s hone in on his skating. Beniers uses strong tight crossovers for acceleration. His stride is not lengthy, but the crossovers help push down the ice. Beniers’ quick feet allow him to be creative with puck possession. If he is trying to lose an attacker, he could play the puck behind his own net and pivot quickly when an attacker is approaching him. Not only does that allow Beniers to fight off one attacker, but his quick feet and quick decision-making allow him to dodge multiple attackers in a short window of time.

Comparison

Mathew Barzal, Center, New York Islanders

Like Barzal, both centermen have quick feet and elite playmaking passing abilities down low. Barzal is slightly bigger than Beniers, but the size that Barzal is at is likely where we will see Beniers at in a few years or so. Barzal has also shown to have the same competitive instincts that Beniers has when forechecking. While Barzal is my comparable for Beniers, I want to caution readers that the comparable does not mean that I believe that Beniers will echo Barzal’s production at the NHL level, but he certainly has the chance to do so.

Projection

Second Line Center (NHL), but has First Line Center upside (NHL).

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

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Scouting Report: William Eklund

Photo Credit – Elvira Holmström

With almost exactly seven months until the NHL draft the race to be number one pick is completely up in the air. It could be several different players, and even when draft day is upon us it seems doubtful at this venture that there will be a clear-cut number one. What is clear-cut, however, is who is the best player in terms of level right now.

William Eklund.

Naturally, the NHL draft is not about picking the player who is the best at the moment of the draft, but instead who will be the best 5-10 years down the line. However, while other potential top picks are holding their own in the NCAA, looking good in junior leagues, or struggling to make an impact in pro leagues, the man from Stockholm’s leafy southern outskirts is excelling in the world’s third best league.

The SHL is not an easy place for teenagers to make a name for themselves. It is filled with ex-NHLers, international players, and the cream of Swedish prospects. If a player is simply holding their own in a bottom-line or bottom-pairing role that is often enough to mark them out as a first round talent. Eklund is not just holding his own. Eklund is making an argument for being one of the best forwards in the league. On a team with ex-NHLers Niclas Bergfors, Tom Wandell and Jacob Josefson, as well as top prospects such as Alexander Holtz and Dominik Bokk, it is Eklund who has arguably shone brightest after 22 games.

Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz were both top seven picks in the 2020 NHL draft, and are more than six months older than William Eklund. Neither have been quite as good as him this season.

But it is not just versus his peers and team-mates that Eklund has dazzled. With 0.37 G/GP and 0.74 P/GP so far this season the nimble winger is within touching distance of history. The league was founded in 1975, and in the previous 45 seasons there has only been one draft eligible player who has finished the year with better numbers than Eklund is on pace for.

That man was Daniel Sedin, with 0.84 (42 points in 50 games). The only other men to breach the 0.65 P/GP barrier as a first time draft eligible? Peter Forsberg (0.74) and Henrik Sedin (0.69). That is pretty good company to keep, nestled amongst three Hockey Hall of Famers.

Some might say that Eklund’s start to the year is a flash-in-the-pan. But he has always been good, just slept on before this season. Last year he had 1.16 P/GP in SuperElit/J20 Nationell, and played better hockey than 2020 second round picks Daniel Torgersson and Theodor Niederbach. Zion Nybeck was the only u-18 year old player in the league clearly better. He has also been a stand-out on Sweden’s u-16, u-17 and u-18 teams, despite often being one of the youngest players.

Player Profile

D.O.B – October 12, 2002
Nationality – Sweden
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height – 5’10
Weight –172 lbs
Position – Left Wing/Center
Handedness – Left

Eklund’s Style Of Play

Now you know how well William Eklund has performed… how about his skill-set?

Skating is more important than ever in today’s NHL. One of the areas that has been criticized about Eklund by many is his ability in that area, especially given his size. It must be said that he is not the fastest skater. However, he is very strong down low, and has good edges and agility. Despite not having blazing speed you will almost never see him caught up ice, or beaten to a puck though. Why? Because he has five feet of ice on virtually everyone else between his ears.


Eklund is the highest IQ player in this draft. He already understands coverages better than most NHL top six forwards. The Stockholm native seems to know what defensemen are going to do before they themselves make a decision. As a result he manages to get completely free around the slot, near the crease, behind the net, and in the circles more often than seems plausible. With the puck on his stick he puts his brain-power to use as well. He turns players inside out regularly on the cycle, not through outrageous moves, but by cutting back on himself at the very moments his marker least expects him to, leaving them out of position and with Eklund free to walk in towards goal.


His vision is also high-end. It is not rare to see him make a pass without so much as looking at his line-mate, and it land flush on tape for a prime scoring chance. Combine this with a beautiful passing touch and he can freeze defenses before they compute what is happening to give line-mates high-end opportunities with regularity.


When it comes to his shot the young Swede relies on an extremely quick release on both his snap-shot and wrister. He does not have the heaviest or most accurate shot, but with the positions he manages to get to almost every shift it is rare that when the puck comes to him he is not in a dangerous shot location. The result this season has been that he leads his team in goals. Now, his 18.9% shooting will almost certainly come down as the year goes on, but this high percentage is also driven by his shot locations.

However, there is certainly room for improvement in his shot selection and execution. He does not always catch his wristers clean, and as a result a higher percentage than you would like either hit skates and shins. Eklund also sometimes fails to lift his shots when he wants to. If he can get stronger, and in turn add more velocity to his shot, and be more consistent when he does shoot, he could certainly be a 30+ goal-scorer at the NHL level… with two-thirds of them coming on tap-ins, deflections and uncontested shots from the slot.

Eklund’s “skill” sometimes gets denigrated. The reason for this? Probably that he is not overly flashy. If Sidney Crosby is the “King of the Grinders” then William Eklund is one of the Princes. His style of play, combined with his high IQ, means that he rarely “needs” to pull a rabbit out of the hat and make a wonder-play. He gets space almost every shift with ease. In turn there is no need to try and deke a defensemen out of their jock. Eklund does have good hand-eye coordination though, and when he needs to can throw a feint or deke to get around a defenseman. He is also very good at tipping pucks in close as well as positioning his blade perfectly for re-directions.

As has been eluded to, an apt nickname for William Eklund would be “Oscar”. Why? Because like his muppet counterpart Mr. Grouch, William loves getting his nose in to the dirty areas. If you let him he would probably set up camp and spend his down-time two feet to the right of the home end goal-post at Hovet Arena. Despite being a smaller player he really does relish mixing it up, both with and without the puck. He will take a hit to make a play as well as engage around the net and along the boards.


