Prospect Info: 60th Overall, Albert Johansson, LD

[Michael Brand Eggs]

The team had no coaching whatsoever. I don't think it's a coincidence that what should have been an elite defense was flat out terrible. Hard to conclude much of anything about Johansson from that.

 

[raymond23]

Johansson was very disappointing, as was the entire Swedish defense. I felt like they were always on their heels and not skating near enough... just completely disjointed.

He looked good at times but he couldn't handle the big boys on the rush at all. Based on what I've seen in the SHL, I was surprised to see him struggle in the transition part of the game. Probably partly due to the smaller ice and nonexistent coaching.

 

[Marky9er]

The team had no coaching whatsoever. I don't think it's a coincidence that what should have been an elite defense was flat out terrible. Hard to conclude much of anything about Johansson from that.

That free pass is fine but he didn't do well in physical contact whether he was initiating or on the receiving end of it. I don't think that can be written off to coaching in the tournament. He missed the big ice, I think.

 

[Henkka]

Too bad we didn't see Wallinder on this tournament. My hopes for a good LhD dropped a bit.

There's no excuses, Johansson played with the best Swedish defenceman Söderström, and struggled bad. It was on him. Maybe he has more time in bigger European rink, but he had one of the best positions to succeed, playing mostly with the top line.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

I'm still a big fan of this pick in the late second round, I prefer Johansson's skill set over Tuomisto's personally. I think another year in the SHL and then a year or two in Grand Rapids will really help him mature and hopefully reach his NHL-upside.

That said, I think folks who were ready to pencil him in alongside Seider on the top pairing, or even next to Hronek on the second pairing, need to check their expectations. I think Johansson's skating/passing/offensive inclinations give him top 4D upside, but there's a lot of growth necessary to get there and it's not a sure thing.

All due respect to Johansson, a prospect I really like, but the fact that he's likely our most promising LHD prospect is a sign that we're pretty shallow in that area. Couple that with the fact that we have no promising young LHD on the NHL roster, unless you remain high on Cholowski, and that part of the ice looks pretty bleak.

I think it's pretty likely that we add on of Hughes/Edvinsson/Power/Lambos this draft, unless we're really high on a center like Beniers to slot into our top 6. Adding a top LHD prospect would take a lot of the pressure off guys like Johansson/Wallinder/McIsaac from the organization's perspective.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

That free pass is fine but he didn't do well in physical contact whether he was initiating or on the receiving end of it. I don't think that can be written off to coaching in the tournament. He missed the big ice, I think.

He wasn't nearly as physical in their last three contests. Sweden just never really seem to elevate their game, especially on the back-end. They just kind of stayed the same or regressed from the Czech game while their opponents seemed to get better and better growing into their roles.

I think going crazy over a five game sample isn't really a great idea. Johansson struggled, it wasn't a great tournament. He didn't look as good as he has in the SHL which frankly is a very high level of competition, above the WJCs for the most part. It will just be big for him to move on from this, put it in your rearview. Look at some of the mistakes, but get back to playing the game you were with your club and erase this thing a bit. He still has a ton of talent, he at times looked more physical than I thought he was but he needs to up his urgency as a player and get more assertive. What worried me about Johansson in this tournament was that he reminded me of Cholowski at times and the problem spots he has had. But he has a really good track record, it is on him in the next couple months to put this more in the aberration column. We will have to see how he responds, it was a rough go though after the first couple games for him for sure.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

Too bad we didn't see Wallinder on this tournament. My hopes for a good LhD dropped a bit.

There's no excuses, Johansson played with the best Swedish defenceman Söderström, and struggled bad. It was on him. Maybe he has more time in bigger European rink, but he had one of the best positions to succeed, playing mostly with the top line.

You thought Soderstrom was their best defenseman? I thought he was consistently awful. His passing was absolutely atrocious, and a big part of why that pairing struggled.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Johansson was very disappointing, as was the entire Swedish defense. I felt like they were always on their heels and not skating near enough... just completely disjointed.

He looked good at times but he couldn't handle the big boys on the rush at all. Based on what I've seen in the SHL, I was surprised to see him struggle in the transition part of the game. Probably partly due to the smaller ice and nonexistent coaching.

Agreed, Johansson made mistakes that I have not seen him do in the SHL. Given that Sweden frequently had trouble creating clean breakouts and transitions I think there's a lot of team-factors to consider, but I was definitely a little disappointed. He's been much more steady and reliable in the SHL.

