Prospect Info: Elias Salomonsson, 2022 NHL Draft, #55 Overall

[theslatcher]

Makes his long awaited return today, getting eased backed into it by playing on a 4th pair.

 

[FlappyGiraffe]

Report: Prospect Elias Salomonsson is set to attend Winnipeg Jets training camp | Illegal Curve Hockey

The highly regarded prospect is reportedly heading back to Winnipeg for camp.

illegalcurve.com

IC reporting that he'll be at camp this year, missing a portion of the SHL season.

Excited to see him in some pre-season games if he impresses Bones!

 

[MardyBum]

Oh wow, nice. Did not expect him to be here

 

[bustamente]

Have heard some pretty positives opinions of his play, would be great if he developed in the coming years into a sound d man for us

 

[lomiller1]

Nice to hear he'll be here but I hope it doesn't end up costing him a spot in the SHL. He'll be battling Axel Sandin-Pellikka for a spot on the roster and I'm not sure they will want to have 2 D-men than young on the roster.

 

[KingBogo]

Nice to hear he'll be here but I hope it doesn't end up costing him a spot in the SHL. He'll be battling Axel Sandin-Pellikka for a spot on the roster and I'm not sure they will want to have 2 D-men than young on the roster.

If need be I'm sure the organization will have no problems developing him on the Moose.

 

[Atoyot]

Nice to hear he'll be here but I hope it doesn't end up costing him a spot in the SHL. He'll be battling Axel Sandin-Pellikka for a spot on the roster and I'm not sure they will want to have 2 D-men than young on the roster.

They did last year. They have a 2002 born, 2003, 2004, and now 2005 with Sandin-Pellikka. Salomonsson's spot isn't at risk.

 

[lomiller1]

They did last year. They have a 2002 born, 2003, 2004, and now 2005 with Sandin-Pellikka. Salomonsson's spot isn't at risk.

AFAIK last year Sandin-Pellika was on AIK Jr until Salomonsson's injury and held onto that spot after Salomonsson was healthy which is why Salomonsson spent the rest of the season on AIK Jr. I don't think they were on the SHL roster at the same time.

 

[Atoyot]

AFAIK last year Sandin-Pellika was on AIK Jr until Salomonsson's injury and held onto that spot after Salomonsson was healthy which is why Salomonsson spent the rest of the season on AIK Jr. I don't think they were on the SHL roster at the same time.

That's correct, what I meant is that they had an 18 year old and a 19 year old in Salomonsson and Olsson, the same way they would have an 18 and 19 year old this season if they played both Sandin-Pellikka and Salomonsson.

 

[lomiller1]

That's correct, what I meant is that they had an 18 year old and a 19 year old in Salomonsson and Olsson, the same way they would have an 18 and 19 year old this season if they played both Sandin-Pellikka and Salomonsson.

Olsson is LHD while both Sandin-Pellikka and Salomonsson are both RHD so he may not have been competing for the same spot. AIK's leading scorer last year was Jonathan Pudas another RHD and they also have another veteran RHD in Petter Granberg so my guess is there is only 1 more RHD spot available for either ASP or Salomonsson.

 

[Atoyot]

Olsson is LHD while both Sandin-Pellikka and Salomonsson are both RHD so he may not have been competing for the same spot. AIK's leading scorer last year was Jonathan Pudas another RHD and they also have another veteran RHD in Petter Granberg so my guess is there is only 1 more RHD spot available for either ASP or Salomonsson.

That's not the argument I responded to. You raised concern that they might not want to play two players that young, I showed that they did exactly that for the entirety of the past season.

 

[lomiller1]

That's not the argument I responded to. You raised concern that they might not want to play two players that young, I showed that they did exactly that for the entirety of the past season.

Then you missed the point. A young player that slots someplace else in the lineup is fine, but in this case you have 2 talented young players with only a single slot availablle for them. It seems likely that one or the other will be with AIK Jr and not in the SHL. Salomonsson not being there early in the season could give ASP the inside track on the spot with the main club.

