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

[Petes2424]

The developmental curves of Willander and ASP are fun to follow. Obviously a few years away from finding out what was the best path. Willander learning the NA game but playing against weak competition in the aggregate. ASP playing against top non-NHL competition and dominating but obviously not learning the NA game.

Unfortunately the two kids are always going to be compared because the Canucks are viewed (unfairly btw) as having “passed on ASP” and drafted the “bigger kid”, who was the “late riser”, in the middle of a “growth spurt.” Who was rising on more than a few draft boards.

Not all though, which is an interesting story for another day…

The inferiority complex in the Vancouver hockey media doesn’t help with the inevitable comparisons we’ve seen over the last 18 months.. A media who constantly props up the team’s prospects, as if they work for the team, and if that means taking shots at other kids like ASP in comparison, they’ve no problems doing that as well.

Unfortunately it leads to fans being confused when they see a game like yesterday’s. They’ve been led to believe Willander is in the same ballpark as ASP, and other D prospects around the league, who’ve taken some pretty big steps over the last 12 months. This is a big tournament for Willander to make a statement like we seen a Cayden Price and Andrew Gibson make tonight.

Let’s be honest with ourselves though. The entire Willander/ASP rivalry thing, created in the VAN media is ridiculous to begin with.

ASP was likely NEVER in the Canucks plans. They never chose Willander over ASP. They chose him over whatever forwards, Bonk, Molyndyk, etc. As much as they needed a stud dman in their system, there was no way, they were ever drafting Sandin-Pellikka.

They simply couldn’t afford having their top 3 Dmen, all being of the smaller variety. Unfortunately that growth spurt Willinder was having his draft year, stopped in its tracks as well. It’s funny, most VAN fans have this strange assumption he’s like 6’3 210lbs. Not his reality at 6’1”, 180lbs.

Whatever the case today, on draft night, the Canucks looked at ASP as another small dman, they just couldn’t afford to take. So there was no reason to ever breakdown any comparisons between the two.

In a perfect world ASP would’ve already been off the board when the Canucks drafted Willinder. Just so the Canucks would never have to answer for passing on an elite player, if that’s how this all turns out. Or even on days like today, when it was very apparent there’s a pretty large gap between the two young dmen. There’s no talking around it at this point. We’ll see where things are in 4-5 years but Willinder is likely NEVER going to be much offensively, and for him to end up being an effective NHL Top 4 Dman, he’s gonna have to be more confident handling the puck, and obviously start putting on some weight and muscle.

That all said, whether Willinder ever becomes a great Top 4 dman, or ASP goes on to be Sergei Zubov on steroids, ASP was very likely, never in the cards for the Canucks.

It’s also why we’re never going to get honest opinions about Willinder’s development from the Vancouver media either. God forbid they ever admit he’s not on par with ASP. He’s still a good prospect though. He deserves his props but let’s also not pretend. Kids like ASP, Bonk, Molyndyk, Price, Gibson, etc, have all passed him up. Some pretty significantly. All drafted after him.

As for his game, it is funny you mention ASP and the NA Game. We were watching specifically that part of his game today, and seen nothing to suggest it’s even an afterthought at this point. The group I was watching with, all came to the same conclusion really. He’s played so many games on smaller ice, and his decision making is so quick and spot-on, it’s a non factor. We walked out very impressed with where he’s at.

Not sure how much he works with Kronwall and/or Fischer, but his game is very NHL influenced. As is Anton Johansson’s btw. Who at 20, is also very well coached as one of their other D prospects in Sweden. I know ASP has worked a lot with Pierre Johnson, a defensive coach in Sweden, but other than that, from everything I understand, most of his hockey sense came from his dad, and just his commitment to the game. He knew early on, if you can walk the blue line, it opens your game up considerably in the offensive zone.

Will he have an oops on an angle here and there? Probably. He’s 19. He thinks the game at such a high level though, it’ll be very minimal, if he has any issues at all. If he ends up playing with Simon Edvinsson as people think, the sky is gonna be the limit. He’s gonna have lots of ice to do his thing.

Detroit has to be very happy with where he’s at right now. Maybe they knew exactly how far he’s already developed and that’s why they didn’t go get Edvinsson a partner this year. I don’t care how good you are as a dman, it’s not everyday we see a kid dominate a game from the backend in this tournament. He did that in all phases today. As good as Schaefer and Gibson were tonight in Canada’s game, they didn’t dominate individually.

