Fill me in, what has he done in the AHL that makes him still a top prospect 4 years after being drafted? Was it that scintillating 5 goal season a couple of years ago that has you so stoked? I can accept that I'm wrong about the guy, but give me something other than emoji's to convince me I'm wrong. He fails my eye test, but what have you seen?
Judging by goal totals is an interesting way to evaluate a prospect but sure.
He has improved in every aspect especially defensively since being drafted. His offensive confidence is much better then it was in his first year, and has established himself as an elite 2 way AHL d man. He shuts down plays in transition and for the AHL level is a star defensively. It's easy to see why he is a top prospect.
Very good skater if a bit clunky, multi level offensively and plays great transition defence.
Here is a section from an article on him.
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2021/08/17/toronto-maple-leafs-2021-prospect-rankings-1-5/
"Liljegren is a 6’0″ right-shooting defenseman who covers plenty of ground in the neutral zone. Although he’s now played parts of four seasons with the
Marlies and already boasts a little bit of NHL experience, it’s important to remember that he is still only 22.
He continues to become stronger and stronger over time, and his offensive game has significantly improved over the years as well. The 2017 first-round pick continued to look like one of the best defensemen in the AHL and is on the brink of earning a permanent role at the NHL level.
Liljegren defends opposing zone entry attempts quite well, giving even fast wingers a tough time beating him to the outside. While he’s not quite big and strong enough to play on a top NHL penalty kill unit, he does receive plenty of time there with the
Marlies and should be able to play on the second unit when needed. He will need to stand out more offensively if he’s going to be a top-four option, but he’s more of a two-way defenseman than a pure offensive defenseman at the AHL level.
Liljegren is now far more confident in rushing the puck up the ice compared to his first seasons. He’s always been more than capable of completing a nice stretch pass, but he was far too cautious early on in his professional career and looked like he was simply trying to fit in.
There is some serious zip on his shot, but he hasn’t scored as much as I expected him to at draft time. He is improving in that regard, though —
he’s picking his spots better and jumping up into the play more. He’s never been afraid to fire off a hard one-timer, but it’s his wrist shot that really stands out to me. He needs to continue to jump up and use it more.
Unless the Leafs trade Morgan Rielly, the Leafs probably won’t have an opportunity for Liljegren on their power play next season given that Sandin is NHL ready. That puts more pressure on Liljegren’s defensive game, which was certainly not his calling card when the Leafs drafted him. However, if he’s a strong enough play-driver at five-on-five, the Leafs will find a spot for him eventually.
The team might have a tough time re-signing Rielly after next season, and if so, it will be nice to have an NHL-ready puck-moving defenseman who’s ready to contribute when called on.
My hope for Liljegren is that he’s slightly above league average both offensively and defensively.
He’s one of the better defensemen in the AHL and it’s important to remember that he’s still quite young. Unless you’re absolutely elite offensively, like Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes, defensemen take quite a while to develop. There simply aren’t many defensemen in the league who were born in 1999 or later and are contributing to a contending team.
Liljegren needs to bring more to the table offensively during his next NHL call-up rather than trying to be completely unnoticeable. Based on his play in the AHL last season, I expect him to do just that. If he can continue his year-over-year offensive growth, I still think he could be a top-four option, but he can be a bit clumsy at times and he’ll need to avoid the big mistakes. He could hold his own in an NHL role today, but since he’s not waiver eligible next season, the Leafs don’t necessarily have to rush here."
I bolded the important info.
)
:
