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Prospect Info: Elias Salomonsson, 2022 NHL Draft, #55 Overall

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ps241 said:
And from here forth you will be known as

“Alfie Solomons”
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Alfie3.jpg
 
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Mortimer Snerd said:
Not enough though and more offense than defence. I want someone who can defend.

Like the pick in the 2nd Rd though.
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He's actually more defensive then offensive Mort. His offensive tools are still raw. His ability to skate, retrieve and play a relatively sound physical game has allowed him to defend at a pretty good level. What you hope is that he learns how to use his heavy shot and above average playmaking in the offensive end to add that repertoire to his game.
 
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lomiller1 said:
Deliberately drafting less talented players isn't a path to success.
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A good organization is able to develop players, the margin of excellence in the later rounds of the draft is pretty narrow, and subjective. You expect the hole to fill on this team will be De Melo's in two years, Schmidt 3 or less. Kovacevic may get a crack, somebody may transition to playing their offside, but drafting for depth is fundamental, in my opinion.
 
surixon said:
The question is whether he can put his offensive skills together. He has a big shot and is a very gifted passer but hasn't figured out his offensive reads yet. If he can then I definitely can see top 4 upside.
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IDK -
The question for me is can he pull his defensive game together -
Which as a defenseman, might be more of the priority for this kid.

Not big on another "offense first" dman that brings little in his own end - especially when he does not have the puck - we have enough of those.

Sounds like he can skate and has a bit shot - nice things to have if he can work some d into his game.

At 55, give it a shot - but I'm far from calling this guy anything other than a long long shot.
 
LowLefty said:
IDK -
The question for me is can he pull his defensive game together -
Which as a defenseman, might be more of the priority for this kid.

Not big on another "offense first" dman that brings little in his own end - especially when he does not have the puck - we have enough of those.

Sounds like he can skate and has a bit shot - nice things to have if he can work some d into his game.

At 55, give it a shot - but I'm far from calling this guy anything other than a long long shot.
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He's a project, as are most players drafted near the end of round 2.
 
surixon said:
He's a project, as are most players drafted near the end of round 2.
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Yeah I know - also doesn't know how to play defense - and you'd think at this point in his career, he'd be able to within his peer group.
It's beyond me how these guys come up through the ranks, get drafted and yet do not know how to play the position they have chosen.
So yeah, he's a project - one that will need to be taught how to defend - good grief.
 
LowLefty said:
Yeah I know - also doesn't know how to play defense - and you'd think at this point in his career, he'd be able to within his peer group.
It's beyond me how these guys come up through the ranks, get drafted and yet do not know how to play the position they have chosen.
So yeah, he's a project - one that will need to be taught how to defend - good grief.
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Why do you say he doesn't know how to play defense? From what I've read he's pretty solid there:

From Black Book:

"His skating base allows him to counteract transitional play.

"His skating allows him to stay infront of players" talking about people going at him on the rush.

"Despite displaying extremely inconsistent offensive ability, he was a more consistient defensively, especially after he began to play with more tenacity. He's a multidimensional defender who can hit hard, maintain an activation gap, weigh heavy, stick press consistently, and positionally switch faster then any defender in thus class."

So to me he sounds like he actually has a good defensive base and didn't look out of place against men in the SHL.
 
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surixon said:
Why do you say he doesn't know how to play defense? From what I've read he's pretty solid there:

From Black Book:

"His skating base allows him to counteract transitional play.

"His skating allows him to stay infront of players" talking about people going at him on the rush.

"Despite displaying extremely inconsistent offensive ability, he was a more consistient defensively, especially after he began to play with more tenacity. He's a multidimensional defender who can hit hard, maintain an activation gap, weigh heavy, stick press consistently, and positionally switch faster then any defender in thus class."

So to me he sounds like he actually has a good defensive base and didn't look out of place against men in the SHL.
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I'm seeing a lot more sources who are critical of his D game - including a few that were posted on this thread earlier. I do not see a good D base for this guy but that doesn't mean he can't learn. As I noted, this pick at this point, is worth a shot but it's a long shot IMO.

Here's one that I read earlier

From the Hockeywriters:
"His defensive game is where you begin to see issues in Salomonsson’s game. His positioning and ability to read the game in his own zone leave a lot to be desired. He looks lost without the puck in the defensive zone a lot of the times and frequently fails to pick up his man. He uses his good balance and decent size well when engaged in battles in front of the net and in the corners, but he often picks the wrong times to engage physically or fails to do so entirely. His one-on-one defending is good at times, using his reach and elite skating to funnel attackers into harmless positions or taking the puck. But, he displays poor gap control in one-on-one situations and often gets beat because of it. If he can improve his decision making and positioning, he has the tools to be a good defender. However, right now, these issues severely limit him and will only become a bigger problem as he moves up to the next level."

