When Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman selected Simon Edvinsson with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, many saw it as taking a player with a huge upside that if met–would make Detroit’s blue line absolutely dominant. That’s of course, if everything goes right.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler described him as the “2021 NHL Draft’s unicorn.”
Wheeler’s colleague Corey Pronman had him going at #5. The allure is certainly there. Now is the fun part and seeing if it all comes together.
Edvinsson has suited up for two preseason games for Frölunda and Red Wings fans have been watching intently, thanks to @IcehockeyGifs which has been regularly dropping clips of Edvinsson’s play. The early returns have been fun to watch, and reveal again why Edvinsson was exactly the type of player that checks the boxes for Yzerman.
When Octopus Thrower’s Alex Faber wrote his scouting profile on Edvinsson, he included this regarding his offensive toolkit:
Edvinsson possesses elite mobility for a defender of his size and some pretty tricky hands, too. Occasionally, he can put the two skills together and activate effectively on the offensive side of the ice.
The clip below shows precisely that. Watch as Edvinsson recognizes an opening, uses his long stride to take the pass and then his frame to protect the puck and make the pass that leads to the goal.
Here’s a look at Edvinsson threading a beautiful pass as a penalty expires that leads to a breakaway:
Edvinsson’s movements on this play look so automatic. If you break down what he did on that pass defensively, he starts by chasing the puck and forcing the pass to the outside. Twice he cuts down the passing lane using his frame and reach to limit an offensive chance.
The shot is then blocked by a teammate, Edvinsson corrals the puck, and feathers the stretch pass to Viktor Ekbom who is in alone but is denied on the breakaway.
When analysts and scouts broke down his play and talked about the potential elite skillset he has, these are the type of plays they were speaking of.
Another attribute seen in the clips are his willingness to jump into the play to generate offense. Several of the clips, including the one below on a penalty kill, reveal just how aggressive he can be when he’s not in his own zone. Despite being on the kill, Edvinsson scoops up the puck and goes the other way with it, generating a shot on goal as well.
Edvinsson certainly wasn’t perfect–which is of course to be expected. Early on the clip below (:05 mark) you can see him try to push the offense after grabbing the puck at the blue line. Though he kept the play alive, he had two Rögle skaters converge and the play was suddenly going the other way.
In the next frame (:13 mark) he again forces the offense but this time is able to get it into the zone and behind the net. He uses his body to maintain control and eventually passes the puck off to keep the play alive.
But the frame from :33-:44, primarily from the :36 second mark is where he reveals a hallmark of the prospects the organization targets. Edvinsson has the puck on his backhand, but loses it, which nearly results in an odd man rush. He’s initially outmuscled by Rögle’s Mattias Sjögren but maintains his balance, and is able to not only catch back up, but also cut the chance off before it can start. Sjögren curls and retreats as Edvinsson follows suit, and then opts to dump the puck in.
Edvinsson never gave up on the play, and demonstrated that full out, never take off a shift attitude that the Red Wings expect from all of their players.
Final Thoughts
It’s a small sample size, and also only the preseason. Those who saw Edvinsson play spoke highly of his ceiling and predicted that if it’s reached, he will certainly be something to behold. Even at the very least, his raw skills, as seen in many of the clips above, provide a glimpse into a prospect that can certainly be a lot of fun to watch as he continues to develop.