Future Considerations is a website which focuses exclusively on NHL prospects, and their Joseph Aleong has attended the World Junior Championship in Edmonton to scout NHL-drafted players. He “empties the notebook” today, and he offers Austin Broad’s take regarding Red Wings prospect defenseman Simon Edvinsson:
SIMON EDVINSSON | D | Sweden | August 10, 2022
Draft status: 1/6 (2021) | Detroit Red Wings
Scouting report by Austin Broad
Simon Edvinsson is a solid all-round defenseman who can excel at both ends of the ice because of his skating ability and hockey IQ. His skating and offensive upside is tremendous; he has great puck skills and has the potential to become and elite skater at the NHL level. Edvinsson can drive transition play from the back end, either by skating the puck end-to-end by himself or delivering excellent passes that stretch the ice for his team. He’s an effective player with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone — using his mobility to open up passing/shooting lanes and using his vision to constantly examine the ice and find his teammates with accurate passes. Defensively he can use his size and skating to eliminate the opposition’s time and space and force them away from the center lane, making their offensive chances less dangerous.
At times there are some inconsistencies with his defensive zone reads, though. Edvinsson can misjudge the play and get caught out of position, or get caught flatfooted and allow his opponent to easily get past him. These down moments are not common enough to pose any real long-term issues right now and, with the right development plan, he should be able to eliminate these mistakes. Detroit has a solid core of defensemen in their system already and, with Moritz Seider as the future No. 1, Edvinsson has less pressure on him to become a top-pairing guy. That being said, he has all the potential to develop into a top-two guy that plays in all situations. The Red Wings are in good hands, particularly on defense, and Edvinsson should play a big part of their future success.
Continued; here are definitely some 19-year-old’s mistakes and defensive zone hiccups present in the 6’6″ defenseman’s game, but Edvinsson, who’s still growing into his body at 207 pounds, is definitely an elite skater at any size.
As he becomes a little cleaner in terms of breaking out plays with more urgency and defending with a little more consistency, he’s going continue developing into a more consistent force as a super-prospect.
