Wings Nation First Round Targets: Lias Andersson
By Nick Seguin
6 years agoAt 19-years-old, Sweden’s Lias Andersson already has experience in a professional league. He played 42 games this season for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League and put up a modest 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists). As a speedy 2-way centre, Andersson will make a very good 2nd line centre for an NHL team. He’s not afraid to fight for the puck in the dirty areas on the ice, such as the corners or in front of the net, which is a good quality for a 5’11”, 190 lbs player to have. He likely won’t go top-10 in this year’s draft, but a team needing depth at centre may take a risk on someone with as much potential as he has.
NHL CS RANKINGS
Projected to go 3rd overall among European skaters.
THE STATS
In Andersson’s rookie season in the SHL, he played 22 games and recorded 0 points. His sophomore season, therefore, was a huge improvement. In addition to his 19 points, he added 5 points in 16 playoff games. It’s a respectable point total for Sweden’s highest professional league.
At an international level, Andersson was a big part of Sweden’s silver medal at the World Junior Champtionship, putting up three goals in seven games. At the U20 International-Jr. Tournament, Andersson put up 15 points in 17 games. He consistently flies just under a point-per-game basis, but his defensive play helps balance that out.
THE EYE TEST
Goran Stubb, NHL Director of European Scouting, had this to say about Andersson on NHL.com:
“HE IS A REALLY SKILLED, TWO-WAY FORWARD WITH GREAT MOVES WITH THE PUCK. HE SHOWS VERY GOOD ATTITUDE, WORKS HARD BOTH WAYS, HAS SMOOTH HANDS AND IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN THE OFFENSIVE ZONE AS HE CAN BOTH SHOOT AND CREATE SCORING CHANCES FOR LINEMATES.”
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DOES HE FIT IN WITH THE RED WINGS?
The Red Wings are not in much need for a 2nd line two-way centre since they signed Frans Nielsen last season. Nielsen’s contract lasts until 2021-22. Outside of Nielsen, the Wings have a lot of centre depth currently who are locked up for a long time. Darren Helm, Luke Glendening, Dylan Larkin, Henrik Zetterberg, and Riley Sheahan can all play centre and are all decent in the defensive zone. For the Red Wings in the first round of this draft, it’s either a top line centre, a top-pairing defenseman, or bust. I wouldn’t make any moves to attempt to pick up Andersson.
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