His father Christian was a cult hero for Djurgården as a bottom-six winger. William Eklund has inherited his Dad’s heart. He never gives up on a play, even if every-one on ice left it for dead a long time before. As would be expected, therefore, his forechecking is relentless, and he causes turnovers regularly with a very active stick.

Eklund is already a good 200-ft player. He works hard to get back to the defensive zone, and his high IQ is present there too. His skills of perception enable him to be one step ahead of the play. It is not uncommon for him to anticipate a mistake, jump up and create a 2v1 from nothing before the opposition have even lost the puck. He might not be as physical in the defensive zone as he is on the cycle at the other end, but his active stick and eagerness to engage works well for him here too. While not a penalty-killer in the SHL he has been utilised there at the u-20 and u-18 levels.

On the power-play Eklund can either run play from the right half-boards, or get down low near the goal-line and facilitate as well as get to the net-front when needed. In juniors and to start the season, as well as in 5v3 situations, Eklund plays the right side. However, he has been extremely effective this season in the SHL playing a net-front role. He adds his own caveat, where he kicks out regularly to the right goal-line. While only 5’10 this position seems to best suit his skill-set.


For my money Eklund is the best forward in this draft. He might not be a physical freak, or an athletic freak, or a speed freak… but his freak ability is maybe the most important of all. Players like Nicklas Bäckström and Joe Pavelski have been stars in the NHL for years. What makes them so good is what makes Eklund so good. It is their immense hockey IQ’s. While Eklund might “only” end up a good, two-way, 50 point forward it would be no shock if he became a star.

Comparison

Henrik Zetterberg, C/LW, Retired, Played for Detroit Red Wings

Yes. A very lofty comparison. Don’t expect William Eklund to be as good as the future Hockey Hall of Famer. But he certainly could be a stylistically similar player who is a first liner at the highest level. The similarities start with their amazing ability to get clear air in the offensive zone. Both read the play to a high level. Like Zetterberg did, Eklund loves going to the danger areas, and while not having a truly high-end shot can rack up goals due to his awareness, positioning, and ability to re-direct pucks. As with the long-time Red Wings man, Eklund is a better play-maker than goal-scorer, despite being able to light the lamp. While adept defensively, Eklund does not have the same high-end ability at either 5v5 or the penalty-kill that Zetterberg had. Neither are the fastest skater, but are strong on the puck and agile, with good edges.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Alexander Appleyard. If you would like to follow Alex on Twitter, his handle is @alexappleyard.

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Scouting Report: Daniil Chayka

Photo Credit – OHL Images/Terry Wilson/Aaron Bell

Daniil Chayka is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible defenseman, who hails from Moscow, Russia. Chayka plays for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League, but due to COVID-19, the Storm loaned him out to CSKA Moscow. The Russian defenseman played U16 hockey for CSKA Moscow before coming over to Ontario in 2017 to play GTHL hockey for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U16 AAA squad. So, he returned to his old stomping ground this season.

Last season, in Guelph, Chayka proved to be a valued asset in both ends of the ice. With his excellent mobility, reach and gap control, Chayka limited high danger scoring chances. In the offensive zone, he showed off his booming shot and lit the lamp 11 times in 56 games played.

Since coming back to Russia, Chayka has played 18 games. He has played in seven games in the KHL for CSKA Moscow, five games for Zvezda Moscow (VHL), three games for Krasnaya Armiya Moscow (MHL) and three games for Russia at the Karjala Cup in Helsinki, Finland. Unfortunately, he has not registered a point at the VHL nor KHL level. The only points that he has recorded this season was at the Karjala Cup (one goal and two assists) and one point at the MHL level.

Player Profile

D.O.B – October 22, 2002
Nationality – Russia
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’3
Weight –185 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Left

Chayka’s Style Of Play

One of the most impressive attributes about Chayka’s play is his reach. But, his reach isn’t just good without the puck, it is good with the puck as well. With Chayka’s long frame, he uses his reach to his advantage. His reach allows him to take up more space, which gives him more room when possessing the puck. When Chayka does not have the puck and is playing in his own zone, his reach allows him to stand tall and intercept passes that are not coming to his immediate vicinity. If you have quality reach, you do not always have to hover around an attacker to shut down the play. Tight man to man defense isn’t always needed.

In the defensive zone, his play is quite similar to University of Michigan defenseman Owen Power. His defensive strategy is to play a more relaxed game until the puck crosses the perimeter. At that point, Chayka plays a bit tighter along the half-wall to eliminate lanes for the attacker to shift towards center ice. But, if the attacker is entering the zone on a quick rush and swings the puck around Chayka towards the boards, he tights up a lot earlier on. When the attack enters the zone through the middle of the ice, Chayka makes eye contact with the forward furthest along in the zone and he knows the trajectory of where that forward is headed. He quickly studies him and will find the best time to sneak in, which can lead to interceptions if the forward furthest along is waiting for one of his teammates to feed him a pass.

While he does play close to the vest, he is not a physical specimen. But, with his frame, it only behooves Chayka to develop a more physical playing style especially when looking to stop the cycle. The goal for Chayka should be to resemble the physical play that Kaiden Guhle (Montréal Canadiens prospect, Prince Albert Raiders defenseman) embodies. But, we do see some aggression, especially when net-front. When Chayka is net-front and battling against attackers who are looking to screen his goaltender, he takes an aggressive tone and pushes the attackers away from the crease.

Aside from his lack of physical play, I have enjoyed Chayka’s response to loose pucks and puck movement in general. Chayka is quick on his feet. He will quickly put on the jets to hunt down loose pucks and he will keep his foot on the gas when attackers make sudden changes in direction.

When it comes to transitional play, like most defensemen of his frame, he does not opt to go from zone-to-zone very often. Instead, he will look to make a breakout pass in the defensive zone. Unfortunately, sometimes Chayka is too quick with his breakout passing and does not complete an accurate assessment of the situation at hand. So, he will complete passes to the opposition or fail to get the puck to his teammate. On a lot of Chayka’s stretch passes, he seems to miss his target, which will sometimes lead to an icing.

In the offensive zone, I have noticed a difference between his play in the OHL versus his play in Russia. When playing in Russia, his offensive play is more laid back. He will pinch to go after loose pucks along the boards. He will distribute quality passes from the point and will take an occasional shot. But, his shots seem to go the goaltender’s pads for an easy stop. With the wider ice surface, I had wondered if he would struggle with his shot when moving back to Russia. It seems that he doesn’t have the ability to target a higher spot on the wider ice in Russia. During his play in the OHL, we have seen Chayka rip one-timer shots from the beyond perimeter and elevate a quality slap shot. In addition, Chayka was more inclined in Canada to jump into the slot and find open ice or look for a rebound to pick up and that is something that seems to be missing in his play in Russia.

