Swedish F Fredrik Forsberg – Prospects with NHL Bloodline’s
Swedish F Fredrik Forsberg is number 14 on our list in a series dedicated to draft-eligible prospects with current or past family ties to the NHL. Fredrik is the brother of NHLer Filip Forsberg, drafted 11th overall by Washington back in 2012.
Matthew Tkachuk, Jakob Chychrun, Alex Nylander, Kieffer Bellows, and Logan Brown are the first names to come to mind for 2016 draft-eligible prospects with current/or former NHL bloodline’s.
Both Keith Tkachuk and Michael Nylander had long, successful careers. Brian Bellows played nearly 1200 games, producing more than 1000 points. Jeff Brown also had a solid career posting 585 points in 747 points from the back-end. Jeff Chychrun was a 1984 draft pick, a veteran of 262 games playing until 1993-94, finishing his career with AHL Cape Breton.
We are featuring 15 draft-eligible prospects with NHL bloodline’s/family ties. The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will be held on June 24-25 in Buffalo, New York at the First Niagara Center.
NHL Bloodline’s: Swedish F Fredrik Forsberg
Swedish F Fredrik Forsberg
Brother: Filip Forsberg
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“A highly skilled two-way player. Forsberg is blessed with first class hockey sense and puck skills. He is a creative player, somewhat flashy, and can do the unexpected. In addition to being a great stick handler, he has also a very powerful shot.
Furthermore, he skates well and takes care of his defensive responsibilities. Has good size, but could use more strength. Could also be more consistent.” [Elite Prospects]
Filip Forsberg has represented Sweden on the International Stage every year since 2009-10. He played at the U16, U17, U18 (twice), U20 (three times), World Championships, and is set to play for Sweden at September’s World Cup of Hockey.
Filip is coming off a big year in 2014-15, scoring 26 goals, 37 assists (63 points). His strong play continued into 2015-16, and he is now on pace to surpass last season’s point total.
Filip Facts:
– Won Best Forward honors at U18’s in 2011-12, U20’s in 2013-14
– Filip was named to the WJC All-Star Team in 2012-13 and 2013-14
– He won four WJC Silver Medals during his junior career, one gold medal
– Named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 2014-15
– In the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, Forsberg became the youngest Nashville Predator to score a playoff goal in franchise history and also recorded the first playoff hat trick in franchise history in the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks. Forsberg was voted to the postseason NHL All-Rookie Team for the 2014-15 season. [Wikipedia]
Swedish F Fredrik Forsberg – 64th Ranked European Skater (NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings)
Sabre Noise
At 6’0 174lbs, Fredrik is now 19-years-old having been passed over already once before. He has International experience with Sweden’s U16, U17, U18, and U20 teams. Fredrik Forsberg has spent the last four years climbing the ranks in Swedish hockey.
He spent most of 2014-15 with Leksands IF J20 SuperElit team, with a seven-game appearance in the SHL (Sweden’s highest league). He began the 2015-16 campaign playing for Leksands IF in the Allsvenskan – the second tier behind the Swedish Elite League (SHL).
Curtis Joe via MyNHLDraft.com,
Fredrik Forsberg is one of the rare gems in this year’s draft, and the younger brother of NHL player Filip Forsberg. Like Jordan Subban, he is smaller in stature than his older sibling; that being said, when you watch him play, he makes a bigger impact on the ice than his brother did, at that level. He has played at every level of the Swedish leagues, being successful against some of Sweden’s toughest in the SHL (arguably the second best hockey league worldwide) and SuperElit leagues.
He plays huge for his team every time he is on the ice, making an impact on the outcome of the game with his skating and hands that make it look like he has the puck on a string. He is a legitimate, noticeable game-changer. He has great character, on the ice and in the locker room, and is a player that teammates love to have on their side. The opposition finds him frustrating to play against because of the way he can get deep and use his teammates to create scoring chances.
His Assets Include:
Elite Level Vision; High Hockey IQ
Maturity with the Puck
Pro Level Athletic Agility, Conditioned in the SHL
Gifted Skating Ability
The Hands to Quarterback Plays
What He Has To Work On:
Strength & Physical Play
Neutral Zone Work; Playing without the Puck
Pro Comparables: Filip Forsberg, Jason Spezza, Claude Giroux, Stan Mikita
More puck prose: 2016 NHL Mock Draft 2.0
Draft Profile via FutureConsiderations,
Game resembles older brother and Nashville Predator blue-chipper Filip…high level of hockey sense…puck seems to find him all over the ice as he is consistently in the right place at the right time…he excels at making in-game reads quickly…needs to gain strength…skating is another area that could improve, although he has decent overall mobility and that extra gear when he has possession of the puck…has really good hands; can make nice dekes and roof the puck from in close…hard, accurate passes…good wrister and decent slapper…defense is a bit so-so, but he is excellent at picking the puck from opposition on the backcheck…loads of developing potential.
Next: NHL Bloodline's: Prospect David Quenneville
2016 Draft-Eligible Prospects With NHL Bloodline’s:
*NHL family ties in parentheses
| Ty Ronning (Cliff) | Riley Stillman (Cory) | Graham McPhee (George) | Kenny Johnson (Jack) | Casey Fitzgerald (Tom) | Mathieu Sevigny (Pierre) | Luke McInnis (Marty) | Hudson Elynuik (Pat) | Ben Hawerchuk (Dale) | Hayden Verbeek (Pat) | Garrett Pilon (Rich) | Kelly and Kevin Klima (Petr) | David Quenneville (John, Joel) | Fredrik Forsberg (Filip) | Kristian Reichel (Robert)
Fredrik Forsberg had six goals, five assists (11 points) in 21 games to start the 2015-16 campaign. Unfortunately, he was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Unless some NHL scouts saw vast improvement in his game over that 21-game span, there’s a chance Filip’s brother once again goes undrafted.