Prospect Info: 17OA: Axel Sandin Pellikka

[Indrid Cold]

A lot of people complain about the goal scoring, and Yzerman takes an offensive defenseman, and they still hate it. He was picked to create offense.

 

[Realgud]

No idea if it has been said already, but here it is: Hronek with hands

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

After sleeping on it, I've decided that I really wish we had taken Moore with this pick. That would give us 3 young, fantastic skating 2 way centers with high floors. That gives you three chances that one of them will exceed their potential and become an elite number 1C, and at worse you end up with a 1a/1b situation, a great 3c and phenomenal 4c. Larkin - Kasper - Danielson - Moore, 4 fantastic skating centers that are a nightmare to play against AS A FLOOR, coupled with our huge, mobile blueline. And as the past year has shown us, trading for high end wingers is much easier than difference making centers or defensemen (Tkachuk, Meier, DeBrincat, Bertuzzi, Fiala, maybe Connor or Keller soon) If we were drafting for need, I would have been much happier taking 3 straight RHD in the second round (Dragicevic, Akey, Strbak, Brzustewicz)

Having said all that, he's a Wing now so I hope he and Danielson blow the doors off and everyone else busts.

 

[Henkka]

Quite nice talk.

 

[raymond23]

Having a harder time with this pick. Just based on highlights he doesn’t jump off the screen to me toolset wise. Hopefully it’s his IQ that they’re betting on, he does seem like a very smart player

Either way - very excited to add him to our pool. A skilled Swedish defenseman, with our development staff, is hard to bet against

 

[mikerooooose]

No issue with stocking up on D. We can easily trade for a 2C (maybe 1C) in a 1-3 year window.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Being the best offensive defenseman in this draft is about worthy of a golf clap for me. This was not a good defenseman draft.

That’s what it comes down to for me why I struggle with this pick, the value proposition. There were probably 4-5 forwards I would have went with at 17, including the guys who went with the 3 picks immediately after ours. If we wanted an offensive defenseman we could have gotten Morin or Dragicevic in the 2nd round.

We have also seen a number of defenseman with this profile from Sweden get taken in the first round and be underwhelming as of late. Also just saw a team win a Cup with no defenseman like this on it.

This mirrors my big worry about the guy. ASP fits the profile of many Swedish defenseman picked from 2017 to 2022 that haven’t taken off much, or at all.

He’s a good skater, but not elite. He’s a good passer but not a great playmaker. He’s good offensively but gets tunnel vision. The part I like most about his game is his wrist shot.

Before it becomes a beating a dead horse situation, I just want to go on record and say I would have preferred Moore, Barlow, Perreault or even Stennberg over this pick. And if Detroit picked Benson at #9 there’s an outside chance they can get Danielson at #17.

 

[NickH8]

Someone with more photoshop skills than me needs to make me an Axel Sandin PELICAN inspired profile pic

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

Someone with more photoshop skills than me needs to make me an Axel Sandin PELICAN inspired profile pic

I just found a pelican on sand. I'm lazy AF.

 

[NickH8]

I just found a pelican on sand. I'm lazy AF.

I am too. That's why I'm asking lmao.

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

I am too. That's why I'm asking lmao.

Now I have a janky sandy pelikan.

 

[Run the Jewels]

I trust Hakan always. Is his nickname Pelican? Because if not what are we doing here?

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

I trust Hakan always. Is his nickname Pelican? Because if not what are we doing here?

It is to me and that's all that matters for my purposes. His nickname is probably Pels or something.

 

[Humlannitton]

Being from Skellefteå I’ve seen Sandin-Pellikka play a lot. He’s agile, got great hands, great vision, never gets stressed out, and he’s actually a quite solid defender aswell given his size. He came in to the SHL and played without any feat at all, looked like he’d never done anything but play against men for all his life.

I also happen to know that he has great character, always putting in the work, never complaining. Talentwise I’d put him above Jonathan Berggren who as you probably know also got his hockey education in Skellefteå.

Of course it’s always hard to know how talent will translate into stardom, but he has got all tools in his box. If you just can trade for Adam Larsson, Marcus Pettersson and Viktor Arvidsson now, I would be happy.

 

[Henkka]

He seems to be really nice personality.

And man, does he speak fluent English. Where does that come from?

 

[tfong]

Kind of wanted to swing for the fence here and get Gully. But ASP should be alright. Didn't see anything that particularly stands out so he seems like a safe NHL puck mover to me.

 

[Frk It]

Pretty shocked we took ASP when you look at the other defenseman we took in this draft.

 

[SuperScript29]

High risk high reward pick imo. It's either a Makar/Fox type, or Adam Almquist.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I have faith that Detroit’s developmental team in Sweden will be able to assist in rounding out his overall game, but my fear is that ASP turns into a run of the mill Swedish defender that had good numbers in junior; Rasmus Sandin, Nils Lundqvist, Adam Boqvist, Emil Andrae and Helge Grans.

Sandin had 15 points in 19 games with Washington. None of the others are really finished developing either.
I like ASP's game more than I liked those guys', but still.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

I hated this pick and after sleeping on it, I still hate it but not as much. But regardless you’re taking a Hronek replacement who literally might not ever be as good as Hronek. And Hronek wasn’t even old either, who cares if we have to pay him we are having trouble even hitting the cap floor. He is a good skater, but not great, good passing but not great, decent defender but really undersized. I just don’t get it, I would have loved to take Barlow right here who I think is a guaranteed 20 goal guy at the NHL level. We can’t score, we need goals and we draft all defenseman? Not a fan.

 

[Holden Caufield]

They just said on the draft coverage that ASP played a total of 114 competitive games this season. That’s insane!

 

[Indrid Cold]

I hated this pick and after sleeping on it, I still hate it but not as much. But regardless you’re taking a Hronek replacement who literally might not ever be as good as Hronek. And Hronek wasn’t even old either, who cares if we have to pay him we are having trouble even hitting the cap floor. He is a good skater, but not great, good passing but not great, decent defender but really undersized. I just don’t get it, I would have loved to take Barlow right here who I think is a guaranteed 20 goal guy at the NHL level. We can’t score, we need goals and we draft all defenseman? Not a fan.

He is an OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN. The whole idea is he contributes to OFFENSE.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Sandin had 15 points in 19 games with Washington. None of the others are really finished developing either.
I like ASP's game more than I liked those guys', but still.

And was -16 in his last 15 games of the season. Rasmus Sandin was traded because he sucks at defense.

EDIT: And his points were ballooned by 8 points in his first 4 games with Washington.

 

[Pavels Dog]

And was -16 in his last 15 games of the season. Rasmus Sandin was traded because he sucks at defense.

Kind of agree which is part of why I like ASP better (better skater, more defensive ability). Just saying, Sandin is still young and could easily turn into at least a really good offensive D.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

He is an OFFENSIVE DEFENSEMAN. The whole idea is he contributes to OFFENSE.

Which many of us think he is just good at not great, there’s a high chance he never scores at the NHL level higher than Hronek does. So it begs the question why are you trading Hronek for a mystery box offensive defenseman that might not ever be as good as him? He’s also smaller too. I actually was a Hronek hater, but it’s a misuse of assets.