Last, but not least, let’s talk about his skating. His stride reminds me a lot of Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara. For a bigger defenseman, Chayka has a quality stride. The extension is not too long. It seems to be at the perfect range. His stride allows him to pick up solid speed and he uses that speed to bolt after loose pucks. When on the blue-line, he has great length on his crossovers, which allow Chayka to move faster laterally than most because he doesn’t have to take as many crossovers to get him moving. Plus, he knows how to stutter step when completing crossovers. So, picture Tyreek Hill or Alvin Kamara stutter stepping to confuse the defender, Chayka can stutter step just like that and then fire a dart of a shot.

Comparison

Shea Weber, Right Handed Defenseman, Montréal Canadiens

Like Shea Weber, both defensemen are roughly the same size and both possess excellent reach. In terms of physicality, Weber has shown to be more aggressive along the boards and provides big hits to neutralize the attack. If Chayka develops his physical play, the goal should be to be as physical as Weber. In addition, both defensemen have shown to have the ability to fire quality shots from the point, especially when on the power-play.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

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Scouting Report: Sasha Pastujov

Photo Credit – Rena Laverty

Sasha Pastujov, a 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect, is a 17-year old left-winger currently playing for the United States National U-18 team. Pastujov hails from Northville, Michigan, and played his youth hockey for Detroit-area powerhouse teams such as Belle Tire 13U and Compuware 14U/16U AAA.  

During his minor hockey career, Pastujov really took off during the 2017-18 season while playing for Compuware 14U AAA. He scored 17 goals and 25 assists for 42 points in only 20 games. He completed his first season with the USNTDP in 2019-20, scoring 14 goals and registering 36 assists for 50 points in 49 games. In addition, Pastujov managed another nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 29 games played during USNTDP USHL play. 

So far this season, Pastujov is off to an amazing start for the U18 program, tallying 13 goals and eight assists for 21 points in 13 games. He’s currently leading the U18’s in points, with his longtime teammate and 2021 NHL Draft prospect Dylan Duke hot on his tail. Pastujov has also totalled 4 PIM thus far in 2020/2021.

For the 2021-22 season, Pastujov is committed to the University of Notre Dame, where he’ll play under Head Coach Jeff Jackson. Surprisingly, Pastujov chose to take his talents to Notre Dame, rather than joining his brothers Nick and Michael at the University of Michigan. He’ll look to help bolster a Notre Dame team who have struggled since their NCAA National Title loss in 2018.

Player Profile

D.O.B – July 15, 2003
Nationality – United States
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’0
Weight –181 lbs
Position – Left Wing
Handedness – Left

Pastujov’s Style Of Play

Watching Sasha Pastujov’s game film from the past two seasons should excite any hockey fan, coach, executive or GM in any league. Pastujov is an elite passer of the puck, and is a driving force in the offensive zone. He plays with a glowing sense of confidence, and has given coaches/scouts many highlight reel goals during his time at the USNTDP. Aside from his talented skills in the offensive zone, Pastjuov possesses a ridiculously high hockey IQ. The way he can pick out a teammate streaking down towards the slot and deliver a crisp pass on the tape from the opposite circle is mind-blowing. Let’s dive into the more refined aspects of Sasha Pastujov’s game.

Skating

Arguably the most impressive trait in his game, Pastujov is an excellent skater. His edge work is among the best in the 2021 Draft Class, and is very capable of changing directions on a dime, all while maintaining possession of the puck. He can generate an adequate amount of space for himself in all three zones of the ice with a simple head fake or shoulder dip. Pastujov’s agility is another quality aspect of his skating that allows him to create rushes in transition with ease. He is quite strong on his skates, which makes entering the offensive zone a hassle for defenders. While Pastujov has an adequate amount of speed cruising through the neutral zone, he could benefit from working on his explosiveness, as well as his takeoffs. As he develops during his time with the USNTDP and UND, with a little added muscle and explosiveness, Pastjuov can become a dynamic skater.

Offence

Pastujov is an elite-level dual threat left-winger who can stickhandle in a phone booth and search out teammates with poise. In my opinion, he’s on the shortlist for Best Passers in the 2021 Draft Class, and can handle the puck at an elite level. Pastjuov has an incredible sense of awareness to put himself in opportune positions to either score or set up a teammate with a tap-in scoring chance. Sasha is the most offensively-gifted out of his two brothers, and can score from all regions in the offensive zone. Pastjuov is very effective from the hashmarks in to the net, as he has scored a fair chunk of his goals the past two seasons in close. He’s also a force on the powerplay, as he can usually be found setting up shop in the high slot, or along the half-wall, ready to unleash a beautiful pass to a teammate or to bury the puck on his own. Pastjuov could also benefit his draft stock by using his shot a little more, which he has been improving on this season for the U18’s. Perhaps the most impressive part of Pastjuov’s offensive game is his motor. He has a “wont-quit” attitude when it comes to keeping the puck in the offensive zone, where he sees the majority of his ice time (~52%), which is aided by the fact he’s seeing almost four minutes of power play ice time per game (03:52min/game). Pastujov also boasts an incredible ability to go end-to-end, weaving through the opposing team, which NHL front offices will certainly be impressed by.

Defence

Like most players that come out of the USNTDP, Pastujov is a well-rounded player. Even though he will be the most productive in the offensive zone, he is more than capable of being relied upon to help defend, either on the PK, or in general. Pastujov is more than capable of being a pest while covering the point, not giving much space to the opponents defensemen. He saw almost one minute of PK ice time last season (00:58/min/game), and was fairly successful on face-offs, swell (50% success rate). However, his defensive game could use a little work, mainly when it comes to controlling the puck on zone exits, as well as being stronger on the puck along the half-wall in his own zone. Though, it’s yet to really be seen so far how much the U18’s plan to use him in defensive situations.

Improvements 

As previously mentioned, Pastjuov seems to have a fairly rounded game. That being said, he’s still a developing prospect, and there are parts of his game which still need some tweaking. For example, he could benefit a lot from using his shot more, which is quite lethal. His goal scoring numbers could potentially skyrocket. Also, his skating stride could use some more explosiveness off the hop. Perhaps some time spent in the gym during the offseason will add some extra burst for a player who can fly down the wing when in full motion. Although these are minor areas where Pastujov can improve, he’s an incredibly skilled prospect. 

