Prospect Info: 17OA: Axel Sandin Pellikka

[Reddwit]

Pre-draft, a prognosticator who liked him (Button) compared him to Sergei Zubov.

That would be insane. Zubov was a Norris level beast without being a big man himself.

 

[Detroit Knights]

well this says a lot of yzerman and company wanting danielson more than him..

 

[Astyanax]

The whole population might be gone as almost everyone here questioned this pick.

Oh no, I loved this pick on draft night at 17. My hot take was that it made up for the the Danielson pick. I was on team drvosky and never thought ASP would still be there at 17. And full disclosure I began to change my tune on Danielson that night. Never fully acknowledged who bad Brandon was/is, but that's on me.

 

[RRhoads]

It’s not often a defenseman of his stature can play the position this well.

It is more common than you think. Look at some of the "new" top defensemen in the league. Fox, Makar, Hughes are about the same size.

 

[Oddbob]

ASP has played ten games and has yet to be on the ice for a goal against at even strength.

Yeah, well that isn't impressive until he does it for Ottawa.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Let the record show I had ASP ranked higher than any other defenseman in the class including Reinbacher and I stand by that. Thrilled with his development so far.

 

[GarlicbreadTB]

That would be insane. Zubov was a Norris level beast without being a big man himself.

Would've won a lot of Norris trophies if not for Lidstrom being around.

 

[Oddbob]

Would've won a lot of Norris trophies if not for Lidstrom being around.

Without Lidstrom his highest Norris votes would place him 2nd, so there is only 1 season where maybe he wins without Nick. I liked Zubov he was really good, but look at his Norris finishes, he only had 1 higher than 8th.

 

[Kronwalled55]

He's probably going to be a stud, but I'm not reading into the highlights posted lol. He had so much room and lack of opposition. Those plays wouldn't exist at the AHL level let alone the NHL.

 

[19 for president]

Without Lidstrom his highest Norris votes would place him 2nd, so there is only 1 season where maybe he wins without Nick. I liked Zubov he was really good, but look at his Norris finishes, he only had 1 higher than 8th.

While this is true I also think you have to take into consideration the incredible anti Euro bias against defenders back then. Look at how long it took Lids to break through. (He got some rep wins at the end but I firmly believe he was denied a few in the 90s as well) I mean Lids and Pronger were generally the class of that era but Zubov should have definitely had way higher finishes than he did. He was definitely in the older Cheli/Bourque/ Leetch, Blake, Al Mac, Stevens, Younger Neids class and was certainly better than some of then during any given year.

He was a big reason those late 90s/ early 2000s Stars teams were just under the Wings and Avs in the western conference.

 

[ricky0034]

here's hoping ASP wins more than one Norris but I would be willing to settle for just the one

 

[jaster]

I don’t know, I still think his skating is better than Dalibor Dvorsky’s.

 

[RedWingzz]

how did we get this gem at 17?

 

[Pavels Dog]

how did we get this gem at 17?

He wasn’t drafted with any of the preceding 16 picks

 

[RedWingzz]

He wasn’t drafted with any of the preceding 16 picks

great, thanks for the clarification!

 

[eojsmada]

how did we get this gem at 17?

The previous defenseman were all drafted with size as the primary (and over-riding) attribute the different teams wanted. ASP fell because he wasn't 6'4"+

 

[DamonDRW]

I don’t know, I still think his skating is better than Dalibor Dvorsky’s.

Dvorsky's skating is on par with mine and the last time I skated was at 8.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

how did we get this gem at 17?

1. Questions about his skating
2. He was listed in the media as shorter than his actual height—maybe he grew? But he got labeled "small", and a small defenseman with skating issues is super difficult to overcome in scouts' eyes.
3. Questions about his ultimate offensive upside. But it was one of those weird ones where he was producing, but scouts thought maybe it wouldn't translate.
4. He's not really the best defensive zone defender, and probably never will be

Considering 3/4 of those look downright inaccurate right now, it feels like some scouts really dropped the ball there. But it's still early.

 

[jaster]

Dvorsky's skating is on par with mine and the last time I skated was at 8.

Yeah Dvorsky's skating is not good. I harped on that a bit around draft time and got some pushback, saying ASP's skating is no better, and that I should be complaining about his skating as well. But I think ASP's skating is a strength, whereas Dvorsky's is a weakness.

Edgework is often overlooked by hockey fans, but if you've competed on the ice then you know that, more often than not, good edges are a greater advantage than straight-line speed. And ASP has always had very good edges.

 

[Indrid Cold]

Dvorsky's skating is on par with mine and the last time I skated was at 8.

Now THAT is some funny shit, right there.

 

[jaster]

1. Questions about his skating
2. He was listed in the media as shorter than his actual height—maybe he grew? But he got labeled "small", and a small defenseman with skating issues is super difficult to overcome in scouts' eyes.
3. Questions about his ultimate offensive upside. But it was one of those weird ones where he was producing, but scouts thought maybe it wouldn't translate.
4. He's not really the best defensive zone defender, and probably never will be

Considering 3/4 of those look downright inaccurate right now, it feels like some scouts really dropped the ball there. But it's still early.

I'm not a pre-draft prospect hound like many, or like scouts have to be, so I had never seen ASP prior to like a week before the draft. But when I started watching him I didn't see skating as a weakness, and so those concerns seemed strange to me. Maybe there were some question about whether it would be a strength or just passable, and he's certainly not a burner, but right off the bat I could tell he had above-average edges. And that's a great foundation for being a good skater.

 

[Reddwit]

Without Lidstrom his highest Norris votes would place him 2nd, so there is only 1 season where maybe he wins without Nick. I liked Zubov he was really good, but look at his Norris finishes, he only had 1 higher than 8th.

I think there was some bias against him because of how he played the game. Like a Datsyuk on defense at times. It didn’t fit the convdntional defenseman mold. I bet the analytics crowd would love him today though.

 

[cvaicunas]

 

[ShanahanMan]

Currently projected to have 24 goals. WOW.

I am so excited. He's gonna be playing on the Wings next year, just wait.

 

[Gniwder]

It is more common than you think. Look at some of the "new" top defensemen in the league. Fox, Makar, Hughes are about the same size.

2 out of 3 of those dmen aren't good defensively. and all 3 are better skaters. ASP fell because of his skating, and while it looks better than the pre-draft videos I watched, it's not anywhere close to what Makar can do.

Makar has better footwork with the puck than all but the elite forwards:


and Larkin-like speed:



Sorry, but aside from a handful of Wings, he's my favorite player.