In the midst of Rögle’s improbable run to the SHL finals stood an 18-year-old rookie. Simon Zether played a total of 42 games averaging around seven minutes, and he added 15 playoff games where he succeeded to score his first professional goal. This is really the main thing in Zether’s development over that amount of games in the SHL. One would have expected a few more points than the five he had over the season (57 total games including playoffs).
Zether looked great when playing against peers in his own age, scoring well over a point-per-game as the captain of Rögle’s U20 team, but struggled in the SHL.
Zether stands tall with his 6’3″ frame, while weighing in at 187 lbs, and sometimes he has looked awkward on the ice, having a tough time to find his balance. This is of course a thing that will be corrected with a full summer of off-season training, where leg strength and core work should be the main focus.
Rögle has agreed to loan Zether to Västerås in HockeyAllsvenskan next season, a wise move in regard to Zether’s development. It will allow him to play against men, but without the bright lights of the SHL.
Birthplace: Helsingborg, Sweden
Date of birth: October 18, 2005
Shoots: Right
Position: Centre / Wing
Height: 6′3″
Weight: 187 lbs.
Team: Rögle (SHL)
The question is where Zether ends up in the future. I am having trouble seeing him as a centre with his frame, and due to his skills in small areas and along the boards I can see a coach being inclined to play him as a winger, where he has featured in Rögle this season. One would think the start of the season with Västerås will decide the role Zether will have in the immediate future.
Zether’s skill in small areas are great, he controls and shields the puck well due to his size and his stick skills. He sees the ice from the wall quite well and he can slip pucks around opponents or find the ice between the skates of said opponent. He can keep defenders off balance, which means an even bigger advantage for Zether.
Overall, Zether has good passing skills, but with more of a killer instinct where he will try to always go towards the net. This was evident when he played with the U20’s where he had 27 (11 goals, 16 assists) points in 18 games. His passing skills is also evident in small give-and-go’s all over the ice, while still moving forward.
In the defensive end, he is a good support player, he cancels space for opponents with his bodywork and keeping himself and his long reach in the right lanes.
Whether he succeeds at the next level all comes down to balance and skating, the balance can be worked at and might be correcting itself thanks to him simply filling out his frame. However, Zether needs to work on his skating. The comparison of a moose on a slippery ice surface is not far off.
His feet are heavy and his technique is below average. This, however is something that Zether could fix with the right support and as he gets used to his frame.
Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #70
Elite Prospects: #106
Craig Button (TSN): #90
Hockey Prospect: #90
Hadi Kalakeche: #65
McKeen’s: #92
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #88
FC Hockey: #117
NHL Central Scouting: #18 (European skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): #58
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #46
This is a player that if you look at junior level could high in the draft, he has size, skills and can play centre. The problem is that we saw 2/3 of a season at professional level and that left something glaringly evident, mainly his skating but also his role projection.
If a team thinks they can fix Zether’s skating and he unlocks more of what made him successful in junior hockey, he might go higher than where he is projected, but he should be going somewhere in the third round. The fact that Zether played professional hockey at the age of 18 shouldn’t be held against him. He still held his own against men, he was part of a very successful playoff team, and at times he looked like he belonged. The fact that he was there at all should help him more than his struggles should hurt.
Zether tries to be creative, but it doesn’t come to him naturally. He has great attention to detail, and he was a keen study in the stands as Sweden played USA in the lead up to the WJC. He has the size that many GM’s are looking for and he can be used in all situations, another thing GM’s like. He is a high risk, high reward pick due to his skating. If a team has many picks, it might be worth spending one of them on Zether.
