Prospect update: The latest on eight players in Sweden

There are eight potential future New York Rangers in action in Sweden

There are more Ranger prospects playing in Sweden than anywhere else in the world outside of the AHL.  With eight Swedish players, there are more than in Finland, Russia or even Canadian junior hockey.

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

Luleå won on the road, shutting out Skellefteå for their fourth win in five games.  Nils Lundkvist played almost 19 minutes with one shot attempt.  He added two hits. The win improved their record to 11-4-2 and they are now in fifth place, five points out of first place in the SHL.

Lundkvist is having a solid season, second among SHL defensemen with five goals and with a total of nine points in 17 games. Three of his five goals were on the power play, most by any defenseman in the league.   He is averaging 20:40 minutes of ice time, 20th overall in the SHL.  He’s still only 20 years old and is pace to equal his numbers from last year when he set records for scoring as a 19 year old.

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

Frölunda played two games in the last week and the results weren’t good. On Saturday, they lost to Djurgården 3-2.   Rangers prospect Karl Henriksson was scoreless in the loss, playing 13:14.

If that loss was bad,  Tuesday, they went on the road to Växjö and were demolished 8-0.   Henriksson played 15:51 in the loss and a minus one on the night.  I suppose it’s a good thing that he was on ice for only one of the six Växjö goals.

Henriksson is playing regularly on a line with  Joel Lundqvist (Henrik’s twin) and Lucas Raymond.  He has only four assists and is still looking for his first goal of the season.  He has never been seen as a big scorer. Last season he scored nine goals in 69 games for teams on different levels.  He is a sure thing to make the Swedish team at the WJC later this month and it will be worth watching to see how he does.

Frölunda remains in first place in the SHL after the two losses.

Adam Edström (C) – 2019 6th round –  #161

Adam Edström and Rögle had not played a game since November 14 with five straight games postoponed due to the pandemic.  They took on HV71 and showed no signs of rust, winning 4-0.  Edström was scoreless in the game, but played 12:56 and was +1 with one shot on goal.

Rögle has a stellar record of 11-2-2 and are in second place with 35 points.  They have played six games fewer than first place Frölunda who are  ahead by only three points.

The 20 year old Edström has one goal and three points in 15 games.  He is averaging 10:19 minutes of ice time and leads the team with 27 penalty minutes and is fourth on the team with 15 hits. The 6’6″ center is one of the biggest Ranger prospects and it is still a question whether he will make the transition to North America. The Rangers have until June 2023 to sign him.

Calle Själin (D) – 2017 5th round – #145

Calle Själin and Leksand lost their only game this week, dropping a 3-0 decision at Djurgården.  Själin played 16:19 for Leksand and was not on the ice for any of Djurgården’s goals. Leksand is in 10th place in the SHL with 24 points.

Själin has surpassed his numbers from his rookie season in the SHL and has one goal and two assists so far this season.  He is averaging 15:35 minutes of ice time on the third pair for Leksand.   His plus/minus of +1 is second best among Leksand defensemen.

The 21 year old left-shot defender is not on the Rangers radar as he continues his career in Sweden.  Selected in the 2017 draft,  the Rangers have to offer him a contract by next June or they will relinquish his rights.

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

Defense prospect Jakob Ragnarsson is playing for  Timrå , one of the best teams in the Allsvenskan League.  They played for the first time since November 13 following COVID-19 related cancellations.   Timrå  beat Väsby 5- 3 to improve their record to 13-2-0.

Ragnarsson played 12:58 in the game and was scoreless.  So far this season, Ragnarsson has played in 15 games and has one assist on the season.  It’s a question of whether he will ever make it to North America.  He is 21 years old and needs to prove that he can play meaningful minutes in the SHL before he gets a look from New York.

Other prospects

Three other Ranger prospects in Sweden have been waylaid by the coronavirus.  Goalie Olof Lindbom’s Mora team has seen a series of games cancelled and they have not played since November 11.  They resume their season on Wednesday.

Goalie Hugo Ollas’ junior hockey league has suspended all games until January.

Center Oliver Tärnström  will be making his debut for Hankivens in the Hockeyettan League. His junior league also suspended play so he has been allowed to play in a more advanced league and will play his first game on Wednesday.