26. Helge Grans — RHD, Malmö Redhawks, 6-foot-2.5
Grans’ game still needs some refining but there’s a lot to like about his raw tools. He’s long, he can skate, he handles the puck well for his size, he can make plays as a passer on outlets or through seams in the offensive zone, and there’s a confidence to his game that enables him to take risks and execute. It doesn’t hurt that he’s right-handed or that he dominated a top junior league as a 17-year-old, either. His skating will need to continue to progress as his feet can look heavy though. And I would like to see him clean up some of his mistakes with and without the puck (he turns it over a little too much for my liking and can get caught puck-watching defensively). But once he matures and tidies up some of that sloppiness, he’s got a chance at serious upside. The combination of skill, production, size, age and handedness is worth betting on.