As Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes, Red Wings prospect Simon Edvinsson was quite good during the Red Wings’ preseason slate of games. Even though Edvinsson’s going to head to Grand Rapids today or tomorrow, the 6’6,” 216-pound defenseman is only 20, and as he begins his second North American professional season, the Red Wings’ players, coaches and management know that he’ll only get better by playing lots of hockey:
“He’s been good, he’s been solid,” Detroit defenseman Jake Walman said of Edvinsson. “He’s a big body and he’s got all the tools. We’re really excited. I tell him all the time, ‘I wish I had your size.’ He uses it pretty well. He’ll be good for us.”
The sixth player chosen in the 2021 NHL entry draft, Edvinsson was displaying plenty of upside during a nine-game stint with the Red Wings late last season. He’s a rare speicmen, a 6-foot-6, [216]-pound blueliner who can skate like the wind and manage the puck like a magician.
“Simon, there’s not a lot of guys walking around with his package,” Red Wings rearguard Ben Chiarot said. “He’s 6-6, can skate, handle the puck. I think he has the potential to be very, very good.”
That being said, Edvinsson is only 20 years old. His learning curve is evolving every day he’s on the ice. He’s still adjusting his style to the faster pace of the North American game, a common adjustment all European players must learn when they come to play on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
“That’s probably part of development,” Detroit coach Derek Lalonde said. “He’s a big, lanky guy.”
Continued; as Duff points out, coach Lalonde was impressed by Edvinsson’s desire to learn through watching video with defensive coach Bob Boughner, and this year, Edvinsson insists that he’s bringing a new attitude toward his learning process, which is great.
He just needs to play, not sit as the #7/8 defenseman.