 

[JetsFan815]

 

[JetsUK]

Thanks for this -- he's a really interesting prospect, super skilled and smart and also very calm under pressure. Reminds me a bit of young JMo minus some of the full-on physicality Josh brought in junior.

I'm betting on him to be the next Jets D prospect to stick with the Jets, esp if he follows the Samberg Plan.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Thanks for this -- he's a really interesting prospect, super skilled and smart and also very calm under pressure. Reminds me a bit of young JMo minus some of the full-on physicality Josh brought in junior.

I'm betting on him to be the next Jets D prospect to stick with the Jets, esp if he follows the Samberg Plan.

So, he'll be a Jet regular before Heinola? Oh baby, that's gonna make for a plate of fried muikku.

 

[Atoyot]

I mentioned that he wouldn't be able to play Champion's League but training camp starts later than I thought it did. His first game is on Friday and they usually stream the games on YouTube.

Would hope that he comes in looking a little less rusty than the other prospects having already played meaningful games. Have to imagine he'll be playing in Penticton.

 

[Atoyot]

Full Match | Skellefteå AIK vs Red Bull Salzburg | Regular Season | Game Day 1

Follow the Champions Hockey League:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/championshockeyleague Twitter: https://twitter.com/championshockey Instagram: https://w...

www.youtube.com

Skelleftea game starting in 5 minutes. Salomonsson continues on the 2nd pairing, where he played all last season. Sandin-Pellikka plays 7th defenseman.

EDIT: Less than a minute in and it's difficult to not see Morrissey's skating in Salomonsson. Beautiful edges.

EDIT: New rule, 2 minute majors, ie a powerplay goal doesn't end the powerplay. However, a short handed goal does end the powerplay.

Salomonsson takes a penalty on what looked like an obvious embellishment but I'd have to see it again.

Salomonsson and Sandin-Pellikka the only two defensemen on Skelleftea that don't seem to be playing hot potato with the puck. Blind panic passes galore.

Salomonsson is #44.

 

[Channelcat]

Full Match | Skellefteå AIK vs Red Bull Salzburg | Regular Season | Game Day 1

Follow the Champions Hockey League:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/championshockeyleague Twitter: https://twitter.com/championshockey Instagram: https://w...

www.youtube.com

Skelleftea game starting in 5 minutes. Salomonsson continues on the 2nd pairing, where he played all last season. Sandin-Pellikka plays 7th defenseman.

EDIT: Less than a minute in and it's difficult to not see Morrissey's skating in Salomonsson. Beautiful edges.

EDIT: New rule, 2 minute majors, ie a powerplay goal doesn't end the powerplay. However, a short handed goal does end the powerplay.

Salomonsson takes a penalty on what looked like an obvious embellishment but I'd have to see it again.

Salomonsson and Sandin-Pellikka the only two defensemen on Skelleftea that don't seem to be playing hot potato with the puck. Blind panic passes galore.

Salomonsson is #44.

I had no idea they livestreamed CHL. Thanks. Yes, Salomonsson looking smooth and quick.

 

[GeorgeJETson]

I'm really glad Salomonsson is looking good so far. We really needed a good RHD prospect in our system.

While it's still early, Sal is shaping up to be a decent player.

 

[ps241]

It would be nice to hit on a 2nd round pick (fingers crossed). Top 4 would be a plus for us.

 

[lanky]

Does anyone remember why he dropped in the rankings through his draft year? Injury? He was expected to be a top 15 pick earlier in his draft year.

 

[GeorgeJETson]

Does anyone remember why he dropped in the rankings through his draft year? Injury? He was expected to be a top 15 pick earlier in his draft year.

