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Quick Analysis of Team Sweden (WJC 2x Media)
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TheBigSandeenieRegistered Member
(WJC Media x2)
First and foremost, shoutout to @Salming for the media inspiration. @Salming had a terrific write up analyzing Team Finland's roster selections. Read his article here: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=111463&pid=2932215#pid29.
I will attempt my own such analysis on Team Sweden’s roster to get an idea of how the team is going to stack up against the rest of the tournament. Read the original roster announcement here: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=111451.
* Without further ado here is my Team Sweden WJC roster analysis:
Forwards :
Alexander Oscarsson- 674 TPE - RW - S55 -
 @Zema Oscarsson, one of the veterans among the forward group, had an OK season for the Maine Timber this year. With a stat line of 9G-20A-29P in 50 GP this season Oscarsson has shown he is more than capable of creating scoring chances, especially setting up his teammates to score. The +/- of – 18 is a little tougher to look past but once you consider he had more takeaways than giveaways (even if only by one) and had a solid game rating of 64, it begins to look like a solid campaign. He also had a positive CF% at 50.5%. Oscarsson is a very offensive minded forward who lacks a bit on the defensive side of the puck. If paired with a couple well rounded guys who can help get the puck back and drive play, Oscarsson could easily be a leader for this year's group while posting some big numbers.
James Kimanje – 503 TPE – RW – S55 -
 @VRTXL4S3R Despite the low goal total this past season Kimanje is a sniper plain and simple. Suiting up for the Battleborn, Kimanje posted a line of 7G-14A-21P with a +/- of +6. With a high shooting accuracy at 14 complimented by a well-rounded offensive skillset, including an 11 screening, I am having a hard time understanding how he only scored 7 goals on the year. While trying to find the cause I noticed two key factors. The first being that while Kimanje has a Speed of 12 and Stamina of 14 he is not an amazing skater beyond that, which likely limits his 5 on 5 upside due to his lack of high-end separation ability. The other factor is that he barely saw PP time with only 50 seconds per game. Kimanje’s skillset screams PP monster to me. If Sweden uses him on the top PP I wouldn’t be surprised if he winds up scoring a bunch of goals.
Sven Gunnar – 380 TPE – C (played LW this season) – S55
@Southie Gunnar is right in the same vein as Kimanje his Battleborn teammate as a forward with a great shot and good skillset, but the points just didn’t come like you’d expect this season. With a line of 5G-10A-15P and a –4 Gunnar’s stats don’t jump off the page. Consider that he only averaged 11:13 minutes per game with effectively no PP time and it becomes much more respectable. No doubt Gunnar is a valuable asset to Team Sweden’s forward group. It’s starting to look like this may be a high scoring tournament for the young Swedes.
Calvin Hobbes – 458 TPE – C – S56
@krazko Hobbes will be immensely valuable for Sweden down the middle providing an excellent faceoff presence with his 13 FO rating. Hobbes posted a line of 6G-20A-26P with a +2 for the Timber with a 53.7CF%. Hobbes would be a perfect teammate for Oscarsson as someone who can dominate puck possession and drive play while also possessing the offensive skills to wreak havoc in the offensive zone. No matter who he lines up with, Hobbes will be a key player for Team Sweden.
Lucas Johansson – 409 TPE - LW - S56 -
@JR95 Johansson fits in great with the rest of this forward group because he is a lot more defensive minded than most of his teammates. With the first three guys mentioned all being very offensive minded you knew there would have to be some guys that balance that out a bit. Johansson goes a long way in that regard and is frankly one of the better defensive forwards I have seen in the J. That being said, Johansson holds his own in the offensive end as well. This past season he posted a line of 11G-12A-23P with a +6 with no PP time. Now I must mention his 14.86% shooting percentage is probably not sustainable, but I don’t think that it is a mirage either. He also tallied 2 shorthanded goals showing his defense can lead to offense.
