Minnesota Wild: Top 10 Prospects Entering the 2018 Season

5. Filip Johansson, D [18] (1-24, 2018)

Stats (Leksands IF J20, SuperElit): 29 gp, 4 g, 5 a, 9 p.

Stats (Leksands IF, Allsvenskan): 23 gp, 1 g, 0 a, 1 p (11 pgp, 2 g, 3 a, 5 p).

Filip Johansson was one of the most controversial picks of the first round this past draft. Nobody had him in the top 31, and he was usually ranked around number 55. He was not one of the higher-regarded defensemen heading into the draft, scoring just nine points in the SuperElit and just one goal in the Allsvenskan in 23 games.

Yet the Minnesota Wild clearly saw enough in the young Swede to pick him at number 24. That may have been the five points in 11 games in a professional league’s playoffs.

Johansson was just 68th in defensive scoring, 68th in points per game, and 29th in goal scoring amongst defensemen in the SuperElit. But Johansson has a number of factors going for him. He’s an excellent defensive presence who can get even better with more muscle and more strength off the puck. He’s someone who can start a transition effectively, and can play either at the front or the rear of a rush. He’s also a decent offensive presence, someone who has demonstrated an ability to score goals.

Johansson is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Minnesota Wild’s pipeline. What prospect media and what Minnesota see as his ceiling clearly differ. There are definite strengths to his game, but the Wild see more in the blueliner than others. This will be a moment that either builds up confidence in new GM Paul Fenton or one of the nails in the coffin. Still, Johansson stands a significant chance of playing with the Minnesota Wild and has an NHL top-four ceiling.