The 2020 NHL draft is stock-piled with high-end talent. Each week, we’ll give you at least one scouting report on all the prospects you need to know. This week, we take a look at Anton Lundell.
I’ve previously written deep-dives on 2020 NHL Draft prospects Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Lucas Raymond, and Cole Perfetti. Today, I will be looking at the Finnish star Anton Lundell.
Before I begin, for those that don’t know, here’s how these scouting reports go. First, I will begin with some general background information and statistics from that player. Then, I will break down the player’s tendencies, habits, and roles on special teams. Following that up, I will break down the positives and negatives in the prospects’ game. Finally, I will look at what I feel is the potential of that player, as well as his NHL-readiness.
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Here’s a list of our past scouting reports for 2020 draft prospects.
Background
Anton Lundell was born on October 3rd, 2001 in Espoo, Finland. He is an 18-year-old, left-handed, center and winger for HIFK in Liiga, which is Finland’s top professional league. Lundell measures in at 6’1″ and 181 pounds.
Lundell first broke onto the scene in the 2017-18 season when he broke out with 3 goals and 10 points in 10 games as a 16-year-old with HIFK’s Junior B team. This earned him a call-up to HIFK’s Junior A under-20 team. There, he recorded an additional 8 goals and 20 points in 22 games.
He played in the postseason in both leagues that year. In the Junior B League, he put up 1 goal and 4 assists (5 points) in 5 games. Meanwhile, in the Junior A League, he had 1 goal and 2 points in 9 games. Lundell also played in the World Hockey Championship with Finland’s under-17 team, recording 3 goals and 7 points in 5 games there. He capped off his age 16 season with an invitation to the World Junior Championships with Finland’s under-18 team, recording 2 goals and 6 points in 7 games.
After a very impressive season in 2017-18, Lundell followed that up with more strong play. He started the year as an assistant captain as a 17-year-old on HIFK’s Junior A under-20 team, where he put up 6 goals and 9 assists (15 points) in 10 games. He became a future elite prospect when he earned his shot at the top-level in Liiga with HIFK’s men’s team.
In his first season playing professionally in Finland, Lundell was impressive, potting 9 goals 19 points in 38 games. He played in the postseason in Liiga but failed to record a point in 12 games. Lundell also played internationally for Finland in both the under-18 and under-20 World Junior Championships. In the U-18 tournament, Lundell posted 2 goals and 4 points in 5 games. He also recorded 1 goal and 4 points in 7 games in the U-20 tournament.
This season, Lundell has played 23 games (as of Tuesday, January 14th, 2020), putting up a stat line of 6 goals and 9 assists (15 points). He was not invited to play in the 2020 World Junior Championships for Finland this time around.