RoyalDude wrote:Yes, Ehlers is intriguing but Shinkaruk is enough for us in that department, not to mention Schroeder. We need a Ritchie, Virtanen type on the wings.
What's this stuff about Nylander being a primadonna?
I think his pops was trying to control his swedish hockey life, when modo sent william to his dads team, he won't have that power over here obviously.
hf/joe89: He signed with MoDo for two years, they then assigned him to Rögle to play with his father, didn't work out well so they worked something out with his old club Södertälje(without father) mid-season instead. And somewhere in between and after that, he's been up with MoDo.
there's a whole thread about him on hf with swedes chiming in, some quotes:
Watched him against Västerås the other night and he looked great. He still has the body of a kid, think RNH in his draft year, maybe even smaller. Yet he manages to be a major factor against men. Extremely skilled with the puck, smooth skating, the ability to change pace and fantastic passing, great at getting the puck into a players wheelhouse for the onetimer. Actually made some nifty defensive plays to steal the puck, playing in SHL and Allsvenskan is probably great for his development since there's a big focus on centers holding their own defensively, he's no defensive stalwart but he seems willing to learn. Still tends to make a few stupid plays and give away the puck, also gets outmuscled in pretty much every man on man battle but I have to give him credit for trying.
If he were playing in the CHL I believe he'd put up great offensive numbers and likely challenge for the number 1 spot. I do however believe playing in Sweden against men is much better for his development since there's a focus on getting stronger and better defensively, his two main flaws. Probably needs to work on his shot as well, but I do believe that'll come with strength.
He'd be a perfect fit on the Sabres considering they're looking for highly skilled offensive guys. However probably a bit too high risk-high reward for them with the top pick even though I'd consider it if I were them. If he drops, which is a clear possibility, he could be a massive steal for a team looking for offense.
One of the highest pure offensive ceilings out of a swedish prospect in a long long time. Bäckström I guess? Still only potential and he certainly is high risk but could very well be the best player out of this draft in a few years. Not NHL ready in at least 2-3 seasons I'd say.
"How would he rank compared to Zibanejad, Filip Forsberg and Elias Lindholm?"
Short version: He's better offensively than all of them, he doesn't have many weaknesses with the puck. His skating overall is the best of the bunch. He will run your PP. He's the weakest defensively and the other three have solid frames while he's on the small side. Compared to players like Lindholm and Zibanejad he carries a lot of risk.
Can the Canucks just win a Cup within the next 5 years.