Overall Outlook

To sum things up, Sasha Pastujov looks like a force to be reckoned with when it comes to 2021 NHL Draft offensive prospects. It wouldn’t shock me to see a team take a shot at him as high as ~12th overall, but I believe his window to be selected lies within the 16-24th overall pick range.

Comparison 

Matthew Tkachuk – LW, Calgary Flames

Watching several of Sasha Pastujov’s games from the past few seasons reminded me a lot of a certain Calgary Flames left-winger, Matthew Tkachuk. Both players have excellent hockey sense, prefer to be more of a pass-first teammate, and both have a rough, physical aspect to their game. Also, both have an incredible shot, but may not always look to use it as their first option. If Pastujov can add some size and follow a similar career trajectory to Tkachuk, I’m sure whichever team that selects him is going to walk away from the first round more than pleased.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Paul Zuk. If you would like to follow Paul on Twitter, his handle is @paulzuk_81.

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Scouting Report: Anton Olsson

Photo Credit – Malmö Redhawks

The town of Helsingborg is a town of contrast. Survey it from the towers of Hamlet’s Castle, just three miles away in Denmark across the Øresund Strait, and you see both plumes of smoke and an industrial cargo port, as well as beautiful old buildings and rolling Swedish countryside. Anton Olsson is a son of Helsingborg, and his game mirrors the town. His transition play is akin to those rolling hills, while the rest of his game is utilitarian, much like one of the busiest ports in the world, just a stone’s throw from where he was born.

Helsingborg and the Øresund Strait have another indelible mark in history. Historically the waterway was close to impenetrable. A narrow stretch that could be defended and controlled. Which enabled Denmark and Sweden to control entry to the Baltic, something that was both financially and strategically profitable for them. It is only apt that Olsson, therefore, is a defenseman, and looks to follow Hampus Lindholm and Andreas Lilja from the mouth of the Baltic all the way across the pond.

The young Skåne native is already well on his way. He has shone at u-16 and u-17 international level, been one of the best defensemen at u-16, u-18 and u-20 domestic junior level, and is now holding his own in the SHL. In fact, at the time of writing Olsson has played over 16 minutes in his last two games in the world’s third best league, and just picked up his first point in Sweden’s top tier.

Player Profile

D.O.B – January 26, 2003
Nationality – Sweden
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’1
Weight –183 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Left

Olsson’s Style Of Play

When it comes to the modern NHL the skill that is almost essential, especially for defensemen, is skating ability. That foundation is something that is already strongly cemented in place with Olsson. Not only is he mobile with good agility, he also has above average speed when in stride. His lateral ability and acceleration also allow him to get into open ice in all three zones with aplomb. He pivots well, and also possesses good backwards skating skill. All-in-all, a good four-way skater. The only minor issue is that Helsingborg native can get too wide and drift at times.

As has been the case with the majority of defensemen Sweden has produced in the last 10 years, Olsson has a fantastic transition game. This area is a stand-out ability for him. Not only is he extremely confident carrying the puck, but he also has some skill, and can deke past opponents at speed. The result is that he can carve through a neutral zone and make opposition players get on their heels.


His skating and puck-skills, as you would expect, also benefit him in the defensive zone. Not only is Olsson extremely poised under pressure, but he utilizes his skating and hands well in order to get out of trouble and effect clean zone exits with regularity. From the defensive zone he generally sees the ice in-front of him well, and if there are no options for him to break-out himself he can be trusted to use his team-mates, and has an accurate outlet.

Olsson’s gap control is good, and his defensive IQ is a plus even at the SHL level. He rarely puts himself in difficult situations and is adept at separating players from the puck either with his stick or shoulder. While not overly physical he has no issue getting involved around the net and holds his own in such positions against men, despite usually giving up a weight advantage to most SHL forwards. The result of this combination of skills mean he is a trusted penalty killer at both junior level and for the national team.

So, the Malmö Redhawks defenseman can: skate, play defense, and carry a puck. How about up ice?

In the offensive zone there are some things to really like about his game. On the cycle he is good at making himself available. He also constantly looks to make space for his partner and forwards. Additionally, he uses his skating well, especially laterally, to get into seams and make opposition forwards have to work hard not to allow a lane. He is also a nice passer with a good touch. However, he is not the most creative in terms of finding team-mates in the offensive zone.

Olsson also has a fantastic wrister with the release of a scoring forward. But it must be said that he is not the most accurate. He scores some highlight reel goals when his shot comes off, but this is not a common occurrence. In terms of his slapshot he can really hammer the puck when he steps into it, but rarely does due to his preference for quick wrist-shots. On the power-play his ability to create space and fire pucks means he is a good quarterback at the junior level.


However, there are some “down-sides” to his offensive zone play. Unlike in transition a lot of his work when set up in the OZ is “route one” stuff that keeps it simple. That is not an issue in itself, but he would likely be more effective there if he tried to do more with the puck. His mindset seems to be to generally make a safe play when at the line. His vision in the offensive zone also detracts from his positional awareness and skill. Too often for a player with a big shot do his shots miss or get blocked.

These issues limit his effectiveness on the cycle when the puck comes to him, and at times can detract from his great work to create space and lanes for himself and his team-mates. It is too common a sight for Olsson to do great work to get free, have a forward open, and just fire blindly instead of looking for a play. It can be strange to watch. He is poised and thoughtful in the offensive zone without the puck… but when on his stick? He gets tunnel vision. Though it must be said that it is rare these plays are not “safe”… but simply low percentage with better offensive options.

His approach in the offensive zone is similar to that of Radko Gudas. Think shot. Shoot often with volume, and some will get through. It does drive good results for him in terms of possession numbers. He has driven play well this season, with his 49.8% Corsi being second best on his team’s defense. However, at a higher level his offensive inflexibility may well limit his upside. He is more dangerous on the rush than when set up in the offensive zone.

There is a lot to like about Olsson. He is a smooth skating defenseman who is confident, has plus skills, and plays good two-way hockey. However, it is hard to see him being a consistent threat offensively outside the power-play at the next level, and there is no guarantee he will ever be an NHL power-play fixture. In turn, unless he adds more arrows to his quiver going forward, his upside is likely capped as a good number four defenseman. Still, defensemen with his skill-set are valuable in the NHL. As a result the young Swede will likely find his name called late in the first round of the 2021 draft.

Comparison

Calvin de Haan, left handed defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks

Not only are de Haan and the young Swede both a similar stature. They also have great skating ability, and a similar all-around skill-set. Both can effect zone exits and entries and have good transition skills. Yet the two lack offensive zone creativity and have a tendency to just fire away. They also share a high defensive zone IQ and have good gap control and are reliable penalty-killers. At his peak de Haan was a good second pairing defenseman. Olsson has the ability to be at that level in future.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Alexander Appleyard. If you would like to follow Alex on Twitter, his handle is @alexappleyard.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Owen Power

Photo Credit – Chicago Steel

Owen Power is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible defenseman, who hails from Mississauga, Ontario. Similarly to Brandt Clarke, another highly touted 2021 NHL Draft eligible defenseman, Power played midget and bantam youth hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). Power played in the Mississauga Reps system and recorded a 33 point season in his final GTHL season (2017-2018).

After his time with the Mississauga Reps, he was drafted in both, the OHL draft and the USHL draft. The Flint Firebirds drafted him in the second round of 2018 OHL draft with pick #22. But, Power ultimately decided to join the Chicago Steel of the USHL, after they selected him with the seventh overall pick in 2018 USHL draft. The goal for Power was to play NCAA hockey at the University of Michigan and if he opted to play with the Flint Firebirds he would lose his NCAA eligibility.

Power spent two seasons with the Chicago Steel and became one of the best all-around defenseman in the USHL. In his first season with the Steel, he tallied 11 goals and 14 assists in 58 games. Power improved upon his production in his second and final season in Chicago, in which he recorded 12 goals and 28 assists in 45 games.

This past season, Power played for the University of Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines are a well-rounded team with a lot of talent including Thomas Bordeleau (San Jose Sharks prospect), Brendan Brisson (Vegas Golden Knights prospect), Cameron York (Philadelphia Flyers prospect), Kent Johnson (2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect) and Matthew Beniers (2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect). In 26 games played, he recorded 16 points (3 goals and 13 assists).

Power was invited to Canada’s 2021 World Junior Championship camp in Red Deer, Alberta, but did not attend. The University of Michigan chose not to release him. But, he will be playing for Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Championships in Riga, Latvia.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 22, 2002
Nationality – Canada
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’5
Weight –214 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Left

Power’s Style Of Play

Owen Power is a net front defenseman. He will put pressure on any attacker, who is looking to screen Strauss Mann and Erik Portillo (Michigan’s goaltenders). When he is not sitting net front, he is closing down lanes primarily on the left side of the ice. Power is efficient at keeping the rush glued to the boards. By doing so, Power eliminates high danger situations and prevents the attack from doing much aside from cycling the puck around the half-wall. While Power thrives at shutting down lanes, he isn’t overly physical. There are shifts where Power will lay down a hit, but it is not consistent. Most of the time, he insists on trapping the cycle along the boards, but will not look to neutralize the cycle on every single shift. He does exert more pressure when the rush gets to the perimeter. From the blue-line to the perimeter, he is more relaxed with his gap control.

While Power customarily patrols the left side of the ice, when his defensive partner (usually Nick Blankenburg) is stuck in a jam behind the red line, he will alternate sides and provide additional support. But, if Power has his back turned towards the attack, he will struggle to dodge the forecheck. Power needs to work on using his peripheral vision to identify the forechecker and develop quick pivots to muscle around the forechecker to avoid coughing up the puck.

From a transitional perspective, do not expect Power to push the play alone. Power isn’t going to go from zone to zone with the puck every shift. You will see instances throughout each game where Power does goes zone to zone, but Power often looks to feed zone exit passes in order to move the puck up the ice. In addition, Power is cautious with the puck and will not throw the puck into dangerous situations. If he sees the forecheck trying to close in on him, he will fall back and identify the ideal teammate to deliver a breakout pass to. Not only is it the safe approach, but it allows him to dictate the pace of the game. If he wants to slow the game down and silence an aggressive forecheck, falling back in the defensive zone buys Power some more time to find that teammate to pass to. Yet, we do see instances when Power is going from zone to zone, similarly to Clarke, he will zig-zag through the neutral zone to avoid traffic.

When defending in the neutral zone, Power will use an active stick when the rush draws close to Michigan blue-line. His active stick is the same as the gate coming crashing down. When he extends his stick out, he forces the opposition to dump the puck into the Michigan zone.

In the offensive zone, Power is a quality puck distributor. He possesses the ability to deliver crisp feeds all over the offensive zone, but his long range passing makes him an elite distributor. The Mississauga native can feed long range passing from the blue-line and that allows him to be clutch on the power play.

Not only does Power have the ability to thread the needle from the point, but he also has a cannon of a shot. Power has a big wind-up on his slap shot, which strengthens his slap shot power.

When Power does not have possession of the puck in the offensive zone, he does whatever he can to get open and gives his teammates an open teammate to pass to. If play moves to the left side of the offensive zone, Power will shift to the right side to provide an opportunity for his teammates to deliver a cross ice pass to him.

Not only does Power look for open ice, he will pinch and get into the trenches when the cycle goes past the red line. He will jump up to the perimeter and even move closer towards the corner to be more involved in the cycle. The only issue with his aggressive offensive play is that more than often he is one of the last players back into the defensive zone which can be disastrous when Michigan is looking to shut down an attack.

When you evaluate his skating, you will see that Power is not the fastest skater on the ice. But, he can turn on the jets if and when there is a breakaway and his defensive partner is well out of reach. Power’s ankle flexion is solid and he will utilize quality crossovers to get his motor going.

While he does have strong crossovers, I want to see crossovers being used a tad more consistently in the defensive zone. There will be shifts in which Power’s positioning might be a bit further out from the attacker and it takes him longer to get into position for gap control because he doesn’t use crossovers in the defensive zone as frequently as he does when he’s on the rush.

In addition, he needs further development with edges and pivoting. When Power has his back turned in the defensive zone and the forecheck is bearing down on him, he does not have the ability to quickly pivot and move away from the attack.

Comparison

Dustin Byfuglien, Right Handed Defenseman, Played for the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers

While Power’s physical game is not at the level of Dustin Byfuglien, like Byfuglien, he thrives at pinching in the corners and keeping the cycle alive. I am hopeful that the physicality will come over time. I would like to emphasize that getting to Byfuglien’s level of physicality will be a tough road, but if Power can boost his physical game it makes him even more dangerous in all three zones. Aside from physicality, both defensemen are strong puck distributors and can light up the lamp from the point.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Jesper Wallstedt

Photo Credit – Luleå Hockey

Over the last ten years NHL teams have grown more and more reticent to draft goalies in the first round. From 2011 to 2018 there were only four goalies taken before the end of the drafts first day, and of those four the highest selection was Andrei Vasilevskiy at 19th overall. Part of this shift has been due to how unpredictable many goalies development is. Part of it is also due to even the best goalies in the league being inconsistent from year to year due to the nature of the position.

Since underlying goalie statistics began to be recorded in 2007-08 only eight goalies in the entire NHL have managed more than five seasons with above league average statistics. (Lundqvist, Luongo, Price, Quick, Fleury, Crawford, Halak and Andersen.) It is no wonder that NHL GM’s and scouting teams therefore are reluctant to use a high value pick on a goalie.

However, in the last two drafts prodigal talents between the posts shifted that trend. The Florida Panthers took US National Team stand-out Spencer Knight 13th overall in 2019, and the Nashville Predators selected Russian phenom Yaroslav Askarov 11th overall just this summer.

The 2021 draft will certainly make it three in a row with a goalie in the first round. Likely three in a row with a goalie in the top 15 picks. And there is potential that Luleå’s Jesper Wallstedt eclipses both Knight and Askarov’s draft positions and does something no goalie since Carey Price in 2005 has done, and go top 10.

Wallstedt, having only just turned 18, has a practically spotless resume. At 13 years old he made his debut at u-18 junior level in Sweden. By the time he was 14 years old he was one of the best goalies at the u-18 level. At 15 years old he made the jump to u-20 level, before dominating the same level at age 16-17. He has also starred on the international level at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the U-18 World Juniors. And now, at just 18 years old, he has nine SHL games under his belt and a preposterous .931 sv% in them. Not bad for a league where the average sv% is under .910.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 14, 2002
Nationality – Sweden
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’3
Weight –214 lbs
Position – Goaltender
Catches – Left

Wallstedt’s Style Of Play

So, what allows Wallstedt to have such great success at such a tender age? How is it that when most talented goalies his age are giving inconsistent performances at a junior level Wallstedt is shutting down men in one of the worlds best leagues?

First and foremost – somewhat appropriately considering he lives just 90 miles south of the Arctic Circle – the Stockholm born prospect is so cool as to appear ice cold between the posts. It does not seem that anything can ruffle his feathers. A crowded crease, one-on-ones, a barrage of shots, or quiet periods. No matter what is happening in front of him Wallstedt is locked in. His poise is exceptional.

Alongside his mental fortitude, the Swede possesses a technical game that most NHL starters would be jealous of. He rarely needs to make big saves, or rely on athleticism, because his skating ability and anticipation leave him in the perfect position to deal with shots simply the majority of the time. As with most modern goalies his base set is Reverse-VH when players get in close on his peripheries, and he is a master at the age of 18.

Unlike a lot of goalies who use it habitually, Wallstedt virtually never “jumps the gun” in terms of when to drop into it. So only exposes his upper corner when the angle of shot is extremely acute. Part of that also might be due to how big he manages to make himself when covering his posts. Wallstedt is no Vasilevskiy or Bishop size-wise, but he uses every inch of his 6’3 frame exceptionally well. He looks bigger than he is between the pipes as a result.

His ability to get himself into position no matter what the situation means that he deals with incoming pucks from all angles well, not just in terms of making the initial save, but also ensuring no rebounds. Smaht Scouting’s Josh Tessler has been tracking the NHL 2021 draft eligible goalies, and from a statistical perspective Wallstedt has allowed less rebounds that virtually every other goalie who will be eligible in 2021. When you account for the fact that Wallstedt is playing against men and the others against players their own age that is even more impressive. The young Swede just gobbles up shots, and has an amazing ability to get shots in awkward areas down on ice in-front of him, or trapped in his equipment.

On top of his mental game and technical prowess, Wallstedt also has one of the best gloves you will see for a young goalie. Often, this aspect of a net-minders game can take the longest time to develop. So many goalie prospects have issues, especially in the low glove area, where not being set can leave a gap that is hard to cover. But with Wallstedt’s technically ability, alongside fantastic hand-eye coordination, he plucks the puck out of the air with ease, even on shots that are hard and accurate. His glove-work through traffic is also a joy to behold as he tracks the puck and shuts play down inside his Bauer trapper.

As for his puck-handling? In a day and age where – partially due to the trapezoid – many goalies struggle with the puck on their stick Wallstedt is an exception. He grew up playing both goalie and skater, and his puck-handling makes you think he could have been a success had he never decided to don the mask. Impervious to pressure with the puck on his stick behind the net, Wallstedt can deceive forwards and is comfortable passing both forehand and backhand. At times he acts as effectively a third defenseman, and it is not a rare site seeing him head out of net to claim loose pucks in-front of him and dish out pin-point passes. Effecting a clean break-out I something he has in his arsenal that most goalies don’t.

So what are the issues? What needs work? Well, not much. That is exactly why he might go top ten in the draft. From a technical standpoint he can sometimes over-angle his blocker, which means pucks end up closer to him that they should be, but this is a minor issue and one that would not even be raised with most goalies.

The only major question? His athleticism. Simply put, Wallstedt is not Askarov or Knight in that area. He is not “as” quick up and down or side-to-side as many high-end goalie talents, though he compensates for this heavily with his skating and lower-body strength, especially going laterally where he can push off the post. Sure, he “can” make some amazing saves, but he cannot recover as well as some goalies.

However, that has not been an issue so far in his career, even at the SHL level. His technical ability combined with his skating and anticipation means that last ditch saves are rarely needed. It is also worth noting that his high-danger sv% this year is .906 in the SHL. At the NHL level, a high-danger sv% of over .840 is elite. The SHL is not the NHL, and eight games is not a large sample size, but it is still mightily impressive. He deals with one-v-one situations well and often simply sets, and outwaits the forward until they run out of room.

It would be an enormous surprise if Wallstedt does not develop into an NHL starter, and with his fundamentals and maturity he has the potential to be an elite goalie in the NHL. If a team in the 8-15 range pick him up in the 2021 draft no-one should complain about the value of the pick.

Comparison

Tuukka Rask, Goalie, Boston Bruins

Wallstedt and Rask are not only a similar size, but play a similar technical game, while being extremely poised and calm, and not often getting into bad positions. Both also have a lightning quick glove. The Bruins goalie is slightly more athletic than Wallstedt – though he is not elite in this regard himself – but the Swede is a far superior puck-handler and better with his rebound control.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Alexander Appleyard. If you would like to follow Alex on Twitter, his handle is @alexappleyard.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Preliminary 2021 NHL Draft Rankings

Alexander Appleyard, Paul Zuk, Sebastian Jackson and Josh Tessler combined their draft rankings and put together the official Smaht Scouting 2021 NHL Draft Preliminary Rankings.

