Adrian Dater
When Oskar Olausson was selected 28th overall by the Avalanche in the first round of this year’s NHL draft, there were the usual bromides by the team and some other partisan observers.
“We couldn’t believe he was still on the board!” This kid has great upside! We had him much higher in the draft!”
A lot of the time, that ends up being so much yadda, yadda, yadda. But, with Olausson, maybe the cliches were right. Maybe the Avs really did steal one this time in the draft.
If you haven’t been paying attention to the statistics of the Ontario Hockey League and more specifically those of the Barrie Colts, you’ve missed that Olausson is having a great season so far. In his first 20 games with the Colts, Olausson has 12 goals and 25 points. It’s his first season in North America, after playing a couple of years in the Swedish League.
While his coach, Marty Williamson, emphasized that Olausson still needs to improve on his game away from the puck, he said he expects the 19-year-old native of Stockholm to turn pro by next season.
“He’s been a dominant offensive player for us,” Williamson told Colorado Hockey Now. “Sometimes, we don’t have enough guys who can keep up with him.”
Olausson is listed at 6-1, 180 pounds, but he looks and plays bigger. A right winger who shoots lefty, Olausson has shown tremendous marksmanship so far, and he also flashed that quality in Avs training camp. Here’s a sampling of some of the goals he’s scored so far for Barrie:
Olausson cannot be called up by the Avs in this regular season. They could call him up for the playoffs, assuming Barrie’s season also is over, but if he played any more than 10 games, the first year of his entry-level contract would kick in. In other words, very unlikely. But the Avs did do that once, with Wojtek Wolski, so it’s not unheard of.
What is much more likely is Olausson will participate in Avs training camp next fall, and either make the team outright or go to the Colorado Eagles. Or, maybe the Avs will want to give him one more year of junior experience. But the way it’s going right now, it doesn’t look like he’ll need it.
“He’s a good kid, very receptive to learning and being a team player,” Williamson said. “He’s just got very good offensive instincts. He likes to score goals, but he can pass the puck too.”
Williamson said Oskar Olausson will leave the Colts next week, to join the Swedish team for the World Junior Championships. Until then, he and Colts are just happy to have him. There was some uncertainty where he would play this season – either in Barrie or back home in Sweden – but the Colts prevailed.
It appears to have been a good decision for all involved. The Avs could be the team that next benefits from his presence – maybe for the long-term.