Login

NONAME · 09-23-2019, 11:10 AM

The season 50 SHL entry draft has officially been completed. The first big step for these players in reaching their ultimate dream of becoming a star in the SHL. These guys are riding a high that can not be explained with words, however, for many of them, this is as far as the dream will go. The hard work and dedication that these players have put in so far isn't over yet, in fact, it now has to be raised to another level. The best of the best play in the SHL and you need to prove to the world that you deserve to be playing with that calibre of talent.

In this short series, I will be doing post-draft scouting reports of some of the players taken in the season 50 SHL draft to give the fans even more knowledge about the players skill set and personality. Today's target is going to be the 3rd overall pick in the draft and player for the SMJHL's Colorado Raptors, Henrik Lekberg Osterman.

Henrik Lekberg Osterman was taken deep in the season 49 SMJHL draft in the 6th round, 52nd overall by the Colorado Raptors. There was not much hype about Osterman heading into the draft which gave him the motivation to prove every SMJHL GM and Co-GM just what mistake they made. He instantly meshed into the Colorado Raptors locker-room seamlessly and became an unofficial leader. With the Colorado Raptors being in the rebuilding state, Osterman was immediately given the opportunity to make an impact. He was placed on the 2nd line with sophomore and captain, Bo Kane as well as the Raptors 2nd overall pick in the season 49 draft, Vorian Atreides. He would be a staple part of that 2nd line with Atreides becoming a solid duo for the Raptors. He managed to put 9 goals and 14 assists for 23 points which is a very respectable total for a rookie. The first playoffs came around for the young rookie and he managed to only put up 2 assists in 7 games. Not exactly the type of performance you would like to put up, however, the Raptors as a team were just not in the right place to do much damage. This type of experience is also huge for a rookie as heading into future seasons he will have a better idea of just how intense playoff hockey is and he will be ready.

Player Build

Osterman prides himself on being a complete 200-foot player which has become an almost necessity in today's SHL hockey. His defensive play is as good as any in the SMJHL. He's smart with his stick and uses it as effectively as anyone without taking high amounts of penalties. Due to his good skating abilities, he can also get back to backcheck to eliminate odd-man rushes. To continue with his skating, it almost looks completely effortless for him. He flies through the zones so smoothly. Often times, when players reach high speeds their hands cannot keep up with their feet, however, that isn't an issue for Osterman. He's able to fly through the neutral and offensive zones while stickhandling past any defenders in his way. This opens up a lot of offensive opportunities for Osterman and generally, players have a preferred choice to either shoot or pass when given scoring chances. For Osterman he keeps his options completely open and he's able to do this because he's mastered both playmaking and goal scoring. It keeps the defenders on their toes as they just don't know what he's going to do.

Henrik Lekberg Osterman is looking to breakout into a star in the SMJHL this season and will be a force for the rest of his tenure in the league. The Pride have made an excellent choice drafting Osterman 3rd overall and doing so have added another young elite talent to their prospect pool. Only time will tell just how successful he will be but if I was a betting man I would say he's going to have a long and successful career.

Henrik · 09-23-2019, 02:39 PM

Nice article, and thanks for the feature!

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us