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) |
TSN | 2ND OVERALL |
INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES | 2ND OVERALL |
THE HOCKEY NEWS | 2ND OVERALL |
From NHL Central Scouting’s Chris Edwards
From International Scouting Services: