Defensemen
Sam Dickinson
Dickinson is a highly-effective defender, and stands out amongst his peers for his aggressiveness, defensive intelligence, and physicality.
Colton Roberts
Smooth-skating defense-minded defenseman who can make the occasional strong breakout pass. Lacks offensive pop and struggles against the rush, but projects as a solid bottom-pair NHLer.
Luca Cagnoni
Highly intelligent two-way defenseman with advanced processing, awareness and manipulation habits. Puck skills are only above-average in isolation, but blend very well. Needs to add some strength and improve his skating, but could turn out to be a top-four defenseman at the NHL level.
Shakir Mukhamadullin
Tall, mobile two-way defenseman. Closes gaps quickly and effectively, and can skate his way out of offensive pressure with fluidity and purpose. Has top-two D upside, though more likely a 4th-5th D. Fantasy drafts that account for plus-minus should look for this player.
Kalle Kangas
A big body defenseman who does not play overly physically but is hard to play against. Skating needs some work as he struggles to play at high speed. Needs more consistency, but the complete level is there.
Peyton Kettles
Physically imposing and a solid skater, he struggles on retrievals and effectively moving the puck out of the defensive zone.
Viggo Gustafsson
A reliable defensive specialist who moves well and has bottom-pairing upside.
Gavin McCarthy
A physical two-way defenseman who is not afraid to lay a big hit. Has the potential to become a second-pairing defenseman but will lack offense.
Christoffer Sedoff
Sedoff has worked his behind off for the chance to prove himself with an NHL team, and it’s unlikely he did so in hopes of a fruitful career playing back in his native Finland. If the offense he’s shown at the tail end of his junior career sticks, it’s easy to envision Sedoff as a bottom-four powerplay specialist in the NHL.
Filip Nordberg
He’s a strong skater who possesses fairly good puck-handling skills. He plays a very physical game and likes to finish his hits.