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Philadelphia Flyers Blogger • NHL.com •
There was an interesting article by Tomas Ros in today's Aftonbladet.
Ever wonder why the Detroit Red Wings seem to come up with some of the best under-scouted talent in Sweden? Part of the reason is that Detroit scout Håkan Andersson has an eagle eye for talent and scours even the lower-profile leagues and teams for players who could be of interest down the road.
The other reason is that Detroit GM Ken Holland takes an active role in the process, and makes at least one in-person trip to Sweden per season to look at players he's considering. That way, he has a broader knowledge base of the players than a lot of competing GMs, who rely solely on the recommendations of their European scouts.
Rather than heading directly to the WJC in the Czech Republic, Holland is currently in Sweden taking a first-hand look at two of the team's drafted players (winger Dick Axelsson and goaltender Daniel Larsson of Djurgården), while also checking out some of the top young Elitserien players eligible to be signed as free agents.
According to the article, the Wings' European scout Håkan Andersson has identified the following group of players as the top potential candidates for an NHL contract: Fabian Brunnström (Färjestad), Linus Videll (Södertälje) and Linus Klasén (Södertälje).
Left winger Brunnström, who will turn 23 next month, is not a surprise. He's become the most widely scouted over-ager in Sweden (and perhaps in all of Europe) this year. He's a classic late-bloomer who has had an eye-opening first season in Elitserien after tearing up the minor leagues last year with Borås.
Brunnström is the leading scorer on Färjestad this season, primarily on the strength of his passing skills and ice vision. If the Wings don't end up signing him after the season, some other NHL team will.
Videll, 23, was originally drafted by the Avalanche in 2003 but is now a free agent because Colorado elected not to sign him. He's a big winger (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) who has come into his own physically and is playing with confidence this year. He leads a low-scoring SSK team with 10 goals and 19 points.
Klasén, 21, is a bit of a wild-card, because he's very small (5-foot-8, 174 pounds), and the youngest of the three players. He often played with Dick Axelsson for Huddinge and was very impressive at the Allsvenskan (top minor league) level last year (50 points in 44 games). He's continued to impress this year in Elitserien with Södertälje and is second to Videll on the team with eight goals and 16 points.
The Wings are also reportedly taking another look at a player they originally drafted in 2003: Färjestad center Mikael Johansson, 23, is a solid two-way player and sktar, but does not have a high-end offensive game.
Ever wonder why the Detroit Red Wings seem to come up with some of the best under-scouted talent in Sweden? Part of the reason is that Detroit scout Håkan Andersson has an eagle eye for talent and scours even the lower-profile leagues and teams for players who could be of interest down the road.
The other reason is that Detroit GM Ken Holland takes an active role in the process, and makes at least one in-person trip to Sweden per season to look at players he's considering. That way, he has a broader knowledge base of the players than a lot of competing GMs, who rely solely on the recommendations of their European scouts.
Rather than heading directly to the WJC in the Czech Republic, Holland is currently in Sweden taking a first-hand look at two of the team's drafted players (winger Dick Axelsson and goaltender Daniel Larsson of Djurgården), while also checking out some of the top young Elitserien players eligible to be signed as free agents.
According to the article, the Wings' European scout Håkan Andersson has identified the following group of players as the top potential candidates for an NHL contract: Fabian Brunnström (Färjestad), Linus Videll (Södertälje) and Linus Klasén (Södertälje).
Left winger Brunnström, who will turn 23 next month, is not a surprise. He's become the most widely scouted over-ager in Sweden (and perhaps in all of Europe) this year. He's a classic late-bloomer who has had an eye-opening first season in Elitserien after tearing up the minor leagues last year with Borås.
Brunnström is the leading scorer on Färjestad this season, primarily on the strength of his passing skills and ice vision. If the Wings don't end up signing him after the season, some other NHL team will.
Videll, 23, was originally drafted by the Avalanche in 2003 but is now a free agent because Colorado elected not to sign him. He's a big winger (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) who has come into his own physically and is playing with confidence this year. He leads a low-scoring SSK team with 10 goals and 19 points.
Klasén, 21, is a bit of a wild-card, because he's very small (5-foot-8, 174 pounds), and the youngest of the three players. He often played with Dick Axelsson for Huddinge and was very impressive at the Allsvenskan (top minor league) level last year (50 points in 44 games). He's continued to impress this year in Elitserien with Södertälje and is second to Videll on the team with eight goals and 16 points.
The Wings are also reportedly taking another look at a player they originally drafted in 2003: Färjestad center Mikael Johansson, 23, is a solid two-way player and sktar, but does not have a high-end offensive game.
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