LD Ludvig Johnson - EV Zug, NL (2024 undrafted)

[Hinterland]

Ludvig Johnson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Ludvig Johnson, 2006-07-27 Switzerland. Most recently in the NL with EV Zug. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

If I remember correctly his parents are Swedish but he's born in Switzerland and always lived in Switzerland, therefore decided to play for Switzerland.

I don't know if he's a lock to get drafted but should be one of the more interesting overagers available in the upcoming draft. Late July birthday so just a few days older than the 06 late birthdays.

Outplayed Leon Muggli (who got drafted by the Capitals in the 2nd round) both with NL Zug and at the WJC20...and it wasn't even close. He was by far Switzerland's best player at the WJC20 and scored north of PPG in the U20 elite league. Also scored 10 points in 30 NL games while averaging just 15mins. Not bad for a defenseman. His icetime is trending upwards though despite him leaving for Fribourg next season. Zug has no reason to develop Johnson but he's been on their top pairing for a while now and for example played 28mins last night in Kloten.

Rather small for a defenseman but playing big and with an edge. Has to get bigger but is a highly mobile skater with soft hands and excellent vision. Fun to watch with the puck on his stick.

Click to read more...

 

[Nick25]

Ludvig Johnson - Stats, Contract, Salary & More

Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Ludvig Johnson, 2006-07-27 Switzerland. Most recently in the NL with EV Zug. Complete player biography and stats.

www.eliteprospects.com

If I remember correctly his parents are Swedish but he's born in Switzerland and always lived in Switzerland, therefore decided to play for Switzerland.

I don't know if he's a lock to get drafted but should be one of the more interesting overagers available in the upcoming draft. Late July birthday so just a few days older than the 06 late birthdays.

Outplayed Leon Muggli (who got drafted by the Capitals in the 2nd round) both with NL Zug and at the WJC20...and it wasn't even close. He was by far Switzerland's best player at the WJC20 and scored north of PPG in the U20 elite league. Also scored 10 points in 30 NL games while averaging just 15mins. Not bad for a defenseman. His icetime is trending upwards though despite him leaving for Fribourg next season. Zug has no reason to develop Johnson but he's been on their top pairing for a while now and for example played 28mins last night in Kloten.

Rather small for a defenseman but playing big and with an edge. Has to get bigger but is a highly mobile skater with soft hands and excellent vision. Fun to watch with the puck on his stick.

I really like Johnson, and I'm disappointed that Kläy wasn't able to extend his contract. It's a real loss for EVZ. His game is very entertaining. He makes a lot of brilliant moves, though he often takes too many risks. Compared to the first few NL games, I think he now has a better understanding of when he can take risks and go for it. There are fewer dangerous situations.

I'm not sure if Johnson has outplayed Muggli. In most games, Muggli gets more ice time than Johnson. I think Muggli is stronger defensively, but Johnson has a much better offensive output. Johnson even gets some opportunities on the second power play unit. I think that's quite impressive nobody else at that age gets the chance to play PP in the NL.

The game against Kloten was an exception due to Zug’s injury-ridden defense. Nearly the entire defensive core was sidelined, and the second-oldest defender was born in 2005. Apart from Hanson, Muggli, and Johnson were the most experienced players available, so it was expected that all three would log around 30 minutes of ice time.

 

[Hinterland]

I really like Johnson, and I'm disappointed that Kläy wasn't able to extend his contract. It's a real loss for EVZ. His game is very entertaining. He makes a lot of brilliant moves, though he often takes too many risks. Compared to the first few NL games, I think he now has a better understanding of when he can take risks and go for it. There are fewer dangerous situations.

I'm not sure if Johnson has outplayed Muggli. In most games, Muggli gets more ice time than Johnson. I think Muggli is stronger defensively, but Johnson has a much better offensive output. Johnson even gets some opportunities on the second power play unit. I think that's quite impressive nobody else at that age gets the chance to play PP in the NL.

