WGR: Olofsson running away with his opportunity in Buffalo

[OkimLom]

Just make it easy on everybody:

Skinner-Jack-Vesey
Olofsson-Johansson-Reinhart

Based on preseason play the real chemistry is between Sam and Victor. Those guys think and play on the ice the same way. Then add a vet in Johansson as well, and it could be a solid two-way line that can win matchups.

Skinner and Jack have great chemistry, and Vesey can do the wing work Sam did on the line go to the net.

 

[old kummelweck]

Just make it easy on everybody:

Skinner-Jack-Vesey
Olofsson-Johansson-Reinhart

Based on preseason play the real chemistry is between Sam and Victor. Those guys think and play on the ice the same way. Then add a vet in Johansson as well, and it could be a solid two-way line that can win matchups.

Skinner and Jack have great chemistry, and Vesey can do the wing work Sam did on the line go to the net.

I think they will really try and get Skinner-Johansson going at first and rotate a few people on that right wing. Skinner is the only player that has a history of generating offense without Jack or Sam. I thought Skinner could have had a few at even strength last game. I would give that combo a little time.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

I said it the year after he was drafted.

Can't deny, you've been on top of this kid since his first post-draft season, pumping his tires regularly along the way.

I remember thinking "Who cares?! We'll all be dead by the time this kid is ready in 2020! We'll be friggin driving flying cars by then."

 

[Der Jaeger]

Can't deny, you've been on top of this kid since his first post-draft season, pumping his tires regularly along the way.

I remember thinking "Who cares?! we'll all be dead by the time this kid is ready in 2020! We'll be friggin driving flying cars by then."

Remember when the jetson’s visual phones was “the future?”

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

they thought I was crazy when I had Olofsson pegged on the 1st line with Eichel for this past year and a half.

Olofsson is elite and if playing with Eichel don't be surprised if he pots 40 within the next few seasons

 

[Buffaloed]

I said it the year after he was drafted.

I remember it well. It was a Thursday.

 

[ForsbergMoDo21]

You ever check your neck in the morning for puncture marks? I know people think that's the sort of thing that would only happen to Zach Bogosian to land him on IR, but you never know.

That would explain how he hurt himself by walking into a mirror.

 

[Marv Merchants]

Can his hf nickname be Victor "Big Daddy" Olofsson? It fits

 

[Tatre]

Can his hf nickname be Victor "Big Daddy" Olofsson? It fits

Fits where, exactly?

 

[Marv Merchants]

Fits where, exactly?

You know what I'm talking about

 

[brian_griffin]

Remember when the jetson’s visual phones was “the future?”

Robotic maid Rosy next??? Well, we have Roomba vacuum cleaners...

 

[CatsforReinhart]

I like the nickname goalofsson

 

[valet]

I think he can score 20 but I wouldn't be surprised if he pushed for more

 

[Fjordy]

Goalofsson

 

[Chainshot]

I'll be happily surprised if he scores more than 20 this year.

 

[ForsbergMoDo21]

Just make it easy on everybody:

Skinner-Jack-Vesey
Olofsson-Johansson-Reinhart

Based on preseason play the real chemistry is between Sam and Victor. Those guys think and play on the ice the same way. Then add a vet in Johansson as well, and it could be a solid two-way line that can win matchups.

Skinner and Jack have great chemistry, and Vesey can do the wing work Sam did on the line go to the net.

I like this the most. Although last year I pined for Mittelstadt to be put with Reinhart just to give him some stability and elevate his line, I dunno what to make of him anymore. I still don’t even know what my general philosophy is.. is it better for Mitts to play with scrubs in a lower responsibility situation (ie, 3rd line) or for him to get to play with actually good players to leverage and better develop his offensive game?

But Johansson has looked good and I like that line. While he won’t be a high end 2C, I think placed between Reinhart and Olofsson he can be a serviceable 2C, which is still a big improvement from last year. Plus that would be a defensively responsible line.

Ideally, Tage shows enough growth (and defensive awareness) to earn a chance up with Eichel.

