Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft / Pick #28 - Nils Lundkvist (D)

[kovazub94]

Good start for Nils with two apples!

The SHL is a low scoring league. A defender with 0.5 PPG qualified for top 10 in D scoring last season. It’s always good for the confidence, how national team coaches view you, to appear on those lists.



Good post and I don’t disagree with any of it.

My point was that I wouldn’t give Nils more than an even chance to become Stralsy II. If I compare what I see from Nils with what I saw from Stralsy at the same age, and say 8 other comparable guys — a few become as good as Stralsy, someone maybe even became better, more than half became a little worse.

So I wouldn’t “expect” Nils to become as good as Stralsy, but he certainly has that potential.

Also, I am not sure what listings people are going by. There are always some kind of spread available. But my eye test certainly buy the listings that have Stralman at 6’1 and Lundkvist at 5’11. I.e Lundkvist is significantly smaller than Stralman.

Size could definitely become an issue when Nils transitions to NA (that would prevent him from being at least a solid top-4 in the NHL), but I don’t think there are 8 guys who were a first pair D (RD specifically) in their D+2 with two seasons of SHL already under their belt. Maybe a time period covering 3-4 seasons, which in itself shows how special his accomplishments to date are.

 

[tigerman67]

Say what you want about secondary assists, but without this pass by Lundkvist, that goal doesn't happen. Great stretch pass to transition from defense to offense

He had two more like that where he found blade on the blue line, but they didn't score on those. Overall a very impressive start, also defensively. He definitely seems to have added some muscle during the summer.

Coaches plan for this year is to have him play 1D together with Erik Gustafsson, former NHL/KHL'er (and WC + Olympic Asst. captain) and awarded Best D'man in SHL last season. He's really getting the best possible education for the future.

 

[Kovalev27]

This is looking like it could be a breakout season for Nils. He’s getting the ice time and the pts are coming. Great start.

 

[Leetch3]

Say what you want about secondary assists, but without this pass by Lundkvist, that goal doesn't happen. Great stretch pass to transition from defense to offense

its almost like you should judge players based on what happens not what a spreadsheet tells you

 

[kovazub94]

This is looking like it could be a breakout season for Nils. He’s getting the ice time and the pts are coming. Great start.

That’s why last year @Amazing Kreiderman (and me too) were saying that lack of points (perceived) was due to utilization, not Nils’ abilities.

 

[Ghost of jas]

And Lundkvist is another factor in why, unless DeAngelo is forcing his way out of NY, he cannot afford to make any negative impressions.

 

[Zil]

its almost like you should judge players based on what happens not what a spreadsheet tells you

The "spreadsheets" are extremely high on Lundkvist so this comment doesn't make any sense. Also, "spreadsheets" literally track what happens on the ice so, again, this comment makes no sense.

 

[Leetch3]

The "spreadsheets" are extremely high on Lundkvist so this comment doesn't make any sense. Also, "spreadsheets" literally track what happens on the ice so, again, this comment makes no sense.

It was in the context of secondary assists. The spreadsheet says that primary assists are always more important than secondary assists and they aren’t. Also you are taking a joke response too seriously

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

It was in the context of secondary assists. The spreadsheet says that primary assists are always more important than secondary assists and they aren’t. Also you are taking a joke response too seriously

Secondary assists in general are less important but there are exceptions, and this assist by Lundkvist is a perfect example.

A meaningless secondary assist would be a goalie stopping the puck behind his net, a defenseman skating off the ice, passing and creating a goal, giving the goalie a secondary assist

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

And Lundkvist is another factor in why, unless DeAngelo is forcing his way out of NY, he cannot afford to make any negative impressions.

He’s probably not long for this team regardless, which makes wanting to get paid make even more sense from his POV

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Lundkvist was picked as player of the game. Not as classy as the Broadway Hat though

 

[Ghost of jas]

Lundkvist was picked as player of the game. Not as classy as the Broadway Hat though


View attachment 254789

Doesn't exactly look like he got rewarded.

 

[Ola]

Lulea up 1-0, no pts for Lundkvist halfway in.

He made one of those stretch passes to Kovac again just after Lulea took the lead in the 2nd. Starting to become a theme.

 

[Ola]

LHF lost 2-1, Lundkvist had no less than 26 minutes of ice time.

Their coach, Thomas the “Contusion” Berglund, matched the players in a way I’ve not quite seen in the SHL that much before. Lundkvist got very heavy OZone usage. He was sent out basically every FO north of the redline. The minutes piled up when Lulea were chasing...

 

[Jagge11]

LHF lost 2-1, Lundkvist had no less than 26 minutes of ice time.

Their coach, Thomas the “Contusion” Berglund, matched the players in a way I’ve not quite seen in the SHL that much before. Lundkvist got very heavy OZone usage. He was sent out basically every FO north of the redline. The minutes piled up when Lulea were chasing...

Luleå played with 5 defensemen during the second and the third period because of injuries.

 

[Edge]

This is a big year for Lundkvist's development.

When he was drafted, the response was that he's a kid you leave alone and get cook for a while. In other words, this was a kid was two, maybe three years out from potentially making an impact.

Last year you saw a lot of promising flashes, while still being deployed more conservatively. This year, the expectation is things open a bit more for him.

I'm actually looking forward to see how his offensive awareness comes along. I've always felt there's more offensive ability under the hood than Lundkvist gets credit for.

 

[Ola]

This is a big year for Lundkvist's development.

When he was drafted, the response was that he's a kid you leave alone and get cook for a while. In other words, this was a kid was two, maybe three years out from potentially making an impact.

Last year you saw a lot of promising flashes, while still being deployed more conservatively. This year, the expectation is things open a bit more for him.

I'm actually looking forward to see how his offensive awareness comes along. I've always felt there's more offensive ability under the hood than Lundkvist gets credit for.

Well he is a tiny offensive PMD drafted for his offense, so I do hope there is some of that under the hood...

 

[Trxjw]

I wasn't thrilled with the pick in 2018, largely due to the fact that I get to watch very little European hockey, but you can't be anything other than excited about the progress he's making. Just improving with each game it seems.

 

[Edge]

Well he is a tiny offensive PMD drafted for his offense, so I do hope there is some of that under the hood...

I'm not entirely sure that he was/is viewed as an offensive defenseman per se --- at least not to the extent that people have talked about some of his 2018 contemporaries.

When people talk about offensive upside from that draft, Lundkvist isn't typically a name that immediately comes top of mind for a lot of people. Obviously people talk about Dahlin and Boqvist. There's chatter about the intrigue of players like Wilde, Merkley, Sandin, Hughes, Bouchard, Dobson, Addison and even Ty Smith. Hell, even within the Rangers, fans tend to focus on what Miller can potentially bring. But Lundkvist is almost a little bit of the forgotten man when it comes to potential offensive upside.

The interesting thing is that I think one can make the case that while he doesn't necessarily have fans sitting on the edge of their seats, he might be significantly more likely to translate to the pro game what he does bring to the table. He'll likely never have the best offensive numbers; he won't be as flashy as others; nor will he be the biggest or anything resembling a physical specimen. He won't be the first to reach the NHL, or even the guy with the most exciting entrance into the league. But he's a prospect who really should be in more of those conversations about exciting young defensemen.

Lundkvist is intriguing to me, and has been since before he was drafted. I look forward to seeing where he takes things from here.

 

[Edge]

I wasn't thrilled with the pick in 2018, largely due to the fact that I get to watch very little European hockey, but you can't be anything other than excited about the progress he's making. Just improving with each game it seems.

Funny, I loved the 2018 first round choices. The second round wasn't the direction I would've necessarily gone, but I thought the first round was on-point.

If there's one pleasant surprise, it's that a lot of these kids have put pieces together faster than I would've anticipated.

 

[UnSandvich]

I wasn't thrilled with the pick in 2018, largely due to the fact that I get to watch very little European hockey, but you can't be anything other than excited about the progress he's making. Just improving with each game it seems.

In all honesty, the main reason I was happy when we drafted him was that he was a second Lundqvist/-kvist. But he's definitely making it look like a smart selection so far

 

[Ola]

I love Lundkvist’s attitude as a player, he is that guy who you just can tell enjoys playing the game. He is from my neck of the woods, which is rare since not many ppl live there up in the North.

But I am a little afraid of that he is on the tiny side.

 

[Trxjw]

Funny, I loved the 2018 first round choices. The second round wasn't the direction I would've necessarily gone, but I thought the first round was on-point.

If there's one pleasant surprise, it's that a lot of these kids have put pieces together faster than I would've anticipated.

It's not that I didn't like the pick per se. I just didn't know enough about Lundkvist to be happy with it over the guys I did like in that spot at the time (Noel and Wilde specifically). Saw a lot more of them so obviously that heavily swayed my choices. Was very happy with Kravtsov and Miller, the latter of which I thought was a project for sure but also had the best chance of having a monster D+1 season and breaking out.

 

[Edge]

I love Lundkvist’s attitude as a player, he is that guy who you just can tell enjoys playing the game. He is from my neck of the woods, which is rare since not many ppl live there up in the North.

But I am a little afraid of that he is on the tiny side.

I think that's fair and understandable; he's very much built like a boy. At least he was the last time I got a decent look at him.

Of course the optimistic side of me thinks, "If he can hang now, just imagine what happens as he fills out a little more, gets stronger, and puts some additional experience under his belt."

 

[Ola]

The NHL game is so fast for defenders right now, it’s hard to notice it when you watch the games on TV, the Ds aren’t even in the picture 90% of the time... But when guys comes over from Europe you see just how hard they have to focus on being able to get going backwards fast enough. If Bode Wilde can keep up with the NHL game in that sense, he will make many teams look stupid. But that is of course far from a given, and probably a reason for why he dropped as much as he did. Maybe there are some attitude aspects too, you never know.

With how well Lundkvist has developed, he should at the very least give us value as either a trade chip or young depth option if we need to move on from Fox/TDA for cap options.

And we should definitely not sell his potential short. Being a great D is a bit different from being a great forward. To a larger extent it’s about being consistent — all the time year in and year out — and being poised with the puck under heavy pressure, focused defensively and so forth.

So like you all touch upon, it will certainly be interesting to follow what happen to Nils as he matures and fills out his body. Grows older.

At the same time, we all remember the time we had not had a good RHS PPQB for decades and how we focused on options that was out there like Sami Vatanen and the likes. There were what, 5 names out there league wide? There wasn’t much room for them, and hence the supply was too. The farm systems adjust. Put the kids where they might thrive at a young age. But now it’s different. There are like a handful of these smaller PPQBs in every 1st round. They are all over. Eventually that ends up affecting the value of them and stiffen the competition on the ice. So it might be that it actually takes quite much for Nils to just get into the NHL.

One guy I look at is Julius Honka, it he had come into the league five years earlier he would surely have found a regular spot and been seen as a top 4 D by now. But the demand isn’t the same anymore, nobody has forced Dallas hand. He hasn’t been traded yet despite requesting a move. Many teams have a player or two already who fits the bill. The days of when we only found a handful of guys like Vatanen, Dumba and co around the league are long gone.