Alfons Freij

April 2024 – Freij has been a riser on our board all season long, due to his combination of three elite elements: his reading of the game (especially with play in front of him), his mobility, and his playmaking ability. He is a dynamic creator from the blueline in all three zones. In the breakout, he takes charge – wanting the puck on his stick – and is as much a threat to carry the puck up the ice, integrating liberal lateral and gear shifts into his rushes, as he is to spring the attack with a seeing-eye stretch pass. In the offensive zone, he frequently activates up the boards, creating lanes through defensive structures with both his feet and hands, and placing accurate passes onto the tapes of teammates in high-danger areas: he’s one of the draft’s premier playmaking defensemen. His defensive game is characterized by a tight gap, calculated stickwork, and a lack of physicality, which will be one of the main elements needing progression before his jump to the NHL. While he’s exclusively played J20 competition this season and the lack of experience against adult competition will hurt his eventual draft stock, the creativity, intelligence, high-end tools, and promising development curve make him the first European blueliner I’d select on draft day. He could be an incredibly high-value add on Day 2 of the draft in Vegas. (April Rankings: #16) Sebastian High

February 2024 – The cream of the Swedish crop, Freij has been purely dominant at the J20 level. There are a lot of great passing defensemen in this year’s draft and Freij is amongst the best of them. Factor in his mobility and he becomes a possession demon, few things can ever keep Freij from putting the puck where he wants it. What separates him from his peers, is the compliments to that game. He knows when to simply shoot the puck and rarely if ever overpasses, he’s active defensively and demonstrates a great understanding on how to build on the advantages he creates. He’s everything you want out of your offensive defenseman and is a defensive quarterback at its purest. His aggressive style of play leads to him being overeager at times, but as he reigns himself in, he can become one of the best defencemen in this class. – David Saad

February Rankings: 18th