Anton Olsson

June 2022 – It is tough to evaluate Olsson’s DY+1. He increased his point total from four to six in the same amount of games as last season, but he was still only averaging close to 13 minutes per night. Malmo is always one of the top teams in Sweden, so ice time is never easy to come by. However, heading into the 2022-23 season, Olsson will be playing for Skelleftea AIK, which is a massive opportunity for him to win an ELC with the Preds. His offensive abilities could explode on a new team, but his defensive prowess remains the staple of his game. Curtis Rines

July 2021 – Olsson was selected in the third round, 72nd overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

February 2021 – Olsson got his first taste of SHL action last season but has become a regular for Malmö as a first-year draft-eligible this season. He has played third pair minutes with limited time on the penalty kill but has mostly held his own in his first full season at the men’s level. He has yet to enjoy the same offensive success that he had in the J20 Nationell, however, with just a pair of assists through his first 25 games this season.

Olsson is a mobile defender, combining good speed and lateral agility to effectively close on puck carriers in the defensive zone. He is proficient in puck battles along the boards, using his feet and body positioning to free up contested pucks and protect them from opposing forecheckers before chipping them to a teammate. Olsson can play a tight gap in the neutral zone, leads with his stick when attacking, and has the skating ability to quickly get back into the play if he is beaten or caught out of position. His mobility also allows him to retrieve pucks from dangerous areas and skate himself out of trouble before finding a release valve. He has decent size for his age and is willing to engage physically but can still be overmatched at times. Olsson can move the puck efficiently when presented with an easy outlet but struggles when forced to make more difficult, creative passes which often leads to him being hemmed in his own zone for extended stretches. For the most part, he makes good reads at both ends of the ice but needs to improve his ability to execute under pressure as he continues to develop. Nick Richard