RD Adam Boqvist - Brynas J20, Superelit (2018, 8th, CHI)

[gretskidoo]

Just curious, do people think he is going to start to slide given a statistically underwhelming draft year? I like Boqvist, but his numbers this season don't seem to be that of an offensive d-man rated in the top 6 of a strong draft. He seems to be bounced around between leagues not able to stick in the SHL or Allsvenskan, and is now back and forth between there and the 3rd league SuperElit. His upside is huge though.

His stats are fine.

Karlsson pre-draft: 37p in 38 games(38 in 43 including playoffs) in Superelit/1 in 7(13 if you include playoffs) SHL games.
Boqvist: 18 in 19 games in Superelit/1 in 8 SHL/2 in 6 Allsvenskan.

 

[AppsSyl]

His stats are fine.

Karlsson pre-draft: 37p in 38 games(38 in 43 including playoffs) in Superelit/1 in 7(13 if you include playoffs) SHL games.
Boqvist: 18 in 19 games in Superelit/1 in 8 SHL/2 in 6 Allsvenskan.

Karlsson was also drafted in the middle of the 1st round with similar stats, not top 6. We can't say look at what Karlsson became, because it is highly unlikely Boqvist becomes Karlsson.

 

[AppsSyl]

I am trying to figure out how to gauge Swedish D prospects, and the rationale for their rankings. Dahlin is obviously justifiably where he should be given his tools and performance. Boqvist though, I am trying to figure out. The most logically comparables would be the draft years of Brannstrom and Liljegren, as they were of a similar skillset, tools and upside, in the same leagues, and only were drafted one year ago. Both Brannstrom and Liljegren went in the mid-1st round and had more impressive statistics, and Liljegren also had mono and a hip injury to contend with. With the 2018 Draft by all accounts being touted as a much stronger draft than 2017. How is he justifiably higher ranked (in the top 5 or 6) in stronger draft and not sliding?

Boqvist

2017-18	Brynäs IF J20	SuperElit	19	11	7	18
	Brynäs IF	SHL	8	0	1	1
	Almtuna IS	Allsvenskan	6	0	2	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Brannstrom

2016-17	HV71 J20	SuperElit	19	9	14	23		|	Playoffs	7	3	4	7
	HV71	SHL	35	1	5	6

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Liljegren

2016-17	Rögle BK J20	SuperElit	12	5	2	7	8		Playoffs	3	1	4	5
	Rögle BK	SHL	19	1	4	5	4
	Timrå IK	Allsvenskan	5	0	1	1	4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Zaddy]

I am trying to figure out how to gauge Swedish D prospects, and the rationale for their rankings. Dahlin is obviously justifiably where he should be given his tools and performance. Boqvist though, I am trying to figure out. The most logically comparables would be the draft years of Brannstrom and Liljegren, as they were of a similar skillset, tools and upside, in the same leagues, and only were drafted one year ago. Both Brannstrom and Liljegren went in the mid-1st round and had more impressive statistics, and Liljegren also had mono and a hip injury to contend with. With the 2018 Draft by all accounts being touted as a much stronger draft than 2017. How is he justifiably higher ranked (in the top 5 or 6) in stronger draft and not sliding?

Boqvist

2017-18	Brynäs IF J20	SuperElit	19	11	7	18
	Brynäs IF	SHL	8	0	1	1
	Almtuna IS	Allsvenskan	6	0	2	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Brannstrom

2016-17	HV71 J20	SuperElit	19	9	14	23		|	Playoffs	7	3	4	7
	HV71	SHL	35	1	5	6

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Liljegren

2016-17	Rögle BK J20	SuperElit	12	5	2	7	8		Playoffs	3	1	4	5
	Rögle BK	SHL	19	1	4	5	4
	Timrå IK	Allsvenskan	5	0	1	1	4

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

First of all, how did Liljegren had more "impressive statistics"? Secondly, it's not all about stats. I watched Liljegren many times both live and online last year and his play was not at all worthy of a 1st round pick. He was terrible for the vast majority of the year. Based off of that alone he wouldn't have gone in the 1st round if it wasn't for his very good draft -1 season. I'll give you Brännström, but Boqvist is bigger than him and has a more explosive offensive skillset. Brännström is more of a puck-moving defender whereas Boqvist has the tools to potentially put up 60 points in the NHL on day. Frankly, you build your whole case around stats, but you have to watch these guys play for yourself to really understand what makes a certain prospect better than another one. It's not about where they are now, it's where they'll be in 5+ years.

 

[Kalleteodor]

Just curious, do people think he is going to start to slide given a statistically underwhelming draft year? I like Boqvist, but his numbers this season don't seem to be that of an offensive d-man rated in the top 6 of a strong draft. He seems to be bounced around between leagues not able to stick in the SHL or Allsvenskan, and is now back and forth between there and the 3rd league SuperElit. His upside is huge though.

I think that could easily happen if he continues to be moved from league to league and team to team. Above all things he need to have some decent time on ice in the games he´s playing. Considering he was playing on average 5 minutes and no pp in the SHL games it´s quite impressing to have 2 p in 8 games (if you include 2 CHL games and subtract 2 games in SHL where he didn´t play). If he will get time on ice and play pp he will end up with a lot of point regardless of what league he plays.

And AppsSyl, I think the main reason for Boqvists high rank is his numbers, and impact, in international tournaments. Another interesting thing about him is that a lot of his points is goals compared to most D-men. He played 3 international tournaments 2016 – 2017 and in those tournaments, he scored 10 goals and had 9 assists in 15 games. He had most points of all players in one of those tournaments and was second of all players in one. Team Sweden won 2 Gold and had one Bronze in the tournaments. I guess that lead people to believe that he has a lot of impact in the teams he plays, giving him a big role.

 

[AppsSyl]

First of all, how did Liljegren had more "impressive statistics"? Secondly, it's not all about stats. I watched Liljegren many times both live and online last year and his play was not at all worthy of a 1st round pick. He was terrible for the vast majority of the year. Based off of that alone he wouldn't have gone in the 1st round if it wasn't for his very good draft -1 season. I'll give you Brännström, but Boqvist is bigger than him and has a more explosive offensive skillset. Brännström is more of a puck-moving defender whereas Boqvist has the tools to potentially put up 60 points in the NHL on day. Frankly, you build your whole case around stats, but you have to watch these guys play for yourself to really understand what makes a certain prospect better than another one. It's not about where they are now, it's where they'll be in 5+ years.

I readily admit that I have not seen a ton of Boqvist this year, hence the reason why I am asking why he is holding his position in a stronger draft. I was really impressed with him at the Hlinka, but statistically he doesn't seem to have separated himself to justify the ranking in a strong draft, when players performing similarly in a weaker draft went lower.

Liljegren's 5 pts in 19 SHL games is more impressive than the advantage Boqvist has statistically at SuperElit (3rd league in Sweden). To say Liljegren's play wasn't worthy of a 1st rd pick is silly. As for Brannstrom and Boqvist and the size thing Brannstrom is listed as 5'10 181 and Boqvist is 5'11 170, pretty even. Don't Brannstrom and Liljegren if they hit their upsides have the chance to also put up 60 pts in the NHL one day?

 

[AppsSyl]

I think that could easily happen if he continues to be moved from league to league and team to team. Above all things he need to have some decent time on ice in the games he´s playing. Considering he was playing on average 5 minutes and no pp in the SHL games it´s quite impressing to have 2 p in 8 games (if you include 2 CHL games and subtract 2 games in SHL where he didn´t play). If he will get time on ice and play pp he will end up with a lot of point regardless of what league he plays.

And AppsSyl, I think the main reason for Boqvists high rank is his numbers, and impact, in international tournaments. Another interesting thing about him is that a lot of his points is goals compared to most D-men. He played 3 international tournaments 2016 – 2017 and in those tournaments, he scored 10 goals and had 9 assists in 15 games. He had most points of all players in one of those tournaments and was second of all players in one. Team Sweden won 2 Gold and had one Bronze in the tournaments. I guess that lead people to believe that he has a lot of impact in the teams he plays, giving him a big role.

Thanks for the insight. You bring up a good point with the international play. He has played very well and a lot of weight is put on performance in those tourneys. I was surprised he was left off the WJC team.

 

[Zaddy]

Liljegren's 5 pts in 19 SHL games is more impressive than the advantage Boqvist has statistically at SuperElit (3rd league in Sweden). To say Liljegren's play wasn't worthy of a 1st rd pick is silly. As for Brannstrom and Boqvist and the size thing Brannstrom is listed as 5'10 181 and Boqvist is 5'11 170, pretty even. Don't Brannstrom and Liljegren if they hit their upsides have the chance to also put up 60 pts in the NHL one day?

No, it isn't. If you looked at his draft year in isolation (not factoring in previous seasons) his play was not 1st round worthy. He got picked in the 1st round based off his draft -1 season + the fact that he had mono which gave him a valid excuse for his poor play.

I doubt Brännström is 5'10, he was measured in at 5'9 at the combine IIRC and that's the size he looks to be when you see him in person. Brännström is also more filled out than Boqvist is.

I don't want to speculate what Liljegrens ultimate upside is. Like Boqvist he has explosive offensive tools, but I'm not sure if he reads the play as well as Boqvist. I don't see Brännström as a 60 point D no, probably more in the 40 point range if he hits his ceiling.

 

[Kalleteodor]

Adam Boqvist (no 16) played with Brynas J20 against Linkoping today. Had a goal in a loss 1 - 2. Here´s the goal + a few nice moves.

 

[TopTenPlayz]

I see a lot of comparisons with Karlsson. They both have great offensive IQ, puck control skills, great wrist shot (rare for a d-man) and possess similar frames. But there's one massive dominant attribute Karlsson has that allows him to separate himself from everyone else: speed. Karlsson has legendary speed and similar to McDavid, he has the ability to control the puck at top flight. I don't see that explosiveness in Boqvist. That said, I think Boqvist is more similar to a Brian Rafalski which is definitely worth a top 5 pick in my opinion.

 

[1972]

I’ll admit, I’m not seeing why so many have him ranked second overall. I see a Tyson Barrie/Kevin Shattenkirk type or offensive Dman more then a Erik Karlsson...am I missing something here?

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

I’ll admit, I’m not seeing why so many have him ranked second overall. I see a Tyson Barrie/Kevin Shattenkirk type or offensive Dman more then a Erik Karlsson...am I missing something here?

You seem to be missing some stuff. Can I ask you how much you’ve seen of Boqvist, both at the international stage, SHL, HA and Super Elit to compare him to Shattenkirk and Barrie? How much did you see of Erik Karlsson at that age in various leagues? How much did you watch said Barrie and Shattenkirk when they were 17 years old?

 

[1972]

You seem to be missing some stuff. Can I ask you how much you’ve seen of Boqvist, both at the international stage, SHL, HA and Super Elit to compare him to Shattenkirk and Barrie? How much did you see of Erik Karlsson at that age in various leagues? How much did you watch said Barrie and Shattenkirk when they were 17 years old?

Tell me what I’m missing, I genuinely would like to know why others feel so strongly about him. I never watched Erik Karlsson play juniors in Sweden and have really only seen Boqvist in the U18s.

 

[dustrock]

Boqvist is almost young enough to be in the 2019 draft. I think people are thinking it's almost D-1 season and he's doing very well.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Adam Boqvist (no 16) played with Brynas J20 against Linkoping today. Had a goal in a loss 1 - 2. Here´s the goal + a few nice moves.

Where is this footage from? That is, what streaming service?

 

[JimboA]

delete

 

[Kalleteodor]

Tell me what I’m missing, I genuinely would like to know why others feel so strongly about him. I never watched Erik Karlsson play juniors in Sweden and have really only seen Boqvist in the U18s.

I guess you see what you want to see…
I think what the teams are looking for in a top 5 is a player with the potential to build an entire team around. As I mentioned earlier in international tournaments Boqvist has been a very dominant player for Sweden where they’ve been no 1-1-3. In every of those tournaments he has scored most points or goals (or both) for team Sweden and has been playing in all important situations like PP and BP.
Being the same age as Rasmus Dahlin they played the national tournament TV-pucken the same year. Rasmus scored most points and Adam most goals. Rasmus was named best D-man in the tournament and Adam was selected MVP. In some ways, I think that’s sums it up pretty good.

