Draft Thoughts (Swedish Edition, Vol. 1):
LD Oliwer Sjostrom (5'11",176lbs)
Lulea (J20): 33gp/ 2g/ 15a/ 17pts, +4, 36 PIM
When considering Oliwer Sjostrom's production from 2023-24 in Sweden, his numbers this season are a bit disappointing and show no progression- although Lulea has taken a wide step back from last year. Sjostrom led Lulea's defense last season in scoring and placed 5th-overall in points by a U-17 player in the J20, earning him a 7-game stint with Lulea's SHL club- an invitation he has yet to receive in the current campaign. To cap off his J20 season in 2023-24, he broke the league record for playoff scoring by a U-17 player, with 6 points in 4 games. Sjostrom bounced back from a rather lackluster Hlinka-Gretzky Cup last summer (2 points in 5 games), to finish the World Junior A Challenge in 4th for scoring by defensemen, with 4 points in 5 games, and is currently 7th in the J20 for scoring by U-18 defensemen. Obviously, he is most comfortable in the offensive zone, and he's an intelligent player, but he isn't really flashy and doesn't possess any truly dynamic qualities- he keeps things mostly simple and risk-free, and any sign of true creativity only comes in flashes. There's definitely skill in his passing game, and he shows good vision at times, but he seems to struggle to make an impact and doesn't seem capable of making high-end plays.
Sjostrom is highly mobile in all directions, and his smooth edges give him the elusiveness to outmaneuver opponents; he has no problems winning races or separating in open ice, and he can even rush the puck end-to-end at times. His puckhandling isn't anything too special, but he can pull off some slick 1-on-1 moves at times, and protects the puck well enough to get around without having his pocket picked. Sjostrom walks the line effectively, pinching in to the play when the coast is clear, and understands how to draw pressure in order to open space for teammates to get to high danger. His numbers show that he's not a big threat to score, and although his shot is fairly hard and heavy, he uses it mostly as a playmaking tool. In defensive situations, he employs good gaps and defends with an active stick, but struggles to handle larger opponents physically- though he doesn't back down from the rough stuff. He exhibits sound positioning and awareness, but isn't very aggressive in forcing stops, and has trouble shutting down attackers in front of his net. There's a fair amount of compete in this area, but I would say his impact is average, and he's fairly mistake-prone. I would give him a good grade in his ability to shake off aggressors in retrievals though, as well as his consistency in making a simple, risk-free first-pass with poise and confidence. From there, he is a quality puck-mover through transition, but again- he stays away from being too complex or risky.
A player of Sjostrom's size needs to be able to make some kind of impact in the defensive zone if they aren't a very dynamic creator in the other end of the ice, and I wonder just how much he moves the needle. For that reason, I have flip-flopped on this player many times over, and I'm not sure how to project him, as he might not have many translatable NHL-qualities. I believe there were better players than Sjostrom who were left out of the draft last year, but this summer's draft is weaker- so even though I had him in the 3rd-round of my December rankings, I would guess that he'll have to wait until the late rounds to be picked, if he gets picked at all.
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