The game against Kloten was an exception due to Zug’s injury-ridden defense. Nearly the entire defensive core was sidelined, and the second-oldest defender was born in 2005. Apart from Hanson, Muggli, and Johnson were the most experienced players available, so it was expected that all three would log around 30 minutes of ice time.

I don't think Kläy could have done much to hold Johnson. Johnson wants to play for Roger Rönnberg. He was gonna sign in Fribourg the minute they hired Rönnberg. It's as simple as that.

Of course Johnson has outplayed Muggli. At the WJC20, Johnson was the best Swiss player while Muggli was the worst and part of that nightmare pairing with Bünzli.
With Zug, Muggli has been mostly underwhelming as well. I honestly don't know if he'd even get drafted again in a redraft. Very disappointing season while Johnson may very well be the most improved player in entire Swiss junior hockey.

I agree Johnson has a tendency to take stupid risks but he's been far better defensively than Muggli. In fact I'm starting to think that effort is a problem for Muggli. Dan Tagnes is a nice guy, Liniger is probably too nice as well. They're never gonna bench or scratch him. I hope he moves on to play for Hershey next season. That should be a good reality check for Muggli and bring him back down to earth. I'm not sure if Todd Nelson is gonna stay but he's a fantastic coach.

Re TOI, Muggli averages just a good minute more than Johnson but most of the difference comes from Johnson's first NL games when he didn't play much. Muggli got more ice time than Johnson last game but other than that Johnson played at least as much as Muggli in recent past.

 

[Nick25]

I don't think Kläy could have done much to hold Johnson. Johnson wants to play for Roger Rönnberg. He was gonna sign in Fribourg the minute they hired Rönnberg. It's as simple as that.

Of course Johnson has outplayed Muggli. At the WJC20, Johnson was the best Swiss player while Muggli was the worst and part of that nightmare pairing with Bünzli.
With Zug, Muggli has been mostly underwhelming as well. I honestly don't know if he'd even get drafted again in a redraft. Very disappointing season while Johnson may very well be the most improved player in entire Swiss junior hockey.

I agree Johnson has a tendency to take stupid risks but he's been far better defensively than Muggli. In fact I'm starting to think that effort is a problem for Muggli. Dan Tagnes is a nice guy, Liniger is probably too nice as well. They're never gonna bench or scratch him. I hope he moves on to play for Hershey next season. That should be a good reality check for Muggli and bring him back down to earth. I'm not sure if Todd Nelson is gonna stay but he's a fantastic coach.

Re TOI, Muggli averages just a good minute more than Johnson but most of the difference comes from Johnson's first NL games when he didn't play much. Muggli got more ice time than Johnson last game but other than that Johnson played at least as much as Muggli in recent past.

"Outplayed" is a strong word. I’d say Johnson has caught up and arguably has a higher potential upside than Muggli. I agree that at the WJC20, Johnson was the best Swiss defenseman, while Muggli struggled. That said, I thought Bünzli had an even worse tournament than Muggli. Jenni should have adjusted the pairings instead of keeping them together for the entire tournament.

One key factor to consider is that Johnson played almost the entire season alongside Bengtsson, EVZ’s best defenseman, while Muggli frequently had to adapt to different partners. With Zug dealing with multiple injuries on defense and running seven imports—three of whom are defensemen—the pairings were constantly shifting. However, Johnson and Bengtsson remained a stable duo for most of the season. A strong defensive partner can make a huge difference, which could also explain why Johnson appears more reliable defensively.

Regarding TOI, if you look at the last 10 games, Muggli is still getting slightly more ice time than Johnson. Tagnes probably knows what he is doing, and the same trend was visible during Liniger’s brief stint as head coach. The difference is just about a minute on average. Not something worth overanalyzing.

Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying Muggli’s stagnation is a major issue. He may have plateaued a bit, but it’s not as bad as some make it out to be.

Hopefully, Johnson will continue to get as much ice time next season as he did this
year. Fribourg’s roster will be stacked with strong defensemen, and for a young player, consistent ice time is the most important factor for development.