As usual, there is a puck-moving, free-styling, offensive-minded defenceman from Sweden in this year’s draft class. This time the top Swedish prospect is from Växjö Lakers, and Leo Sahlin Wallenius will be expecting to hear his name called sometime during the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
This is something different for Swedish prospects, as this age group isn’t as strong as it usually is. The players from the Swedish system who will go in the first round will hail from Norway (Michael Brandsegg-Nygard) and Czechia (Dominik Badinka). Alfons Freij, another Växjö prospect, will challenge Sahlin Wallenius to be the first picked Swede this year, however it speaks volumes that both are only expected to go in the second round.
The foundation of Sahlin Wallenius’s game lies in his skating, but essentially he is more of a jack-of-all-trades rather than king of one. The team that callas his name will get a solid prospect that will be a good hockey player. The question will be if he can find that one area of the game to excel in and become an NHL blue-liner down the line.
Birthplace: Skövde, Sweden
Date of birth: April 10, 2006
Shoots: Left
Position: Defence
Height: 6′0″
Weight: 183 lbs.
Team: Växjö Lakers (U20)
He led his defence in Växjö with 42 points (11G, 31A) in 43 games, coming in second to Färjestad’s Noel Fransén over the season, but earned two more points in the playoffs to draw even over the season.
Sahlin Wallenius played heavy minutes for Växjö U20 team and relied on safe positional and transitional play. There isn’t a lot of anything (positive or negative) that sticks out for the player, and this means that it is difficult to gauge a role in an NHL lineup in the future.
Skating is his main attribute. He can pivot, twist, and turn thanks to his excellent edge-work. The edges also helps him accelerate quickly both with and without the puck, something that benefits his transitional play and his one area of the game where he really stands out. He is one of the top skaters in the draft.
He thrives in a Hawaii hockey situation where the game flows back-and-forth and defence is optional thanks to his skating. It is in those situations that you can see something promising, however he isn’t a Philip Broberg, Axel Sandin-Pelikka or Rasmus Dahlin who all thrived in similar situations.
Sahlin Wallenius is bland, to be honest. He does everything good, but nothing great. He can be deceptive at the blue line, but sometimes he defers. He has a decent shot, but he doesn’t use it enough. And as with all youngsters, he needs to build up muscle to be more stable in the defensive zone.
His hockey IQ isn’t bad, but it isn’t up there with the best either. For a puck-moving defenceman, I hold this as something negative because he will have to think the game at a quicker pace to maximize his transition game.
Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #30
Elite Prospects: #29
Hockey Prospect: #35
McKeen’s: #31
FC Hockey: #40
NHL Central Scouting: #7 (European skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): #21
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #27
There are a couple of things that gives him upside. For me personally I like that he is in the Växjö system where structure is at the core of development. It should benefit him to be a bit more organized and maybe the structure can teach him when to go forward and trust his instincts, and when to rely on his partner rather than play it too safe. The fact that he will be drafted out of a European league means that his NHL organization will have four years to figure out what to do with him, and where his other upsides lie.
In a way I see Sahlin Wallenius as a very safe pick. He will become a professional hockey player, the question is at what level. Where he ends up will be dependent on if the development teams in Växjö and his draft team can unlock hidden areas and develop them into grade A/B assets. The player has a sound floor, the question is the level of the ceiling.
