RD Axel Sandin Pellikka - Skellefteå, SHL (2023, 17th, DET)

[UrbanImpact]

If he drops out of the top 12 it will be a big steal.

He is smooth and cerebral.

Reminds me of prime Ryan Ellis before all the injuries.

He was Swedens best defender at the WJC as a 17 yr old.

Right now he is just excelling purely on his brains and agility.

Once he fill outs he will be an all around Dman. Very nice prospect.

 

[WeThreeKings]

If he drops out of the top 12 it will be a big steal.

He is smooth and cerebral.

Reminds me of prime Ryan Ellis before all the injuries.

He was Swedens best defender at the WJC as a 17 yr old.

Right now he is just excelling purely on his brains and agility.

Once he fill outs he will be an all around Dman. Very nice prospect.

I'd have extreme fear if my team went top 12 on him this year.

Ryan Ellis had an elite shot from the back end, I don't see that with ASP.. and I also don't agree he was Swedens best defender, both Engstrom and Jansson had far better tournaments. Which is to be expected, since they are older prospects..

He definitely showed he belonged there and at 17 at that tournament it isn't easy.

I'm just having trouble finding the stand out tools or traits that would make me use a top 15 pick on a defenseman like him in a draft like this. In another year, I think you get there more easily.

 

[Raistlin]

This is a pretty pedestrian year for D, seems like concensus here is Reinbacher going first, a solid top 4 projection in the Pesce/Pelech mold, potentially in the top 10. After him, if you're shopping for RHD, is ASP worth a pick in the 11-15 range?

In a few lists I see him projected to go earlier than Reinbacher in the 11-15 range, while a lot here seem to see red flags that suggest late 1st rounder like Lundqvist.

 

[VictorLustig]

I'd have extreme fear if my team went top 12 on him this year.

Ryan Ellis had an elite shot from the back end, I don't see that with ASP.. and I also don't agree he was Swedens best defender, both Engstrom and Jansson had far better tournaments. Which is to be expected, since they are older prospects..

He definitely showed he belonged there and at 17 at that tournament it isn't easy.

I'm just having trouble finding the stand out tools or traits that would make me use a top 15 pick on a defenseman like him in a draft like this. In another year, I think you get there more easily.

Jansson could have a case due to his scoring efficiency. But Engström? He was highly pedestrian. ASP was our most reliable D at 5 on 5. Particularly against the better teams.

 

[Nabrules]

He needs to have a big U18 tournament. If he does I can see him going 8-12. If he doesn’t I can see him sliding into the late teens or 20s

 

[Frk It]

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

3 points in the 1st period.

He is clearly going to make this a race with Reinbacher for 1st D chosen.

 

[rt]

He sure looks tiny in that celebration at the end. Much smaller than all the other Swedes there. I wonder if his combine measurements will be a bit surprising.

 

[WayneGretzky]

Ends the game with 5

 

[theslatcher]

Was called into doping control after his game.

 

[Dirtyf1ghter]

3 points in the 1st period.

He is clearly going to make this a race with Reinbacher for 1st D chosen.

Reinbacher has a lot more physique and this fact is prohibitive. I think he is more in the process of ensuring his status as a 2nd defender.

 

[LemonSauceD]

ASP is definitely a top 15 pick. He’s a bit like Montour.

 

[Artemi Panarin]

I wonder if he'll creep into the top 10?

 

[Hale The Villain]

People kind of soured on his offensive ability after his WJC showing.

Weird that so many people put a ton of weight on his play in a tournament against 18/19 year olds.

When playing against kids in his own age group he looks a lot more confident and comfortable.

 

[toddkaz]

People kind of soured on his offensive ability after his WJC showing.

Weird that so many people put a ton of weight on his play in a tournament against 18/19 year olds.

When playing against kids in his own age group he looks a lot more confident and comfortable.

Why is it weird to put weight into the best players in the world aged 18/19 playing against each other? It would be weird not to hold it into account.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Why is it weird to put weight into the best players in the world aged 18/19 playing against each other? It would be weird not to hold it into account.

I'm not saying the WJC isn't a good event for evaluating players in that age group.