Unfortunately his expectations for the rest of this tournament just went through the roof. After watching how good Canada was tonight, it’s their tournament to lose. How good was Andrew Gibson and Matthew Schaefer btw? Just not sure Sweden has the horses to matchup with that squad. Even with 6 of their 7 Dmen being NHL draft picks already. A few unexpected Swedes are gonna have to step up and make a name for themselves. Willander and Lindstein are gonna have to take their overall game to a whole new level for Sweden to have a shot at this tournament. Some of their roster decisions still very perplexing, but for them to have any chance, Willander and Lindstein are gonna have to step up and perform like Canada’s kids did vs Finland. You’re gonna see teams concentrate on taking ASP out of games now, so the pressure is on Willander and Lindstein for sure.

 

[Pavels Dog]

People who have not watched ASP play much, may not realize one of his greatest attributes. He has the uncanny ability to shoot to a lane that is opening, rather than blasting a shot in an open lane. These are often wrist shots that viewers call soft goals. I believe his third goal yesterday was a good example.

Every goal kind of highlighted a different attribute of his offensive toolbox.

 

[Predatore]

Unfortunately his expectations for the rest of this tournament just went through the roof. After watching how good Canada was tonight, it’s their tournament to lose. How good was Andrew Gibson and Matthew Schaefer btw? Just not sure Sweden has the horses to matchup with that squad. Even with 6 of their 7 Dmen being NHL draft picks already.

Good post.

As for Sweden vs. Canada.... that goes without saying IMO.

Most likely only 2-3 Swedish players would even make the Canadian team (ASP, Willander and possibly one of Unger Sörum/Stenberg, Eklund). Same would probably apply to the U.S. squad.

But in a short international tournament, we do get upsets and and sometimes it only takes a lucky bounce or a goaltender with a superb game. Guess that is what makes it fun and still a bit unpredictable despite certain teams being a whole lot better on paper.

 

[theVladiator]

ASP was likely NEVER in the Canucks plans. They never chose Willander over ASP. They chose him over whatever forwards, Bonk, Molyndyk, etc. As much as they needed a stud dman in their system, there was no way, they were ever drafting Sandin-Pellikka.
...

Whatever the case today, on draft night, the Canucks looked at ASP as another small dman, they just couldn’t afford to take. So there was no reason to ever breakdown any comparisons between the two.
...

That all said, whether Willinder ever becomes a great Top 4 dman, or ASP goes on to be Sergei Zubov on steroids, ASP was very likely, never in the cards for the Canucks.

I am not sure the exact reason why Canucks passed on ASP should preclude any discussion of the topic. So, if it was them thinking ASP is too small (or too small for the 'Nucks?), it's perfectly ok to ask "so, is he STILL too small for you today?". Choices are questioned in hindsight, and postures such as "we size discriminate" or "we do not do BPA" don't really provide immunity against such hindsight criticism.

A few more angles for Willander vs ASP:

• which one really was the top Swedish D available
• Willander being a bit of a reach from consensus (Willander was ranked 20 by Bobby Mac, and ASP 14)
• the pick Detroit used to get ASP was acquired a few months before the draft from VAN.

That said, there isn't any particular reason to rub this in specifically Vancouver's face. Quite a few more teams passed on ASP for him to be available at 17. I think it's safe to say that nobody had expected for him to turn out quite the way he seems to be trending.

 

[sting101]

Unfortunately the two kids are always going to be compared because the Canucks are viewed (unfairly btw) as having “passed on ASP” and drafted the “bigger kid”, who was the “late riser”, in the middle of a “growth spurt.” Who was rising on more than a few draft boards.

Not all though, which is an interesting story for another day…

The inferiority complex in the Vancouver hockey media doesn’t help with the inevitable comparisons we’ve seen over the last 18 months.. A media who constantly props up the team’s prospects, as if they work for the team, and if that means taking shots at other kids like ASP in comparison, they’ve no problems doing that as well.

Unfortunately it leads to fans being confused when they see a game like yesterday’s. They’ve been led to believe Willander is in the same ballpark as ASP, and other D prospects around the league, who’ve taken some pretty big steps over the last 12 months. This is a big tournament for Willander to make a statement like we seen a Cayden Price and Andrew Gibson make tonight.

Let’s be honest with ourselves though. The entire Willander/ASP rivalry thing, created in the VAN media is ridiculous to begin with.

ASP was likely NEVER in the Canucks plans. They never chose Willander over ASP. They chose him over whatever forwards, Bonk, Molyndyk, etc. As much as they needed a stud dman in their system, there was no way, they were ever drafting Sandin-Pellikka.

They simply couldn’t afford having their top 3 Dmen, all being of the smaller variety. Unfortunately that growth spurt Willinder was having his draft year, stopped in its tracks as well. It’s funny, most VAN fans have this strange assumption he’s like 6’3 210lbs. Not his reality at 6’1”, 180lbs.

Whatever the case today, on draft night, the Canucks looked at ASP as another small dman, they just couldn’t afford to take. So there was no reason to ever breakdown any comparisons between the two.

