Filip Bystedt

March 2023 – Bystedt may be the hottest prospect in the Sharks stable as his post draft season has been full of highlights. His performance at the World Juniors was especially eye opening as he led Team Sweden in scoring with 10 point in seven games. He has continued his strong showing in the SHL where he is the third highest scoring U20 player in the league with 20 points in 45 games. The speed with which Bystedt has developed his offensive game is extremely encouraging and boosts his ultimate upside. He is a player I think will only improve when he makes the move to North American sized ice as he is an imposing presence with his 6-4 frame. Donesh Mazloum

July 2022 – Bystedt has been selected by the San Jose Sharks with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

January 2022 – Bystedt has had a decent start to his draft-eligible season, splitting time between the J20 and SHL for Linköping. In the junior league, Bystedt has produced 28 points in 27 games, currently sitting inside the top-10 in points per game among J20 draft eligibles. His SHL play, on the other hand, has been limited. Bystedt has participated in 14 games and has only been able to put up two points, however, he has averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time per game during his SHL stint.

Bystedt, standing in at 6-4, is a big-bodied playmaker with flashes of strong offensive ability. His best attribute is his passing ability when he has possession of the puck. Bystedt consistently keeps his head up to scan the ice for open passing lanes to exploit. Even for someone as large as he is, his skating could definitely use some improvement as he works towards reaching the next level. Bystedt has shown limited bursts of strong straight-line speed but has consistently exhibited slightly below-average mobility for someone his size. Taking a look at the transition game, Bystedt has had success in this area. When he retrieves the puck in the defensive end, he uses his strong playmaking ability to find an open teammate to make the smart zone exit pass. When he receives an outlet pass in the neutral zone, Bystedt can use that straight-line burst to advance possession into the offensive end. The area of Bystedt’s game that could be considered his biggest weakness is his puck protection, especially given his physical tools. It may sound weird that a 6-4 player needs to work on his puck protection but in my viewings, he has not been able to successfully protect the puck in contested situations – from players the same height or smaller. This concern has affected chances in both the offensive and defensive zones. Bystedt has the chance to grow into a middle-six center if he can make some major improvements to his skating while adding strength to withstand checks and maintain possession. These are the reasons why Bystedt is such an intriguing prospect and why a team may take a flyer on him in the middle rounds of the 2022 NHL Draft. Zack Szweras