It's rare for a 17 year old defenseman to play at the WJC at all, let alone run his team's PP.

ASP played very conservative and didn't take a lot of chances, at least compared to my viewings of him at the J20 level, and I think it made a lot of people think he's less capable offensively than he actually is.

 

[toddkaz]

I'm not saying the WJC isn't a good event for evaluating players in that age group.

It's rare for a 17 year old defenseman to play at the WJC at all, let alone run his team's PP.

ASP played very conservative and didn't take a lot of chances, at least compared to my viewings of him at the J20 level, and I think it made a lot of people think he's less capable offensively than he actually is.

I think size and toughness are playing a role in knocking him down some spots. Bigger tougher defensemen are trending right now in the NHL and I think we could even see Simashev leapfrog APL by the time the draft rolls around.

 

[95snipes]

I think size and toughness are playing a role in knocking him down some spots. Bigger tougher defensemen are trending right now in the NHL and I think we could even see Simashev leapfrog APL by the time the draft rolls around.

They are? Like who?

Makar, Fox, Hughes, Dahlin, McAvoy, Heiskanen, Byram, Sanderson, etc certainly don't fit that description.

 

[toddkaz]

They are? Like who?

Makar, Fox, Hughes, Dahlin, McAvoy, Heiskanen, Byram, Sanderson, etc certainly don't fit that description.

Wow you named 8 defensemen out of 150. Well done, not to mention Dahlin is 6'3 had 92 penalty minutes this year and is tough as nails did you even watch him play? He was the first guy to jump in every time there was an altercation but keep going.

 

[Chainshot]

ASP is definitely a top 15 pick. He’s a bit like Montour.

He's very much like Montour - great at puck transit from his own end into the offensive end, aggressive on his pinches, a bit "free" in his own zone with his positioning - which leads to high event hockey. Lots of events for, lots of events against.

 

[LemonSauceD]

I think size and toughness are playing a role in knocking him down some spots. Bigger tougher defensemen are trending right now in the NHL and I think we could even see Simashev leapfrog APL by the time the draft rolls around.

ASP while not the biggest guy plays a physical game, which is a trait that is often overlooked by people.

He’s not the strongest guy out there, but you don’t necessarily have to be strong to play a physical game.

Also Dahlin is definitely physical defenseman.

 

[Hale The Villain]

They are? Like who?

Makar, Fox, Hughes, Dahlin, McAvoy, Heiskanen, Byram, Sanderson, etc certainly don't fit that description.

He's not wrong.

If you're not a high-end offensive defenseman that can occupy the top PP spot you're in trouble right now due to the new PP set-up where only 1 defenseman typically plays with 4 forwards.

Using an example from my own team, Erik Brannstrom put up similar numbers to ASP in Sweden but hasn't been able to do the same in the NHL, as he's the 3rd best PP QB option on the team behind Chabot and Sanderson, so he gets limited PP time.

In the past when two defensemen operated the points on each PP this would have been less of a problem. Now teams really only need two offensive D, and can even get away with one good offensive D for the top unit (which gets most of the PP time) and a two-way guy to handle the limited PP2 minutes.

 

[Ace]

They are? Like who?

Makar, Fox, Hughes, Dahlin, McAvoy, Heiskanen, Byram, Sanderson, etc certainly don't fit that description.

Dahlin?

…

Rasmus Dahlin?

…

is there a different Dahlin?

 

[LeProspector]

Erik Brannstrom is who he reminds me of

 

[LemonSauceD]

He's very much like Montour - great at puck transit from his own end into the offensive end, aggressive on his pinches, a bit "free" in his own zone with his positioning - which leads to high event hockey. Lots of events for, lots of events against.

I do think he’s capable of playing a solid defensive game when motivated. He’s not a complete liability like an Erik Brannstorm or hell even Karlsson was at his age.

The main concern is his effort level at times. His effort and his laziness is what’s held him back.

Erik Brannstrom is who he reminds me of

His game is nowhere near comparable to Brannstorm. Only thing comparable is size but ASP will likely fill out to be 6’0 and 195-200lbs. He’s already 5’11 at 181lbs at 17. Brannstorm is 5’10 185 at 24.