Doing a quick internet search (and maybe this isn't the only reason): Elias Salomonsson — 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

"After an excellent 2020-21 season, Elias Salomonsson was ranked as one of the top defensemen in the 2022 draft in a lot of pre-season rankings. However, it’s been a lackluster 2021-22 season for the Swedish blueliner, causing him to drop down the rankings. Still an extremely talented player with a massive ceiling, the concerns surrounding his defensive game have caused many scouts to drop him out of their first round and all scouts to drop him out of the top 20. Scouts were first put off by his lackluster performance at last summer Hilinka Gretzky tournament, and he’s done little to win them back this season. He’s been a good player for Skellefteå AIK at the J20 level but didn’t dominate in the way many had hoped. This continued into the IIHF U18 World Championships, were he was fine, but not fantastic, as Sweden won gold."

"Salomonsson has the potential to be a true top-four, puck-moving defenseman who can quarterback a power play at the next level. His offensive tools are high-end, while his skating is elite. His defensive issues rightfully worry some scouts, as he will be a liability if he can’t hammer out these deficiencies. His potential is a second-pairing defensemen, who produces good offensive numbers, including good goal totals for a defensemen, who will struggle if matched up against the opposition’s top lines. There’s a small possibility that he completely transforms his defensive reads and positioning, which would give him top-pairing potential, but that seems unlikely at this point."

Sounds like his defensive game was the biggest concern. But I think that's usually the easiest thing to teach a defenseman, so it might just be it'll take longer for him to develop, but he probably can become a good top 4D.

So overall pretty good value where we drafted him.

Looks like THW agrees with me:

"There are concerns about his game, but most of them will come with experience and reps, I would be confident in him providing excellent value if a team can draft him early in the second round."

 

[lanky]

I'm glad Chevy is apt at catching falling talent.
Lambert is the best example of this but there are other high picks of Chevy's that could have gone much earlier without being considered a reach.

 

[GeorgeJETson]

Doing a quick internet search (and maybe this isn't the only reason): Elias Salomonsson — 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

"After an excellent 2020-21 season, Elias Salomonsson was ranked as one of the top defensemen in the 2022 draft in a lot of pre-season rankings. However, it’s been a lackluster 2021-22 season for the Swedish blueliner, causing him to drop down the rankings. Still an extremely talented player with a massive ceiling, the concerns surrounding his defensive game have caused many scouts to drop him out of their first round and all scouts to drop him out of the top 20. Scouts were first put off by his lackluster performance at last summer Hilinka Gretzky tournament, and he’s done little to win them back this season. He’s been a good player for Skellefteå AIK at the J20 level but didn’t dominate in the way many had hoped. This continued into the IIHF U18 World Championships, were he was fine, but not fantastic, as Sweden won gold."

"Salomonsson has the potential to be a true top-four, puck-moving defenseman who can quarterback a power play at the next level. His offensive tools are high-end, while his skating is elite. His defensive issues rightfully worry some scouts, as he will be a liability if he can’t hammer out these deficiencies. His potential is a second-pairing defensemen, who produces good offensive numbers, including good goal totals for a defensemen, who will struggle if matched up against the opposition’s top lines. There’s a small possibility that he completely transforms his defensive reads and positioning, which would give him top-pairing potential, but that seems unlikely at this point."

Sounds like his defensive game was the biggest concern. But I think that's usually the easiest thing to teach a defenseman, so it might just be it'll take longer for him to develop, but he probably can become a good top 4D.

So overall pretty good value where we drafted him.

Looks like THW agrees with me:

"There are concerns about his game, but most of them will come with experience and reps, I would be confident in him providing excellent value if a team can draft him early in the second round."

Just realized we drafted him 55OA, which was lower than THW predicted at 43OA. Pretty good value, all things considered!

 

[Whileee]

Really liked Salomonsson's play in the first CHL game. Here's a clip of part of his first shift (#44). Starts with a tight gap forcing a turnover, but then a really nice example of puck movement, using his feet / agility to escape the first wave, and then a crisp pass to set up the transition. A good example of his strengths as a D.

âï¸ Salomonsson clip

18 seconds · Clipped by MB_BFJ · Original video "Full Match | Skellefteå AIK vs Red Bull Salzburg | Regular Season | Game Day 1" by Champions Hockey League

www.youtube.com

Salomonsson clip