Too bad we didn't see Wallinder on this tournament. My hopes for a good LhD dropped a bit.

There's no excuses, Johansson played with the best Swedish defenceman Söderström, and struggled bad. It was on him. Maybe he has more time in bigger European rink, but he had one of the best positions to succeed, playing mostly with the top line.

Söderström wasn't great either, and Broberg was downright terrible even factoring in that he was probably not close to 100%. There was something wrong with the defense.
Albert is still very promising but this tournament made me a little concerned that he is going to need more time to adjust to small ice. Would like him in GR next season.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

You thought Soderstrom was their best defenseman? I thought he was consistently awful. His passing was absolutely atrocious, and a big part of why that pairing struggled.

I didn't think he was great in my viewings either for the most part. An entire top 4 of guys playing professional should have been better. Broberg was hurt, the other guys all underperformed especially in their own end against the bigger competition.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

He wasn't nearly as physical in their last three contests. Sweden just never really seem to elevate their game, especially on the back-end. They just kind of stayed the same or regressed from the Czech game while their opponents seemed to get better and better growing into their roles.

I think going crazy over a five game sample isn't really a great idea. Johansson struggled, it wasn't a great tournament. He didn't look as good as he has in the SHL which frankly is a very high level of competition, above the WJCs for the most part. It will just be big for him to move on from this, put it in your review. Look at some of the mistakes, but get back to playing the game you were with your club and erase this thing a bit. He still has a ton of talent, he at times looked more physical than I thought he was but he needs to up his urgency as a player and get more assertive. What worried me about Johansson in this tournament was that he reminded me of Cholowski at times and the problem spots he has had. But he has a really good track record, it is on him in the next couple months to put this more in the aberration column. We will have to see how he responds, it was a rough go though after the first couple games for him for sure.

I think with Johansson at this tournament it's a combination of coaching (or total lack thereof) as well as confidence (or lack thereof). There were plenty of times when he looked incredibly poised with the puck or incredibly poised in the defensive zone and positioned perfectly. Other times he was too passive, made panic plays, and misjudged how fast the other team was coming at him. I think that was all of Sweden's defense though.

I'm still saying top 4 upside but he'll definitely need a season in the AHL before the NHL, and I'd like to see more aggression in his game. More hustle in his game and improving his pace on the small ice.

 

[jaster]

Soderstrom and Broberg were both often terrible from what I saw. Much more noticeable than Johansson.

He wasn't nearly as physical in their last three contests. Sweden just never really seem to elevate their game, especially on the back-end. They just kind of stayed the same or regressed from the Czech game while their opponents seemed to get better and better growing into their roles.

I think going crazy over a five game sample isn't really a great idea. Johansson struggled, it wasn't a great tournament. He didn't look as good as he has in the SHL which frankly is a very high level of competition, above the WJCs for the most part. It will just be big for him to move on from this, put it in your rearview. Look at some of the mistakes, but get back to playing the game you were with your club and erase this thing a bit. He still has a ton of talent, he at times looked more physical than I thought he was but he needs to up his urgency as a player and get more assertive. What worried me about Johansson in this tournament was that he reminded me of Cholowski at times and the problem spots he has had. But he has a really good track record, it is on him in the next couple months to put this more in the aberration column. We will have to see how he responds, it was a rough go though after the first couple games for him for sure.

I agree that tempering the disappointment over Johansson in this tournament is the prudent thing to do. Further, in a vacuum, I'm not downgrading Johansson as a prospect. I still like him a good amount. However, I do now think he's "further away" than I thought before the tournament. So while I haven't dimmed his ceiling, his risk factor for me has increased. Couple that with Niederbach's performance and I've swapped the two in my personal rankings. They are firmly in the same tier for me though.

Someone else mentioned the Cholowski comparison and, honestly, I don't see it. I think Cholowski's issues run much deeper and are largely tied to a poor intensity/compete level. Johansson doesn't have that issue from what I can tell, so any similarities in their defensive woes are largely superficial for my money.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Soderstrom and Broberg were both often terrible from what I saw. Much more noticeable than Johansson.