The rankings are below and our scouting reports are hyperlinked. Just to note, we are still working on some more 2021 NHL Draft scouting reports for public consumption. Stay tuned for those.

PicksProspectPositionTeamNation
1Brandt ClarkeRHDBarrieCanada
2Luke HughesLHDUSNTDPUSA
3Owen PowerLHDMichiganCanada
4Carson LambosLHDWinnipegCanada
5Simon EdvinssonLHDFrölundaSweden
6William EklundC/LWDjurgårdensSweden
7Aatu RätyCKärpätFinland
8Kent JohnsonC/LWMichiganCanada
9Fabian LysellLW/RWLuleåSweden
10Matthew BeniersCMichiganUSA
11Dylan GuentherLWEdmontonCanada
12Cole SillingerCMedicine HatCanada
13Zachary L’HeureuxLWHalifaxCanada
14Jesper WallstedtGLuleåSweden
15Oskar OlaussonLW/RWHV71Sweden
16Chaz LuciusCUSNTDPUSA
17Nikita ChibrikovRWSKA St-PetersburgRussia
18Zachary BolducCRimouskiCanada
19Isak RosénRWLeksandsSweden
20Simon RobertssonRWSkellefteåSweden
21Samu TuomaalaRWKärpätFinland
22Stanislav SvozilLHDBrnoCzech Republic
23Sasha PastujovRWUSNTDPUSA
24Aidan HreschukLHDUSNTDPUSA
25Logan StankovenCKamloopsCanada
26Brennan OthmannLWFlintCanada
27Xavier BourgaultCShawiniganCanada
28Samu SalminenC/LWJokeritFinland
29Mason McTavishCPeterboroughCanada
30Anton OlssonLHDMalmöSweden
31Dylan DukeCUSNTDPUSA
32Zachary DeanCGatineauCanada
HMWilliam StrömgrenLWMODOSweden
HMOscar PlandowskiRHDCharlottetownCanada
HMMackie SamoskevichRWChicagoUSA
HMSean BehrensLHDUSNTDPUSA
HMScott MorrowRHDShattuck-St. Mary’sUSA
HMCameron WhynotLHDHalifaxCanada
HMCorson CeulemansRHDBrooksCanada
HMDaniil ChaykaLHDGuelphRussia
HMJames MalatestaLWQuebecCanada
HMBrett HarrisonCOshawaCanada

Scouting Report: Scott Morrow

Photo Credit – Shattuck-St. Mary’s School

Scott Morrow is a 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect, who hails from Darien, Connecticut. While Connecticut doesn’t produce nearly the amount of players that Massachusetts, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin does, we have seen a lot of talent come out of the State of Connecticut over the years including Spencer Knight (same hometown as Morrow), Cam Atkinson, Ron Hainsey, Chris Drury, Jonathan Quick, Craig Janney, Max Pacioretty, Nick Bonino and Kevin Shattenkirk.

Morrow and his sister, Sydney Morrow both play hockey for Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minnesota. He has spent the last four years or so developing his game with Shattuck and has turned into a well-rounded right handed defenseman.

Aside from playing for Shattuck, he played in two USHL games last season with the Youngstown Phantoms. Since last season, his USHL rights have transferred a few times. He was dealt to the Sioux City Musketeers initially and then the Musketeers flipped his right to the Fargo Force. But, with that being said, there is no indication that Morrow will move to the USHL full-time. In May, Morrow sat down with Brian Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald and the 2021 NHL Draft eligible prospect indicated that “if the season starts on time, he’ll be in Fargo”. Unfortunately, the USHL season was delayed and thus Morrow opted to start the season in Minnesota.

So far this season, in nine games played for Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U Prep, Morrow has recorded 13 points (three goals and ten assists). Per EliteProspects, he is averaging 1.44 points per game, which is almost on par with his performance last season. If Morrow plays a full season (which is roughly 55/56 games), at that rate, he would put up around 79 points.

He was supposed to join the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks next season. But, on May 5, 2021, it was reported by Nathan Strauss of UMass Sports Network that Morrow would be joining the UMass Minutemen next season. It was rumored that North Dakota asked Morrow to defer for a season and that is what spurred Morrow to switch to UMass.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 1, 2002
Nationality – United States of America
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’2
Weight –192 lbs
Position – Defense
Handedness – Right

Morrow’s Style Of Play

When it comes to his playing style, he can be handful to skate around. When Morrow moves from the offensive zone to the neutral zone, he tends to play close to the vest and will opt to utilize his stick to push attackers away from his blue-line. Once he gets across his blue-line, he lowers his body and widens his stance. By doing so, he eliminates lanes for attackers. The attackers end up along the half-wall. With that being said, the goal to prevent high danger scoring chances and Morrow does that with his preventive defense specialties. When Morrow is patrolling the boards in his zone, he alters his gap control. Sometimes, Morrow will be right in your face and apply a quality backcheck. He tends to tighten up more so around the red line. Morrow doesn’t just stick to his own side. He owns the ice. At a moments notice, he will deviate and switch to the left side if he feels that his defensive partner is struggling at neutralizing the attack.

With his defensive style, you can expect Morrow to be the last defenseman to re-enter the defensive zone and that is due to his aggressive defensive measures in the neutral zone. Morrow thrives in the neutral zone and it would be a mistake to force him to adjust his style. Instead, coaches should expect to pair him with a defenseman who drops back to the net consistently.

From a puck movement perspective, there is a lot to cover with Morrow. His puck movement is quite similar to Barrie Colts defenseman Brandt Clarke. Morrow uses well-timed crossovers in the defensive zone to help drive his acceleration. He will not drive the play through dangerous situations. If there is an attacker bearing down on him, he adjusts on the fly, drops back and tries a different lane. But, he doesn’t just drop back in the neutral and defensive zones, he also plays it safe in the offensive zone when traffic is in front of him. When controlling the puck in the neutral zone, like Clarke, he will zig-zag around to avoid confrontations with his opponents.

While he is effective at controlled transitions, there are instances in uncontrolled transitions where Morrow runs into some problems. Sometimes Morrow’s decision-making on his first pass is off the mark and his passes lead to turnovers in front of his net. In addition, when he is finding the right teammate to pass the puck to and shifting around traffic in his own zone, there are instances where Morrow struggles to keep the puck on his stick and that leads to cough ups without much contact from opponents.