Yngve Simonsson – 469 TPE – LW – S56 (
 @JumpierPegasus Yngve Simonsson adds a nice element of speed to this group and some nice counting stats to go with it. 12G-21A-33P and a –4 later and you see a player who put up some good stats logging big minutes on one of the worst teams in SMJHL. Shooting nearly 10% while posting +20 apples shows you this kid can get the puck in the net. Along with his nice skating abilities, Simonsson’s passing and offensive read of 14 a piece will fit nicely next to one of the young snipers in the top 6.
Jonathan Granstrom – 299 TPE – C – S57
@Halkohol Now we are getting into the younger players among the forward group. Our first rookie Jonahan Granstrom had a rough season with the Detroit Falcons. It was a rough season for the team as a whole and he actually produced a respectable 8G-7A-15P as a prospect who was never know as an offensive player but rather a two-way presence. A year of growth for the team and Granstrom should do him wonders. Look for a much better season next year and we should see a hungry young player ready to make a name for himself in this tournament.
Freyja Hellstrom – 300 TPE – LW – S57
 @Calliope Freyja Hellstrom has built a reputation as a hard worker dedicated to becoming a better player. That is a great quality to have, especially when you are already as good as Hellstrom is. This small speedy forward had an up and down season with the Kraken posting a state line of 13G-8A-21P with a – 5 and a 46.3CF%. At a glance the stat line looks solid especially for some only averaging 13:19 a game. But the – 5 isn’t fabulous and the CF% suggests Hellstrom didn’t have a positive impact driving play. Just make sure you don’t overlook her 13 goals on a 17.57SH%.
Fredrick Stefansson – 166 TPE – LW – S58
@TheProfessor Fredrick Stefansson is one of the youngest players for Team Sweden and is mostly an unknown commodity at this point. At 6’2” and 225 pounds one thing is certain; this kid is big. Scouts see a balanced skillset highlighted by some solid skating and fantastic positioning. It will be exciting seeing Stefansson in action for the first time and I am sure he will be fired up ready to make a name for himself.
Steve Tkachuk – 171 TPE – C – S57
 @As an undrafted free agent, Tkachuk was signed by Anaheim about halfway through the season, resulting in 26GP 4G-8A-12P and a –5. The stat line, aside from the +/-, actually isn’t too bad. Just don’t look at his advanced stats. But to jump in midway through the season and to contribute the way he did was very impressive. There is no doubt Anaheim must be thrilled with their signing as Tkachuk as hinted at a very bright future.
Cole Carter – NA – LW – S58
@Boomcheck Cole Carter, another young player that Anaheim scooped up during the middle of the season, albeit much later. Carter only managed to suit up for 8 games on the season and he really didn’t have much of an impact. While that may sound harsh, I would argue that given the situation simply not having a negative impact on the game should be considered a victory. This tournament will give us another look at what type of player the Swedes have gained.
Gerry Atrick – 170 TPE – LW – S58
 @MrRuihu Similar story to Carter but add one more game played on the season and a couple more points. Not really much to go off of other than the scouting profile that shows a very balanced player that has shown the ability to eat a ton of minutes. This kid has stamina to spare.
Defense:
Emilia Bergman – 841 TPE – LD – S54
 @Renomitsu The heart and soul of this team and defensive core, Emilia Bergman eats tough minutes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Bergman posted a stat line of 5G-8A-13P with a +9 while skating 21:20 a game. Bergman will likely never be a flashy offensive player who puts up big numbers but that’s not her game. Her game is a gritty in your face there is no way you are going to score type of game. Following a season where she laid 110 hits and blocked 104 shots let's hope that Bergman can find some time to give her body a rest before the WJC because she must be running on empty. That is the type of player you get from Bergman every single time she steps on the ice; You get a player that is going to giving everything they absolutely can because that is the only way she knows how to play. You get the Captain of Team Sweden.