I agree that tempering the disappointment over Johansson in this tournament is the prudent thing to do. Further, in a vacuum, I'm not downgrading Johansson as a prospect. I still like him a good amount. However, I do now think he's "further away" than I thought before the tournament. So while I haven't dimmed his ceiling, his risk factor for me has increased. Couple that with Niederbach's performance and I've swapped the two in my personal rankings. They are firmly in the same tier for me though.

Someone else mentioned the Cholowski comparison and, honestly, I don't see it. I think Cholowski's issues run much deeper and are largely tied to a poor intensity/compete level. Johansson doesn't have that issue from what I can tell, so any similarities in their defensive woes are largely superficial for my money.

Yeah, the Cholowski comparison couldn’t be more off. Johansson is a better skater, stick handler and light years better defensively. Cholowski couldn’t keep a top 4 spot in Grand Rapids. Johansson is top 4 on a good SHL team while being what, 3 years younger?

All of Sweden’s defense sucked. Johansson sucked the least or 2nd least out of a very underprepared and badly coached team. I think he’ll be fine.

 

[simonedvinsson]

A bit too knee-jerky around here. I think the lack of coaching and smaller ice size were pretty impactful.

I still think he’s a top 4 guy who you could comfortably pair with someone like Seider.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Soderstrom and Broberg were both often terrible from what I saw. Much more noticeable than Johansson.



I agree that tempering the disappointment over Johansson in this tournament is the prudent thing to do. Further, in a vacuum, I'm not downgrading Johansson as a prospect. I still like him a good amount. However, I do now think he's "further away" than I thought before the tournament. So while I haven't dimmed his ceiling, his risk factor for me has increased. Couple that with Niederbach's performance and I've swapped the two in my personal rankings. They are firmly in the same tier for me though.

Someone else mentioned the Cholowski comparison and, honestly, I don't see it. I think Cholowski's issues run much deeper and are largely tied to a poor intensity/compete level. Johansson doesn't have that issue from what I can tell, so any similarities in their defensive woes are largely superficial for my money.

I was speaking to the lack of assertiveness I found alarming. Cholowski has a lot of tools but he still looks to process the game instead of reacting from time to time. That is what it reminded me of was just a play your game and trust it seemed to be lacking on this stage.

It was the mistakes he was making that reminded me not a complete like for like comparison but a hey we need to round those out. You can say that happens with time but we are still waiting on that to kick in for Cholowski was the warning.

 

[Konnan511]

He had one bad period against Russia, other than that, I thought he was pretty good.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I was speaking to the lack of assertiveness I found alarming. Cholowski has a lot of tools but he still looks to process the game instead of reacting from time to time. That is what it reminded me of was just a play your game and trust it seemed to be lacking on this stage.

It was the mistakes he was making that reminded me not a complete like for like comparison but a hey we need to round those out. You can say that happens with time but we are still waiting on that to kick in for Cholowski was the warning.

I think your criticism is legitimate. There were a couple of very notable times in transition where he was very slow to close on the puck carrier and indecisive about retrieving pucks and consciously avoided contact. When you see this from good skaters you know it is a mental issue/glitch. I think he is a quality prospect but I do think the small ice threw him for a loop at times.

I still really like him as a prospect, but the tournament does confirm that he is further away from NA pro hockey than most want to admit and still very underdeveloped physically. Big European ice is much friendlier to undersized/underdeveloped prospects.

 

[MBH]

I think your criticism is legitimate. There were a couple of very notable times in transition where he was very slow to close on the puck carrier and indecisive about retrieving pucks and consciously avoided contact. When you see this from good skaters you know it is a mental issue/glitch. I think he is a quality prospect but I do think the small ice threw him for a loop at times.

I still really like him as a prospect, but the tournament does confirm that he is further away from NA pro hockey than most want to admit and still very underdeveloped physically. Big European ice is much friendlier to undersized/underdeveloped prospects.

There was that goal as he and soderstrom were skating back toward their net... and they played "I got it, you take it" and then the other team scored. Mistakes happen - in all situations. But I prefer mistakes made by someone trying to do too much, then someone too timid to make a simple play. Johansson was a bit disappointing. Not super disappointing, but a bit. I thought he might shine - and he had a couple good moments - but overall, he had a so-so tournament.

 

[Larkin2AA]

Icehockeygifs made a video on Albert Johansson. I am really excited to see how this kid progresses. His skating is a thing of beauty.

 

[Michael Brand Eggs]

IHG is doing god's work, creating all this awesome content for us.