I don't want to trade quotes on the guy - I'd just like this team to draft a Dman that makes D his priority - we could use a top 4 guy like that rather than shooting for the stars with another offensive first player that already struggles in his own end - and making the climb into the NHL is tough for guys like that because it's only going to get much more difficult.

I'm OK with him where he was picked - there's "potential" there. But based on the challenges we've seen with our current d lineup, he's not the type of Dman this team needs - IMO.
I'm also pretty sure there are a lot of fans that like this pick and like to see the offense on the blueline. I'm not one of them but that's just me.
 
LowLefty said:
I'm seeing a lot more sources who are critical of his D game - including a few that were posted on this thread earlier. I do not see a good D base for this guy but that doesn't mean he can't learn. As I noted, this pick at this point, is worth a shot but it's a long shot IMO.

Here's one that I read earlier

From the Hockeywriters:
"His defensive game is where you begin to see issues in Salomonsson’s game. His positioning and ability to read the game in his own zone leave a lot to be desired. He looks lost without the puck in the defensive zone a lot of the times and frequently fails to pick up his man. He uses his good balance and decent size well when engaged in battles in front of the net and in the corners, but he often picks the wrong times to engage physically or fails to do so entirely. His one-on-one defending is good at times, using his reach and elite skating to funnel attackers into harmless positions or taking the puck. But, he displays poor gap control in one-on-one situations and often gets beat because of it. If he can improve his decision making and positioning, he has the tools to be a good defender. However, right now, these issues severely limit him and will only become a bigger problem as he moves up to the next level."

I don't want to trade quotes on the guy - I'd just like this team to draft a Dman that makes D his priority - we could use a top 4 guy like that rather than shooting for the stars with another offensive first player that already struggles in his own end - and making the climb into the NHL is tough for guys like that because it's only going to get much more difficult.

I'm OK with him where he was picked - there's "potential" there. But based on the challenges we've seen with our current d lineup, he's not the type of Dman this team needs - IMO.
I'm also pretty sure there are a lot of fans that like this pick and like to see the offense on the blueline. I'm not one of them but that's just me.
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Well we picked Samberg, Kovacevik and Lundmark in rounds 2 and 3 since 2017. They all fit your profile of d first guys. Add I Bauer and Brown and they have more then enough d first guys.

The issue is that they have very limited offense which is also an issue.

I know you and I don't see eye to eye on this. Imo they need balanced dmen. Specialists one way or the other cause issues. We need a couple more Morrissey type dmen.
 
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surixon said:
Well we picked Samberg, Kovacevik and Lundmark in rounds 2 and 3 since 2017. They all fit your profile of d first guys. Add I Bauer and Brown and they have more then enough d first guys.

The issue is that they have very limited offense which is also an issue.

I know you and I don't see eye to eye on this. Imo they need balanced dmen. Specialists one way or the other cause issues. We need a couple more Morrissey type dmen.
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We are a bit light on offensive d men. I had been hoping Seamus Casey might have dropped to us.
 
surixon said:
Well we picked Samberg, Kovacevik and Lundmark in rounds 2 and 3 since 2017. They all fit your profile of d first guys. Add I Bauer and Brown and they have more then enough d first guys.

The issue is that they have very limited offense which is also an issue.

I know you and I don't see eye to eye on this. Imo they need balanced dmen. Specialists one way or the other cause issues. We need a couple more Morrissey type dmen.
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Yes it is, and there is a fair bit of historical data to suggest that limited offence in a D prospect is a poor predictor of NHL success in any role. Most of the NHL's best defensemen--even the stay at home types-- were able to put up good numbers against lower competition as teenagers. The inability to do so likely means they don't have the overall talent level needed to succeed in today's NHL.
 
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theslatcher said:
Scored his first SHL goal:



Also scored his second... Second one here:



And been very close to scoring a third, fourth, fifth one. All within one period. Third period to go.
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Different replay of the same goal as far as I can tell... but sweet mitts none the less
 
theslatcher said:
Scored his first SHL goal:



Also scored his second... Second one here:



And been very close to scoring a third, fourth, fifth one. All within one period. Third period to go.
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Dear Christ, I will never be able to unsee those jerseys. He should have been drafted by Nashville. :laugh:
 
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