[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Smurf Edition, Vol.3):

RHC Alexander Zetterberg (distant relative of Red Wings great Henrik) was once thought of a potential first-rounder, but perhaps there are unfair expectations to be met for smaller players- in his case, 5'8",159lbs. Zetterberg is currently 10th in Sweden's J20 league (4th for U-18 players) with 20 goals and 53 points in 41 games, but was the top-scoring Swede (12th overall) in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, with 6 points in 4 games. His most important asset is his hockey IQ and anticipation- he's always a step ahead of his teammates with his ability to read and react. He's smart and decisive, making difficult passes look easy, and has learned to seek out and utilize open space quite well all over the ice to set up teammates for quality scoring opportunities using his high-end vision. Despite his size, he works his way to the middle and goes to the net fearlessly, and for a small player, he shoots the puck with surprising power. Still, his shot could use more zip, as he doesn't even bother shooting from beyond the hashmarks. He can beat goalies in-close though, with his soft hands and pinpoint accuracy. Zetterberg forechecks well, hounding puck-carriers and taking away the middle- he disrupts plays, intercepts breakouts, and blocks passes.

Zetterberg is agile, with the small-area quickness to dart in-and-out of traffic, but is not the fastest in a straight line, in open ice. He owns a good start-up gear, and strong edges that give him the escapability to shake off checkers, but he has to keep his legs pumping to avoid being caught. His low center of gravity helps him to maintain his balance though checks, and he's hard to knock off the puck. He's calm and confident in possession, and patient- he skates with his head up to scan for danger, and to map out his surroundings. The puck seems to follow him around, and also seems to stick to him like a magnet, with his slick puckhandling and control- he is able to dart past checkers in neutral ice with his shiftiness. Zetterberg plays with energy and pace, and holds his own in puck battles, but gets in-and-out quick along the boards, when he engages in board battles at all. Defensively, he's fearless in supporting his D down low, works hard on the backcheck, and applies constant pressure on puck-carriers. As he does in the offensive zone, he takes away the middle, while intercepting passes, and disrupting plays with smart poke-checks.

In the past, Z has been accused of not always putting in a 100% effort, but I think those concerns are going away. A very real concern is his size and strength, but he definitely needs to get a whole lot faster, and improve his shot. I was concerned that he hasn't been called up yet to a higher league, but the rumour is that it's because he will be attending Boston University in the fall- so he can't participate in professional hockey. Not sure I would take this kid in the draft before round 4, but some team might take a chance on him in the third.