Draft Thoughts (Swedish Edition, Vol. 15):
LD Malte Vass (6'1",179lbs)
Farjestad (J20): 31gp/ 2g/ 7a/ 9pts, -2, 47 PIM
D Malte Vass knows who he is- a hard-nosed defensive D who is tasked with shutting down the opposing team's best players, and he does so with unrelenting physicality. He was a standout for Team Sweden in last summer's Hlinka-Gretzky Cup (2 points in 5 games), and showed well in December's WJAC (1 point in 5 games), gaining plenty of fans in the scouting community along the way; McKenzie has him ranked # 46, Button has him at # 59, and Central Scouting ranks him as # 36 for EU Skaters, just to name a few. He wears an "A" for Farjestad, which is an indication of his leadership capabilities, and been rewarded for his efforts on that team with 3 games in the SHL. Vass is a solid defensive contributor with high awareness in his own zone, and immaculate positioning who takes opportunities away from opponents with a keen knowledge of angling. He defends his net with vigor and a mean streak, scans thoroughly to identify threats, and applies an active, well-timed stick to poke pucks away. His instincts in defensive situations are well-honed, and he reads the play quite well.
As mentioned, Vass executes a robust physical style, and hits early and often, many of those hits being of the thunderous variety. He shows impeccable timing, and carries a menacing presence with him, every time he sets foot on the ice. He's exceedingly difficult to play against, and drives opponents nuts with how edgy and mean he can be. His tenacity wins him battles in the trenches, and he has the kind of workrate and motor that allows him to be a minute-munching workhorse. He's a leader for his team with his sky-high compete, intensity, and responsible game. Vass always appears calm and composed, showing reliability in making clean retrievals, and though he isn't mistake-free (like most of his peers), he usually makes sound decisions when performing breakouts. When there is a misplay, it's usually not catastrophic, and mostly easy to recover from. There is not a lot of flash in his game, and he's not dynamic in any way, but he displays reasonably good puck-skill. His handling is nothing special, but he protects quite well, and doesn't show any issues with his puck-management. Mobility-wise, his skating is average, perhaps a step above, but his mechanics look smooth and fluid. His passing ability is good enough to make him a positive contributor in transition, with crisp, accurate feeds through the neutral zone.
In the offensive zone, Vass keeps his play with the puck as simple and risk-free as possible. He distributes from the line, but doesn't activate much, and can get shots through to the net fairly consistently to create chances for teammates. He will likely never be a significant offensive contributor though. He can be guilty of getting caught running around defensively sometimes, and he can take himself out of position looking for a big hit- he has to learn control. Vass is considered to be a safe pick, but he doesn't have a very high ceiling- he's looking like a bottom-pairing shutdown D. Look for him in the 3rd-round.
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