Joorgustraad DuBolk – 669 TPE – LD – S55 -
@MCP DuBolk, one of the assistant captains, is an absolute tower at 6’8” making him a nightmare to play against. DuBolk had a great season for Anaheim posting a line of 11G-23A-34P with a +14 while playing a whopping 23:42 a game. One of the best offensive defensemen in the J, DuBolk is the perfect complement to defensive minded captain. While all the points are great to see what really stands out to me in a positive way about DuBolks most recent season is his terrific +14 and a 54.2CF%. These two stats suggest that he was a dominated the ice as his team had more shots and more goals than the opponent with him on the ice. Also, worth mentioning only 4 of his points came on the PP so almost all of his production came at 5 on 5.
Rikard Bjerg – 693 TPE – RD – S55 -
@AgentSmith630 Rikard Bjerg, assistant captain, is similar to Bergman in that they play tough hardnose defensive games but Bjerg has a bit more offense in him. Scoring 5G-15A-20P this past season was more than respectable in addition to the 96 hits and 111 blocked shots. Bjerg is like a defensive quarterback the way he reads the play in the defensive zone shutting down top lines on the regular. With how good Bjerg is defensively it is just crazy to think he isn’t the best defenseman on this roster, but he will certainly be a key play for this team. Needless to say, the strength of this team is its top 4 defensemen as three of the four are the team's captains.
Juni Panda – 489 TPE – RD (USUALLY RW) - S55 -
 @juniped Juni Panda RW for the Colorado Raptors is making the move to playing defense for the tournament to help the team out. Panda was an animal this last season in multiple aspects. He posted a line of 13G-9A-22P with a +9 on 15:51 a game with no PP time. He had a terrific shooting percentage at 12.15% so he should be able to add some firepower on the backend. Panda was a human wrecking ball laying 148 hits on the season. Panda’s defensive game is very advanced for a forward in the J so he should be able to handle the transition, but it will be interesting to see how he matches up against other teams' top lines.
Jasper Maximov – 456 TPE – LD – S56 -
@enigmatic Maximov is your modern offensive defenseman and would be a great option to run either PP for the Swedes. Maximov had a great season posting a line of 11G-16A-27P with a +10. The hallmark of Maximov’s game is the way he reads the ice on both ends as he always seems one step ahead of his opponents. He is a solid skater who has a real knack for getting open and he loves to shoot.
Matty Sandeen – 258 TPE – LD – S57 -
 @TheBigSandeenie Sandeen is the youngest member of the defensive group and is coming off a rough rookie season with Newfoundland. While the 13 points, especially the 8 goals, are promising the –16 is very alarming. Sandeen came into the J fresh off a potion change from Wing to D leaving him very raw defensively heading into his rookie season. While he spent a lot of the season trying to improve on that part of his game, he still has a long way to go. With a line of 8G-5A-13P and a –16 there is no doubt he will be looking to move forward with a strong showing at the WJC.
Goalies:
Jon St. Ark – 312 TPE – G – S57
 @Arkz Another player coming off their rookie season in the SMJHL, Jon St. Ark will mind the net for Team Sweden and hope to continue right where he left off. St. Ark came into the J on fire posting a 19-4 record in 24GP with a 1.62GAA and .930SV%. A 1.62GAA and a .930SV%. That is an insane year for any goalie in the J let alone a rookie. This kid could be a superstar in the making and this tournament will be one of his first big tests. At 6’6” and 245 pounds this rookie is a giant in the net. Mix in some sound positioning and terrific reflexes and it's no surprise that St. Ark will be a great goaltender. I just don’t think anyone expected it to happen so quickly.
Jerry Huuveri - NA TPE – G – S53 -
@Jerppu Jerry Huuveri will be backing up St. Ark and the Swedes won’t be sacrificing size when Huuveri is in net. Another 6’6” goalie Huuveri makes the most of his large frame with top notch positioning and reflexes. Huuveri is the veteran of the bunch and will provide valuable experience to this young group of Swedes.
There you have it, your team Sweden. 2,371 words. |
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