Isak Rosén

May 2022 – Rosen spent much of the first half of 2021-2022 in the Swedish Hockey League, averaging 7:53 of TOI in 28 games played with Leksands IF. At the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship with Team Sweden, he contributed in a third-line capacity, but only saw action in two matches due to the tournament’s shutdown on December 29, 2021. Upon his return to Sweden, he represented Leksands J20 in three matches before being loaned to Mora IK of the Allsvenskan. With Leksands J20, Rosen was relied upon as a first-line forward. His subsequent ice time in the Allsvenskan, however, was quite limited. He managed to play in only seven matches in the new year, concluding his campaign on February 13, 2022 due to an injury suffered in a game against MODO. Rosen’s draft +1 campaign was less successful than one might have desired from a first-round NHL draft selection, marred by a lack of opportunities and then a season-ending injury. Kevin Wong

July 2021 – Rosén was selected in the first round, 14th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

February 2021 – Rosén is a slightly undersized forward who makes up for his size with his agile skating and excellent puck skills. He has been forced into SHL action a bit prematurely because of the pandemic shutting down the J20 Nationell, but he has shown progression in just about every game. The young Swede has become more comfortable with each passing game but the strength remains a sizable disadvantage at this point. That’s not to say that Rosén has been ineffective because that would simply not be true. His motor and ability to use his speed and skill to strip opponents or fish pucks out of board battles have continued to show themselves at the men’s level. There is work to do defensively but with some added strength and weight as he matures, he should be perfectly fine in that department.

The real draw of the 2021 draft-eligible Swede’s game is his impressive vision and playmaking ability. He sees through levels of the opposing defense and understands how to manipulate opponents with lateral movement. His ability to pass against the grain in uncanny and he shows the touch needed to allow his teammates to take advantage of the positions Rosén passes them into. The key to his entire playmaking repertoire is timing. He just seems to know when to put the pass through the slot or behind a defender. The offensive game that Rosén brings to the table is intriguing, especially as the game continues to move towards speed and skill. A player like Rosén may be a couple of years away but he could be a very good complimentary player that can put up some numbers in a team’s top-six. Tony Ferrari