In a perfect world ASP would’ve already been off the board when the Canucks drafted Willinder. Just so the Canucks would never have to answer for passing on an elite player, if that’s how this all turns out. Or even on days like today, when it was very apparent there’s a pretty large gap between the two young dmen. There’s no talking around it at this point. We’ll see where things are in 4-5 years but Willinder is likely NEVER going to be much offensively, and for him to end up being an effective NHL Top 4 Dman, he’s gonna have to be more confident handling the puck, and obviously start putting on some weight and muscle.

That all said, whether Willinder ever becomes a great Top 4 dman, or ASP goes on to be Sergei Zubov on steroids, ASP was very likely, never in the cards for the Canucks.

It’s also why we’re never going to get honest opinions about Willinder’s development from the Vancouver media either. God forbid they ever admit he’s not on par with ASP. He’s still a good prospect though. He deserves his props but let’s also not pretend. Kids like ASP, Bonk, Molyndyk, Price, Gibson, etc, have all passed him up. Some pretty significantly. All drafted after him.

As for his game, it is funny you mention ASP and the NA Game. We were watching specifically that part of his game today, and seen nothing to suggest it’s even an afterthought at this point. The group I was watching with, all came to the same conclusion really. He’s played so many games on smaller ice, and his decision making is so quick and spot-on, it’s a non factor. We walked out very impressed with where he’s at.

Not sure how much he works with Kronwall and/or Fischer, but his game is very NHL influenced. As is Anton Johansson’s btw. Who at 20, is also very well coached as one of their other D prospects in Sweden. I know ASP has worked a lot with Pierre Johnson, a defensive coach in Sweden, but other than that, from everything I understand, most of his hockey sense came from his dad, and just his commitment to the game. He knew early on, if you can walk the blue line, it opens your game up considerably in the offensive zone.

Will he have an oops on an angle here and there? Probably. He’s 19. He thinks the game at such a high level though, it’ll be very minimal, if he has any issues at all. If he ends up playing with Simon Edvinsson as people think, the sky is gonna be the limit. He’s gonna have lots of ice to do his thing.

Detroit has to be very happy with where he’s at right now. Maybe they knew exactly how far he’s already developed and that’s why they didn’t go get Edvinsson a partner this year. I don’t care how good you are as a dman, it’s not everyday we see a kid dominate a game from the backend in this tournament. He did that in all phases today. As good as Schaefer and Gibson were tonight in Canada’s game, they didn’t dominate individually.

Unfortunately his expectations for the rest of this tournament just went through the roof. After watching how good Canada was tonight, it’s their tournament to lose. How good was Andrew Gibson and Matthew Schaefer btw? Just not sure Sweden has the horses to matchup with that squad. Even with 6 of their 7 Dmen being NHL draft picks already. A few unexpected Swedes are gonna have to step up and make a name for themselves. Willander and Lindstein are gonna have to take their overall game to a whole new level for Sweden to have a shot at this tournament. Some of their roster decisions still very perplexing, but for them to have any chance, Willander and Lindstein are gonna have to step up and perform like Canada’s kids did vs Finland. You’re gonna see teams concentrate on taking ASP out of games now, so the pressure is on Willander and Lindstein for sure.

Bizarre post?

You would think by now people would understand that differences in time space skill and physicality would leave open the fact that until they play against NHLers there are some unanswered questions. Most haven't changed much since the draft. Taking too much from a single junior game is poor judgement

"The inferiority complex in the Vancouver hockey media doesn’t help with the inevitable comparisons we’ve seen over the last 18 months.. A media who constantly props up the team’s prospects, as if they work for the team, and if that means taking shots at other kids like ASP in comparison, they’ve no problems doing that as well."
- Sources?

Not sure what would precipitate an attack of the Canucks selection of Willander?

"In a perfect world ASP would’ve already been off the board when the Canucks drafted Willander. Just so the Canucks would never have to answer for passing on an elite player, if that’s how this all turns out."
- We got the player we wanted and he's developing just fine?

"Or even on days like today, when it was very apparent there’s a pretty large gap between the two young dmen. There’s no talking around it at this point."
- Odd statement given their competition will be completely different in the NHL. Days like today means jack shit...Couldn't muster a single point against Kazakhstan.....OMG busting now?

"We’ll see where things are in 4-5 years but Willinder is likely NEVER going to be much offensively, and for him to end up being an effective NHL Top 4 Dman, he’s gonna have to be more confident handling the puck, and obviously start putting on some weight and muscle."
- Could say this same thing about ASP defensively and add for a small undersized defender. Willander is 191lbs now not 180.

