Daily Faceoff translated an article in which Hockeysverige.se’s Ronnie Ronnqvist spoke with Red Wings VP of hockey operations Nicklas Lidstrom regarding the progress made by Wings prospect and Leksands IF defenseman Anton Johansson:
Anton Johansson debuted in the SHL for Leksand during the 2021-22 season. In the summer of 2022, he was also drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round, 105th overall. Since then, he’s come a long way. Last season, he competed for Sweden in the World Juniors and left Gothenburg with a silver medal around his neck. This year, he’s taking a bigger role in the SHL and has seen his ice-time and responsibilities increase.
Although the Red Wings already have a lot of Swedish defensemen in their system, chances are there will be one more next year.
Legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidström is one of the people in the Red Wings organization keeping tabs of how the 20-year-old defenseman is progressing. He’s impressed with Johansson’s development.
“Anton has become more stable in his play,” Lidstrom said. “That comes with more experience and with the confidence from getting to play a bit more. I also think he’s very good with the puck, mobile, and good at getting his shots through, which we saw recently when he scored with a wrist shot.
“He’s also become more solid in his own zone, goes hard into the corners and tries to be physical. He’s progressing all the time and has a strong development curve.”Through his first 24 games this season, Anton Johansson had scored three goals and added two helpers. Not a massive output, but the overall impression is that he’s slowly growing into his 6’4″ frame, and that his play is maturing along with that.
