Evan Rawal
The top Swedes on the draft board are going to be out of reach for the Colorado Avalanche at 27th overall, but there will be options late in the first. The last time Colorado picked in the first round they looked to Sweden, and it’s possible they do it again. After all, one of their top scouts is a GM of in the Swedish Hockey League.
“I think it might be a gap in quality there,” a Swedish league scout told me. “The really good ones in Sweden might go earlier and then, not sure if there is value late in first. Maybe mid-second.”
But towards the end of the first round, all bets are off. A player that one team has ranked in their top 15 could be ranked around 60 by another squad, so it really comes down to team preference.
One player who I think the Avalanche would be lucky to see at 27 is Tom Willander. The defenseman is ranked at 23 by both Hockey Prospect and Elite Prospects, but it would be a bit of a surprise to see him fall to Colorado. Defense is a premium position, and this draft doesn’t have a lot of high-end options.
This scout was a fan.
“Willander could be someone that drops,” he said. “I’m a big fan there. High end two-way. No weakness, smart, but not high-end offensively.”
When it came to Oscar Fisker Molgaard, this scout really liked his game, as he handled some tough situations very well in the Swedish Hockey League at the age of 17.
“Fisker Molgaard is really good,” they said. “The funny thing here is how HV used him. They throw him out in the deep end with only 26% starts in o-zone. I dont think he is a defensive style of center, he is a smart two-way center. Really good passer. And if they use him a little bit more in offensive situations, he can boost his point production.”
Fisker Molgaard is one of my favorites in the draft as well. He’s very smart, a good skater, and has some offensive ability. The IQ combined with the skating ability do make him a potential target for the Avalanche, as they place a lot of value on those attributes.
“HV71 didnt know how to use him in the most efficient way at the start,” the scout said. “A lot more d-zone starts and a role that was more tilted to the defensive part, but he he handled it really well. There was, of course, some situations were he lacked strength, but who cares? He was in the right type of positions in d-zone, showing of more hockey IQ than playmaking.”
Fisker Molgaard’s rankings are all over the place, which is typical at this point in the draft. Hockey Prospect has him at 57, but Elite Prospects has him at 28.
And then we got to one player I had not thought about much, and that is 6’3″ Malmo forward Anton Wahlberg. He’s one of the younger players in the draft (he won’t turn 18 until after the draft occurs), but played 17 games in the SHL. He’s another guy all over the board, as Craig Button and McKeens have him rated towards the end of the first, while others have him in the 40-60 range.
“I also think you should have a look at Anton Wahlberg,” the scout told me. “Really solid two way-guy. Only played wing this year, but is a center. Not sure if Wahlberg has the potential to be more than a 3C, but a good one. And that is kind of good if you’re picking late in first. I wouldn’t expect a two-way monster like Joel Eriksson-Ek. Could be, but wouldn’t bet on in.”
It should be noted that one of the amateur scouts for the Avalanche, Joakim Eriksson, also works for Malmo, so there’s a connection.
This scout said his paths hadn’t crossed yet with Otto Stenburg, who we previously profiled, so he wasn’t able to provide a report. The same was said for David Edstrom, who is another interesting option.
Like Fisker Molgaard, he’s a really smart player who is very strong defensively, but there are questions on just how much offensive upside he has. Between the two, it might just be a bet on who you think can produce more. He’s rated pretty consistently near the end of the first or early in the second, so keep an eye on him. I like his game, and if you’re sure he’s a future NHL forward, he’s not a bad pick at 27.
We’ll see what the Avalanche do in a week, but these are just a few of the options they may have. And even if they were to trade down, some of these players might still be available.