WingedWheel1987
Registered User
Corey Pronman of ESPN had this to say about Axel Holmstrom,
Holmstrom, the 196th overall pick in the 2014 draft, has eight points already in his 18-year-old Swedish Hockey League season. That is a giant scoring spike for a player his age in that league.
Only 14 under-20 players last season in the SHL scored more than eight points all season, and only five under-19 players scored seven or more. Three of those were first-rounds picks in 2014: William Nylander, Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe (who were in their 17-year-old seasons). The others were Jacob de la Rose -- who came close to making Montreal's team during this year's camp -- and Carolina's Lucas Wallmark.
At the Lake Placid World Junior Championship evaluation camp this summer, Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg said of Holmstrom: "He has tremendous skill, he moves the puck real well. He played on the highest scoring line at the under-18 World Championship. That tells you his ability on the ice. He's also very responsible in his own end."
After the camp, I discussed Holmstrom's strong performance, saying it wasn't crazy to envision him as a top 10 prospect in the Detroit system by next summer. That statement may have been too conservative.
Holmstrom, the 196th overall pick in the 2014 draft, has eight points already in his 18-year-old Swedish Hockey League season. That is a giant scoring spike for a player his age in that league.
Only 14 under-20 players last season in the SHL scored more than eight points all season, and only five under-19 players scored seven or more. Three of those were first-rounds picks in 2014: William Nylander, Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe (who were in their 17-year-old seasons). The others were Jacob de la Rose -- who came close to making Montreal's team during this year's camp -- and Carolina's Lucas Wallmark.
At the Lake Placid World Junior Championship evaluation camp this summer, Sweden coach Rikard Gronborg said of Holmstrom: "He has tremendous skill, he moves the puck real well. He played on the highest scoring line at the under-18 World Championship. That tells you his ability on the ice. He's also very responsible in his own end."
After the camp, I discussed Holmstrom's strong performance, saying it wasn't crazy to envision him as a top 10 prospect in the Detroit system by next summer. That statement may have been too conservative.
