Good news from the European prospects

The New York Rangers have eight draft picks currently playing in Europe.  Well past the halfway point in their seasons, it’s time for an update on how they are doing.

The New York Rangers have drafted many prospects from Europe recently, particularly Sweden and Finland.   They range from first and second rounders to lower round gambles.   The good news is that it appears that there will be a few prospects with the potential to have an impact at the NHL level for the Blueshirts.

Swedish prospects

Nils Lundkvist (D) – 2018 1st round, #28

The top European prospect is Nils Lundkvist.  The righthanded shooting defenseman was a stalwart for the Swedish national team at the World Junior Championships.  At the WJC, Lundkvist was a point a game player with one goal and seven assists in seven games.  He played on the top power play unit for Sweden and was an offensive force for the team.

Since the WJC, he has returned to Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).  In five games since the tournament, Lundkvist has one goal and four assists, continuing his point-a-game pace.  His season totals are five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 29 games.

As you can see from video above, it’s Lundkvist’s (#27) hard pass that sets up the first Lulea goal in their 3-2 loss to Orebro on January 23.

Lulea is the top team in the SHL with a 20-9-6 record and Lundkvist is third in the SHL in defenseman scoring, despite playing fewer games because of the WJC.   His 17 assists and 22 points are the second most by an under 20 defenseman in SHL history, only two assists and points behind Tim Erixon.

When can we expect to see Lundkvist in North America?   The team may try to lure him over to play in the AHL as a 20 year old, or they may give him another year in Sweden.  At any rate, this season, Lundkvist has exceeded all expectations.

Karl Henriksson (C) – 2019 2nd round,  #58

Karl Henriksson played at the World Junior Championships and had a goal and two assists in  seven games for Sweden.  It wasn’t as impressive a showing as he had at the U18 championships when he had three goals and nine points in seven games, but he was overshadowed by more experienced Swedish players.

Henriksson started the season in junior hockey and had 23 points in 17 games.  He was promoted to Sodertalje in the Allsvenskan League, the tier just below the top SHL.   In 15 games he has had only one assist.

Henriksson is still young, he turns 19 in about a week.  He will continue his developement in Sweden, will no doubt be a part of the Swedish U20 team at next year’s WJC and will hope for promotion to the SHL at some point.   He still has some growing to do.

Adam Edstrom (C) – 2019 6th round, #161

Adam Edstrom, 19,  is one of the biggest Rangers prospects in terms of size.  He is a 6’6″, 221 pound center who is in his first season playing for Rogle in the SHL.  He played some games with the Swedish U20 team, but did not make the U20 team that went to the WJC.

After showing the ability to score while in Swedish junior hockey, he has had some trouble on the SHL level with three goals and four assists in 32 games. Still, as a 19 year old, he is playing regularly for Rogle, currently in fifth place in the SHL.   The Rangers don’t have to make a decision on offering him a contract until June, 2023 so he will be given plenty of time to develop.  His size alone make him an attractive asset considering the lack of it in the Rangers’ prospect pipeline.

Jakob Ragnarsson (D) – 2018 3rd round, #70

The final Ranger skater playing in Sweden is Jakob Ragnarsson, who was selected in the third round in 2018.    He has one goal and seven points for Timra of the Allsvenskan League.

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The 20 year old left handed shooting defenseman started the season with Rogle of the SHL,  but was returned to Allsvenskan after the start of the season.  He just returned from a concussion he suffered in early December.  He will remain a Ranger property until June 2022, but considering the depth of the team on defense, the odds of Ragnarsson coming over are slim.

Ragnarsson is 6’0″, 176 pounds and interestingly, was born in California, the son of former NHL player Marcus Ragnarsson.

Olof Lindbom (G) – 2018 2nd round, #39

Goalie Olof Lindbom is playing for Mora in the Allsvenskan League and has had an injury ridden season.  Asa result, he has appeared in only 14 games, posting a 2.67 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

Lindbom is 19, turning 20 this summer. At 6’2, 185 pounds, he isn’t a giant, but has good size.  His ability to stay healthy has to be a concern as he was limited to only eight games last season and 15 games this campaign.  He will continue to get the opportunity to develop in Sweden especially since the depth of the Rangers in goal is not an issue.

Now it’s time to turn our attention to Finland where three Rangers prospects are playing, all in the top league and all with NHL potential.