 

[MayDayMayDay]

Just make it easy on everybody:

Skinner-Jack-Vesey
Olofsson-Johansson-Reinhart

Based on preseason play the real chemistry is between Sam and Victor. Those guys think and play on the ice the same way. Then add a vet in Johansson as well, and it could be a solid two-way line that can win matchups.

Skinner and Jack have great chemistry, and Vesey can do the wing work Sam did on the line go to the net.

I think we ultimately see this by mid season.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

You can count on "The Count!" Goalofsson is also good. "Big daddy" makes me uncomfortable.

 

[Abraham de Lacy]

I'm looking forward to hearing how he came out of nowhere!

Agreed on the "outta nowhere" thing- I expect other fanbases to be shocked while us Sabres fans rejoice.

He's from Örnsköldsvik along the northern Baltic Sea (translation would be something like "Eagle-Shield-Bay") and played for the MoDo team there. MoDo has produced: Peter Forsberg, Marcus Näslund, the Sedin twins and Victor Hedman among many many NHL players.

He seems to have inherited the work ethics of these great players. He gets the job done with or without the puck. His development curve has been more or less a straight line upwards. His entire career in Sweden, including in Frölunda as team mate of Rasmus Dahlin, in the SHL, as well as in Junior leagues, was 391 games with 292 points resulting in 0,75 ppg. His +/- during this was +92 (for what that is worth).

In the playoffs (Juniors as well as in the SHL) was 49 games with 44 points for 0,90 ppg with a +/- of +29.

He was the top goalscorer of the 2017/2018 SHL season. Rasmus Dahlin (among others) remarked that VO had a better release than Elias Pettersson. He seemed to slow down in his production the first two years in the SHL (playing with men does that when you are small I guess) but then picked it up again the final year in the SHL. He always maintained a positive +/- during this stretch.

He scored a lot of spectacular goals and played a responsible two-way game at the same time. The summer when Dahlin was drafted Buffalo also secured VO and Lawrence Pilut who at that time was considered the best D in the SHL .. above Rasmus Dahlin even (!!). Quite a steal .. or just good scouting.

Here is a rather nice video of VO scoring lots of goals during this period (there might be a few Dahlin assist in there too but they are not many), VO is #11 in these clips:

It seems to me that he continues on this trajectory once he's gotten over to the Rochester and the NHL. Par for the course for VO it would seem.

 

[Abraham de Lacy]

All the stats above were hand calculated lazily (with left hand) from here .. you can check it out yourself and slice and dice it, perhaps I even miscalculated some of it:

Victor Olofsson at eliteprospects.com

There are no corsi/fenwick or advanced stats for this period available (yet?). But the SHL is already collecting adv. stats for the future.

 

[old kummelweck]

The Olefsson self-congratulation and self-gratification is endemic in this thread. I'm surprised it's not getting flagged as TOS violation for porn.

 

[Royal Thunder]

Penalty killers are gonna have their hands full with the threat of Jack's one timer on the left and VO's on the right.

 

[Abraham de Lacy]

I've been thinking about commenting on this for some time. Last summer it seemed like Buffalo were getting away with a caper, you robbed the cradle for three of the four best talents the SHL had. This is what the optics were then:

Dahlin #1 draft
VO #1 goal scorer
Pilut #1 defenceman
E. Pettersson MVP of the SHL.

Granted, there are more leagues in Europe, most notably the Russian and Finnish leagues. Still it seems likely that at least one of them fulfills the lofty expectations (probably Dahlin) but what if all three do that?

Is see VO as developing into a 0,8 - 0,9 ppg producer eventually. This season probably around 0,60, lets say 25g 25a. He could have contributed more to the Sabres last season if given the chance but then probably no Cozens. Might have been smart to keep him down there in the AHL .. he's not one to complain it would appear.

 

[Abraham de Lacy]

Not to derail the thread .. but to make my earlier point about robbing the cradle with VO and Dahlin .. here is a collage of sequences from a singular game with Lawrence Pilut at the helm on D against Växjö. Pilut is #20 in black and yellow (title is something like "Pilut plays hide and seek with the Växjö team"):

 

[42]

O/U on 50 points this year?