[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Swedish Edition, Vol. 12):

LW Viktor Klingsell (5'10",183lbs)
Skelleftea (J20): 33gp/ 10g/ 15a/ 25pts, -7, 4 PIM

Klingsell turned heads last summer with the 7th-best performance all-time at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, putting up 12 points in just 5 games on a dominant line for Team Sweden, with countrymen Milton Gastrin, and 2026 Draft-eligible Ivar Stenberg. His numbers in league-play this season are rather disappointing, but that might be a reflection of the team he plays for, as Skelleftea is not very good this year- he's a much better player than his stats suggest. He has earned a cup of coffee on Skelleftea's SHL team, with no points in 3 games, and he placed 5th in scoring in December's World Junior A Challenge (2nd for Team Sweden), with 7 points in 5 games. Klingsell is a pass-first, dynamic winger with confidence, flashiness and swagger.

Klingsell's vision and awareness are his primary strengths; he sees the ice quite well, and scans with his head up in flight to always have a mental map of the play. He sees his teammates through traffic and possesses uncanny spatial awareness to locate passing seams that few others could see, often funneling pucks right to the slot. He can make cross-ice feeds through bodies for dangerous chances and can distribute around the net, going from low-to-high and even through the crease. Every pass one can dream up is in his back-pocket, be it saucers over sticks, slip-passes through triangles, even bank-passes off the boards- and he pulls them off with confidence, poise, and patience. Though he leans towards playmaking, he isn't shy about attacking the net, or cutting inside to the slot to shoot. I wouldn't say his shot is intimidating, but he employs a quick, deceptive release, as well as pinpoint accuracy. Klingsell uses an arsenal of fakes, dekes, look-offs, and other feints to manipulate opponents into giving him room to move, but it's difficult to strip him of the puck because of his terrific puckhandling skill and array of dazzling 1-on-1 moves, as well as the way he manages to use his body to shield the puck from enemy sticks- even along the wall. He skates well, and is quite shifty, but he doesn't possess elite separation speed, and isn't an explosive skater. His edges are smooth and allow him to change pace and direction in order to side-step contact, and he's quite slippery.

Klinsell has shown the ability to drive play through transition, but too often he skates right into traffic, or holds on to the puck for too long when rushing through the neutral zone. His contribution to team defense ranges from average-to-poor; he is often late to the zone on the backcheck, is often too early in leaving, and doesn't do much in the way of being disruptive, as he's not overly aggressive. There have been questions about his pace, as he likes to slow the game down at times, but that will not translate well. Klingsell is not a physical player, and isn't aggressive, and he too often keeps to the perimeter in an attempt to make plays to the inside. His lack of size, pace, and physicality, along with his deficient defensive play, might keep him out of the top-3 rounds of this summer's draft.