One of the favorites coming into the tournament, Sweden didn’t disappoint, playing in the championship game against the loaded U.S.A. squad. While not as deep as the States, Sweden boasted their fair share of top-end talent and intriguing prospects.
This special edition series will examine several of the NHL’s top fantasy hockey prospects. There isn’t room to cover everyone and I will exclude draft-eligible players. After you get done here please check out the rest of my International NHL Prospects Series.
Let’s dig in…
Fantasy Hockey Prospects: Team Sweden
Otto Stenberg, LW, St. Louis Blues
Drafted 2023, Round 1, 25th Overall
Stenberg doesn’t get quite the same fanfare as some of the other names that will follow. He showed over the last two weeks that fantasy hockey owners should be paying attention. He finished 11th in the tournament scoring with five goals and four assists in seven games.
There are a few weaknesses in his game. He’s a dynamic skater with an explosive first two strides. His skating style has been raved over by scouts. It is strong, efficient, and clean. His IQ and hands match his skating.
With Stenberg, you’re getting skill for days. In five years, this could be one player we look back at and wonder how he wasn’t a top-10 pick.
Filip Bystedt, C, San Jose Sharks
Drafted, 2022, Round 1, 27th Overall
This wasn’t the offensive sequel to the 2022 World Junior Championships we were expecting. Last year Bystedt led Sweden in scoring with 10 points. This year, he produced four.
Bystedt was drafted for his raw talents. He wasn’t projected to be an elite scorer in his draft year. His 26 points in 45 games in the SHL last year surprised most.
At 6’4″, offensive inconsistencies shouldn’t be unexpected. You can expect Bystedt to be a long wait. Most likely, he will play another year in the SHL before transitioning to North America. From there, it is likely one to two more years in the AHL.
Don’t be surprised if Bystedt is 23 or 24 before he makes an impact. He provides a safe NHL floor with untapped upside. He should become a strong third-line center with a second-line upside.
Felix Unger-Sorum, RW, Carolina Hurricanes
Drafted 2022, Round 2, 62nd Overall
One of the youngest players in the 2022 draft, Unger-Sorum might be closer to the NHL than most think. His strong defensive game and attention to the little things will shorten the wait.
The offensive side of his game may take longer to establish in the NHL. A quicker transition to the NHL would lead to a third or fourth-line role. The Hurricanes would rely on his two-way game more.
This type of prospect will chew through your league’s game-played limits, graduate out of prospect eligibility, and still be a year or two away from making his offensive impact. There’s little you can do about a talented prospect playing 12 minutes a game on a deep team.
His floor is very safe. His playmaking will help push him up the lineup and into offensive situations. In deeper/bigger pools, Unger-Sorum will be easier to hang onto than shallower pools. When every roster spot needs to provide offensive impact, waiting is harder.
Noah Ostlund, C, Buffalo Sabres
Drafted 2022, Round 1, 16th Overall
There is a trend developing here, Ostlund is another highly skilled forward prospect with strong skating, hands, and hockey IQ. At 163 pounds, Ostlund will need to add weight and strength to transition to the NHL. Like Unger-Sorum, Ostlund plays a very responsible two-way game to go along with high-end offensive skills.
In a stacked prospect system, the Sabres have no reason to rush Ostlund to the NHL. You can expect at least another year in the SHL, possibly two, before he joins the Sabres farm system. You’re looking at another two years before Ostlund starts knocking on the Sabres door for a roster spot. This is a team that has Isaac Rosen, Jiri Kulich, Mathew Savoie, Anton Wahlberg, Zach Benson, Jack Quinn, and John-Jason Peterka, all at different stages of development ahead of Ostlund.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, Vancouver Canucks
Drafted 2022, Round 1, 15th Overall
It has been a breakout year for Lekkerimaki. In his post-draft year, he struggled to find traction in the SHL with only nine points in 29 games in Sweden’s second-tier league, Allsvenskan.
Fast forward to this year and Lekkerimaki now appears to be a very savvy pick by the Canucks. We should all know by now, not to question the Canucks when they draft players from Sweden. With 10 goals in 24 games with Orebro HK of the SHL and another seven goals in seven games at the World Junior Championships, his scoring ability has been on full display this year.
You should expect another year in either the SHL or less likely, the AHL before he makes a splash with the Canucks.
Axel Sandin-Pellikka, D, Detroit Red Wings
Drafted, 2023, Round 1, 17th Overall
All offense, all the time. Sandin-Pellikka holds top-pair, power-play quarterback upside. His offensive skills were on full display at the World Juniors, as were the inconsistencies in his defensive game.
His lack of defensive polish likely translates to another year in the SHL before making his way to Detroit. He has all the tools to become a point-producing machine in a few years. A realistic timeline for his arrival is 2025-26. Expect him to spend chunks of time in the AHL.
The way defensemen are putting up points it no longer feels like a stretch to project 60-plus for a defenceman. The upside is real.
Thanks for reading.
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