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2011 Draft Profile: Adam Larsson

2011 IIHF World U20 Championship - Day Eight

BUFFALO, NY - JANUARY 03: Adam Larsson #5 of Sweden skates against Russia during the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship Semi Final game between Sweden and Russia on January 3, 2011 in Buffalo, New York. Russia won 4-3 and faces Canada in the gold medal game. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

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As has become an annual tradition, the best defenseman coming out of Sweden must be compared at some level to Nicklas Lidstrom. Perhaps the most telling compliment to Adam Larsson’s versatility is that International Scouting Services has him listed as one of their best offensive defenseman and one of the best shutdown defenseman. People can talk about his powerful skating or his skating, but it’s his poise that separates him from any other blueliner in the 2011 class. He has the uncanny knack for slowing the game down—something that hard to do at any age, let alone as an 18-year-old in the Swedish Elite League.

His poise certainly makes it easy to draw similarities to Lidstrom; but a better comparison would be another Swede: Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman. Whoever drafts him in the first hour of the draft will have a prospect who will be the cornerstone of their defensive corps for the next ten years.

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 200 lbs
Position: Defense
Team: Skelleftea HC (SEL)


  • 2009-10: 4 goals and 13 assists (17 points) in 49 games
  • 2010-11: 1 goal and 8 assists (9 points) in 37 games

Rankings

NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING#1 SKATER (EUROPE)
TSN2ND OVERALL
INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES2ND OVERALL
THE HOCKEY NEWS2ND OVERALL


From NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards

“Adam is one of the best skater’s in this year’s draft -- he has excellent speed and mobility. He also has patient puck handling abilities and can surprise an opponent with a solid hit. His size and skating ability make him comparable with Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman.”

From International Scouting Services:

“A very good skater, Larsson is poised in every situation on the ice and calculates his decisions with precision and quickness. His panic threshold is off the charts and his demeanour rarely changes. He can chip in offensively by leading the rush, springing teammates with stretch passes or finding a hole from the point with his good shot.”