 

[Frk It]

Icehockeygifs made a video on Albert Johansson. I am really excited to see how this kid progresses. His skating is a thing of beauty.

This is great.

 

[MBH]

The team had no coaching whatsoever. I don't think it's a coincidence that what should have been an elite defense was flat out terrible. Hard to conclude much of anything about Johansson from that.

I could conclude that he's pretty soft and indecisive (defensively) and a perimeter guy.
That doesn't have much to do with coaching.

I still like Johansson a lot, but he's less dynamic than I thought and a lot farther from being a sure thing, in my eyes, than I originally believed.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I could conclude that he's pretty soft and indecisive (defensively) and a perimeter guy.
That doesn't have much to do with coaching.

I still like Johansson a lot, but he's less dynamic than I thought and a lot farther from being a sure thing, in my eyes, than I originally believed.

I don't understand why you still believe this narrative when there's so much evidence to the contrary from before and after the WJC.

1) He's being touted by his coaches and scouts as a phenomenal young player who had a great year. 7th most points ever by an under 20 defenseman with fewer games than 3 of those guys on the list.
2) The media in Sweden is talking about what a great player he is, how dynamic he is, how smart he is, and how amazing his skating is. THE Nick Lidstrom even mentioned how he's got high hopes for Johansson in his guest spot.
3) The eye test shows that in his SHL games and in the highlight reels the kid makes dynamic plays by stickhandling around players, he makes spectacular end to end rushes, and sneaks into the offensive zone and attacks the net like a 4th forward.
4) The eye test also shows that there is some work that he needs to do defensively but a lot of that has to do with him getting physically stronger. He can play physical but he'd be a lot better at it with another 10lbs of muscle. His decision making is good. He doesn't make dangerous pinches at the expense of his team. He doesn't leave his partner out to dry. What he is, is an inexperienced 19 year old kid in a mens league who sometimes gets beat clean by league vets. Big surprise there.
5) He's the 60th overall pick in 2019 and has had a better year than just about every defenseman from the first two rounds not named Seider, Byram or York.

 

[MBH]

I don't understand why you still believe this narrative when there's so much evidence to the contrary from before and after the WJC.

1) He's being touted by his coaches and scouts as a phenomenal young player who had a great year. 7th most points ever by an under 20 defenseman with fewer games than 3 of those guys on the list.
2) The media in Sweden is talking about what a great player he is, how dynamic he is, how smart he is, and how amazing his skating is. THE Nick Lidstrom even mentioned how he's got high hopes for Johansson in his guest spot.
3) The eye test shows that in his SHL games and in the highlight reels the kid makes dynamic plays by stickhandling around players, he makes spectacular end to end rushes, and sneaks into the offensive zone and attacks the net like a 4th forward.
4) The eye test also shows that there is some work that he needs to do defensively but a lot of that has to do with him getting physically stronger. He can play physical but he'd be a lot better at it with another 10lbs of muscle. His decision making is good. He doesn't make dangerous pinches at the expense of his team. He doesn't leave his partner out to dry. What he is, is an inexperienced 19 year old kid in a mens league who sometimes gets beat clean by league vets. Big surprise there.
5) He's the 60th overall pick in 2019 and has had a better year than just about every defenseman from the first two rounds not named Seider, Byram or York.

Because I believe my own eyes.
I don't need a lecture from you. I've been higher on Johansson than you have from day one.
1) Hakan Andersson's glowing remarks.
2) Positive scouting reports
3) Dynamite play in the 3 on 3 tournament.
4) Positive rookie season in the SHL.

So I was already high on the guy.
But what I saw in the WJCs poked some holes in that. And I've downgraded my expectations.
I believed he was going to shine in that tournament.
Instead, he was largely ineffective.
He was weak, soft and indecisive defensively.
Offensively, he skated the puck beautifully to nowhere in particular.
Until I see Johansson play in a way that addresses my concerns - on North America ice - I'm going to temper my expectations.

 

[Henkka]

2) The media in Sweden is talking about what a great player he is, how dynamic he is, how smart he is, and how amazing his skating is. THE Nick Lidstrom even mentioned how he's got high hopes for Johansson in his guest spot.

Where are these Lidström comments? I'd like to hear them.

 

[GoBoltz56]

Where are these Lidström comments? I'd like to hear them.

They're in the video that is posted above in the thread.