Alexander Holtz

July 2019 – Holtz has just finished his first full season in J20 SuperElit with Djurgårdens IF. While Holtz wasn’t consistently dominant on the ice, his productivity has been phenomenal all season long. He broke the U17 record for most points in a single season but was surpassed by Lucas Raymond in the last round of the regular season. With his 30 goals, Holtz also demolished the U17 goal-scoring record. He also got to make his debut with Djurgårdens IF in the SHL, although with spare ice time (5:32 average) in all three games he was dressed for. To crown this season, Holtz was part of Team Sweden at the U18 World Championship where he also was selected to be one of the assistant captains. Just as at the club level, Holtz stayed productive and had four goals and seven points, and played his part for Sweden to win the gold medal.

While writing about Holtz it is easy to get stuck at his most prominent skill – his shot. Holtz is a fantastic shooter who can beat the goaltender in many different ways; he can score with a precise wrist shot, with a swift snapshot or blast the puck past the goaltender with a heavy slap shot. His shot is one of the best, if not the best, among all prospects eligible for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft at this date. But there’s more to Holtz’s scoring abilities than just shooting; he reads and anticipates the game well and is great at spotting openings to give himself breakaways. In the offensive zone, he works hard to position himself to become an option for a pass, and he is often ready to shoot well before the puck is heading his way. Holtz is far from a one-dimensional sniper, as his playmaking skills aren’t bad; he can spot less-than-obvious passing lanes and execute passes well enough to take advantage of his above-average vision. His offensive game is supported by good skating abilities; he has quite good initial step and acceleration, and his top speed is already above-average in J20 SuperElit. Another aspect to like about Holtz’s game is his stickhandling. He is not a player that will consistently try to dangle his way past opponents, but he has the ability to beat lone defenders in order to create prime scoring chances for himself or to open up the play. It is also worth noting that Holtz is a good forechecker and reads the game very well off the puck, which enables him to win the puck up high. In the upcoming season, Holtz will most likely continue to play for Djurården’s J20 team, while getting the occasional call-up to the SHL team.  Christoffer Hedlund