And that is also part of the current problem for Adam who almost needs to be the no 1 D-man in his team to really contribute.

 

[HisNoodliness]

Tell me what I’m missing, I genuinely would like to know why others feel so strongly about him. I never watched Erik Karlsson play juniors in Sweden and have really only seen Boqvist in the U18s.

Honestly the accidental genius above is correct that Karlsson now is a better skater, but I think Boqvist might be better at the same age. Will he develop as well as Karlsson did? Probably not. Karlsson got faster, heavier, stronger and adapted extremely well to the smaller ice surface. His offensive game, creativity and skill transitioned perfectly over. Most prospects don't develop so well.

At the same age Boqvist plays an extremely similar style and is arguably a better prospect. Their numbers are almost identical in their draft years (1 p/g in Superelite, and limited points and playtime in SEL). Boqvist's skill is off the charts. He can skate well in all four directions with good acceleration. In this regard I think he's better than Karlsson who maybe had a higher top speed, but not quite the East-West fluidity of Boqvist. He's got a great wrist shot and slap shot as well as the ability to find seams to use them. He's one of the youngest players in this draft year.

He has good vision in the offensive zone and finds teammates, but generally relies more on putting pucks on net. Just like Karlsson he loves to pick up the puck in the D-Zone, blow by everyone in the neutral zone and throw a good shot on goal from the high slot. They are really really similar so if he (like Karlsson) gets stronger, faster and transitions well to the smaller ice surface he'll be one of the best defenseman in the league. That's what I see in him... I'm a huge fan and the classic HF scout that doesn't actually know anything. So take it with a grain of salt and all that.

 

[Kalleteodor]

Adam played with Brynas J20 (Junior team) earlier this week and had 2 goals in a 4 – 2 win. Here are the goals (Boqvist no 16).

 

[Janne Niinimaa]

Adam played with Brynas J20 (Junior team) earlier this week and had 2 goals in a 4 – 2 win. Here are the goals (Boqvist no 16).

Not everyday you see a defensemen score on a deflection.

 

[Kalleteodor]

Adam is playing in 2018 U18 5 Nations right now. I put together some plays from Sweden’s game against Finland where Sweden tries to come back in the game down two goals. The video shows some sequences from the last 7 minutes.

 

[Wintersun]

Adam is playing in 2018 U18 5 Nations right now. I put together some plays from Sweden’s game against Finland where Sweden tries to come back in the game down two goals. The video shows some sequences from the last 7 minutes.

Don't care what anyone says about where he plays or his stats. Every time I watch him play he's absolutely incredible.

 

[JK2K]

Unfortunately Boqvist has been incredibly pedestrian at this tournament.
This is the way it works.
You either dazzle or you don’t.
You get excuses made for you or you don’t.

I’ve not seen a lot of him prior to this tournament other than Hlinka and 4 other games. Was non committed before....
Calen Addison looks better.
Just sayin.....

 

[VictorLustig]

Thought he was quiet (not bad) in the first couple of games. Very good against the Czechs and good against the Russians.

 

[Kalleteodor]

Thought he was quiet (not bad) in the first couple of games. Very good against the Czechs and good against the Russians.

I think one need to remember that Sweden had one practice on NHL-surface before the game against USA. It usually takes a couple of games before you adjust your play. The whole Swedish team was a bit lost in the first two games. Still Adam could easily have scored a couple of points in any of the games. If he had that kind of luck getting points in Ivan Hlinka it went the other way in this tournament. In the video I posted above, showing plays from the last 7 minutes of one game, he sets up teammates for at least 3 major scoring opportunities and has a couple of good chances to score himself.

Also, I think he has done some adjustment of his style of play during this year (due to playing on pro-level). He plays the game safer and don´t go on the offense quite as much as he did before. Maybe less spectacular but more solid on the defense. Let’s see how it will affect his ranking…