Morrow’s skating is quite strong. His foot extension is long, which allows him to take fewer strides when in transition. The recovery is not too wide, which is critical for strong mobility. His edges and crossovers are the main drivers for his acceleration and come in handy when navigating/stick-handling in the offensive zone.

In the offensive zone, Morrow loves to pinch, skate up the boards and complete centered passes to the slot. While you would expect Morrow mostly to pinch and control the cycle on the right side of the ice, that is not always the case. As mentioned above, Morrow likes to command the game and will alternate between rushing up the left and right side. Additionally, you can expect Morrow to charge through the slot and will use his stick-handling skills to swerve around attackers. All-in-all, his offensive play is quite strong, but I would like to see some refinement on his shot. When Morrow is shooting from the blue-line, his shot goes wide quite a bit. But, any time that you are taking a long-range shot, you need to expect that the chances of the puck reaching the net and not bouncing off the boards are much lower than if you are shooting from the slot or right at doorstep.

Comparison

Tyson Barrie, Right Handed Defenseman, Edmonton Oilers

Like Tyson Barrie, both defensemen are quite strong in transition, love to pinch, work the cycle and complete centered passes to the slot. While Barrie’s shot is strong from the point, I’m confident that with refinement that Morrow can get there.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Josh Tessler. If you would like to follow Josh on Twitter, his handle is @JoshTessler_.

Looking for other scouting reports? Check out the Prospects tab for our other scouting reports.

Need a scouting report on a particular prospect, contact us today!

Scouting Report: Oskar Olausson

Photo Credit – HV71

Given the talent he possesses it is a surprise that Oskar Olausson has not got more column space in the lead-up to the 2021 draft.  Part of that might simply be due to him being a 2002 born player. Therefore his only major international tournament was the 2019 Hlinka, where he was the youngest skater on the roster and buried on the fourth line. Furthermore, a strong Swedish forward class including peers such as Fabian Lysell, William Eklund, Simon Robertsson, Isak Rosén, William Strömgren and Oliver Moberg means that Olausson has got lost in the mix at times.

Additionally, at the domestic level he was shuffled between the HV71 J-20 and J-18 teams in the last two seasons. He was good for his age at both levels, and given his role on the J-20 team last season his 0.76 points-per-game was admirable. Nevertheless, many 2021 draft rankings so far fail to include Olausson in the first round.

It is a fair bet that that will change quickly in the coming months. Not only has the Stockholm born winger had a great start to the season – lighting up the J-20 with 14 goals and 27 points in 16 games, and now holding his own in the SHL – but he has a skill-set to make scouts salivate.

Player Profile

D.O.B – November 10, 2002
Nationality – Sweden
Draft Eligibility – 2021
Height –6’2
Weight –181 lbs
Position – Left Wing/Right Wing
Handedness – Left

Olausson’s Style Of Play

The four S’s of scouting are the foundations that virtually every prospect either needs, or needs to have the potential to develop, to one day become a good NHLer. Skating, speed, skill and smarts. Olausson ticks all of those boxes already. And if on a true alliterative bent his shot and strength are also abnormally well developed for his age.


Explosive is an understatement with the HV71 winger. After a growth spurt at 17 he went from 6’0 to 6’2, adding close to 20lbs, without losing any of his skating ability. He is one of those players who would have excelled in whatever sport he chose to play. A true athlete who looks “natural” in almost everything he does on ice. When he gets into stride it is such a sight to behold that you almost wish the rink was 400ft to watch him for longer.

Olausson loves to carry the puck up ice. With his skating ability combined with soft, silky mitts, he has a mesmeric way of slicing through the neutral zone. It is not hyperbole to say that he has the confidence and stride up ice that mirrors NHLers such as MacKinnon, Voráček and Wheeler.

Once he gets into the offensive zone he has a whole bag of tricks that he can utilise. If he gets a defenseman one on one he loves to cut towards the slot, deke them inside-out, and use his wicked release to challenge a goalie. When a defenseman manages to maintain his gap and keep him to the outside Olausson has the edges to try and beat them up the boards and cut back in to get in close on the goalie. If that is not an option he is adept at rolling round the net, losing his man and keeping the cycle going.

He also creates havoc when handing off the puck after effecting an entry. As he then starts to work his own brand of magic in terms of making his 6’2 frame “disappear” in the slot and getting free to unleash a quick one-timer when the puck comes back to him.


Some have slotted Olausson in the “complimentary winger” category, or questioned his hockey IQ. While he can be guilty of holding onto a puck for too long, and he is certainly a shoot first player who needs a play-making center to be at his best, I think it is unfair to pigeon-hole him like that. His zone entry skill, ability on the cycle, and solid passing mean that he can create space for others. He also has the scorers knack of getting free in dangerous positions, and does it with regularity. That is hard to do that without thinking the game well.

Olausson, as one would imagine with his skill-set, is a serious power-play threat. Not only is he great at helping his team set-up, but once established in his favoured spot on the right boards he is extremely dangerous either walking in for a wrister, or sneaking over towards the circle for a one-timer. Like his skating, his shot technique is a thing of beauty, an efficiency of energy.



So where are the downsides here? While strong for his age he will – naturally – need to fill out his frame more. Also, he will have to utilize his team-mates better and not try as many home-run plays as he progresses. Olausson, however, is very well-rounded for his age.

Defensively he is not what I would call the “instinctive” type. But he plays the game at a high tempo and works hard inside his own half of ice. He is good at turning pucks over and forcing mistakes, and has also proven to be a solid penalty-killer. In his brief SHL career so far he has had some lapses in his own end, and I doubt he will ever be a high-end defensive player, but he will likely never be considered a liability.

Olausson is the type of player that it seems likely NHL scouts will fall in love with. In turn could end up going a lot earlier in the draft than many have pegged him to. If he continues to develop he has the potential to be a 30 goal, first line winger.

Comparison

Filip Forsberg, Left Wing, Nashville Predators

Olausson is not quite as physical as his older Swedish counterpart. But there are other aspects of their game that mirror each other. Both have great shots and skating, are brilliant at effecting zone entries. The two would also both rather fire the puck than defer to a team-mate. They both shield the puck exceptionally well on the cycle and are dangerous on the rush, with hands and confidence. The two also share the ability to find space in danger areas. They also both play the game at a high-tempo, and can be effective penalty-killers. Forsberg is a slightly more natural play-maker though.

stats from InStat and EliteProspects

Prospect report written by Alexander Appleyard. If you would like to follow Alex on Twitter, his handle is @alexappleyard.

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