"It’s also why we’re never going to get honest opinions about Willinder’s development from the Vancouver media either. God forbid they ever admit he’s not on par with ASP. He’s still a good prospect though"
- Again some sources for this please?. I haven't read a single thing disparaging about ASP in Vancouver

"He deserves his props but let’s also not pretend. Kids like ASP, Bonk, Molyndyk, Price, Gibson, etc, have all passed him up. Some pretty significantly. All drafted after him."
- Seriously? this is a poor take. I wouldn't take a single player from that list above Willander.

ASP looks like a great pick he's taken steps that make me believe he will be a productive NHLer that can run a PP. He's been fantastic and is obviously ready for the next challenge. Offensive acumen puck support passing and shot are all outstanding attributes.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Another 3 pt night so far with another goal. All points primary. He’s too good for the world juniors.

 

[RedHawkDown]

At what point do we accept that he's a top 5 player outside of the NHL? He's dominating the SHL as well. I've watched every WJC game so far and he's been dominant and also good defensively.

Can anyone tell me why we shouldn't be expecting Makar/Hughes/Fox levels of play from this kid? Yes he's not as fast of a skater as the first 2 but has a better shot than both.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

Does he make Detroit next year?

 

[Raistlin]

At what point do we accept that he's a top 5 player outside of the NHL? He's dominating the SHL as well. I've watched every WJC game so far and he's been dominant and also good defensively.

Can anyone tell me why we shouldn't be expecting Makar/Hughes/Fox levels of play from this kid? Yes he's not as fast of a skater as the first 2 but has a better shot than both.

He is incredible, but better shot than Makar? Should I be expecting 30G from the back end from him?

I think those three are incredible skaters along with incredible IQ, that's why they are elite. Without elite skating, you're looking at Lane Hutson type PPQB.

Him and Willander are dominant.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

It’s funny, most VAN fans have this strange assumption he’s like 6’3 210lbs. Not his reality at 6’1”, 180lbs.

this is absolutely true

as someone who doesn’t really follow prospects at all other than from media reports and the occasional podcast, i watched willander for the first time today and was very surprised at how small he looked

i was expecting him to look like mattias ohlund when we first got a glimpse of him at the world juniors (way) bitd

 

[Hallonbroder]

Does he make Detroit next year?

No no, they’re gonna find some “vet” that’ll cost 6 mil/per and try that.

Honestly though, I have no idea how good this player is

 

[Vasilevskiy]

At what point do we accept that he's a top 5 player outside of the NHL? He's dominating the SHL as well. I've watched every WJC game so far and he's been dominant and also good defensively.

Can anyone tell me why we shouldn't be expecting Makar/Hughes/Fox levels of play from this kid? Yes he's not as fast of a skater as the first 2 but has a better shot than both.

Because those guys are much ahead at the moment and have proven it? They are more talented too, especially Makar, and their IQ are through the roof for both Hughes and Fox, I don't see that in ASP, not yet anyways.

Lundkvist looked a world beater too and here we are now he barely can hold onto a job in Dallas. ASP has been very good (so has been Willander), but the NHL is another animal.

He looks like a NHLr and a PP player to me, but there's a being difference from being a top 4 D and being Makar/Hughes.

 

[Hallonbroder]

Because those guys are much ahead at the moment and have proven it? They are more talented too, especially Makar, and their IQ are through the roof for both Hughes and Fox, I don't see that in ASP, not yet anyways.

Lundkvist looked a world beater too and here we are now he barely can hold onto a job in Dallas. ASP has been very good (so has been Willander), but the NHL is another animal.

He looks like a NHLr and a PP player to me, but there's a being difference from being a top 4 D and being Makar/Hughes.

Truth. Just look at Rundblads and Erik Karlssons seasons before joining the NHL. SHL success does not = NHL success

 

[Dempsey]

At what point do we accept that he's a top 5 player outside of the NHL? He's dominating the SHL as well. I've watched every WJC game so far and he's been dominant and also good defensively.

Can anyone tell me why we shouldn't be expecting Makar/Hughes/Fox levels of play from this kid? Yes he's not as fast of a skater as the first 2 but has a better shot than both.

To be honest it's a hard prediction to make. Case in point, nobody really came out and said Hughes or Makar would be 90 point scorers in the NHL either. They were top prospects but you sort of reserve judgement on how good they can become.

 

[RedHawkDown]

To be honest it's a hard prediction to make. Case in point, nobody really came out and said Hughes or Makar would be 90 point scorers in the NHL either. They were top prospects but you sort of reserve judgement on how good they can become.

I think that's totally fair, but I'm just saying that's where I see his ceiling being at this point. Obviously we can't declare he'll be that, but he's doing everything he can to show he's at that level of player.

I see much better IQ on him than guys like Rundblad and Boqvist. Hopefully he's in the NHL next year and we can see what he can do.

 

[Reddwit]

Does he make Detroit next year?

Almost certainly. Could have Edvinsson as a partner too.

 

[newfy]

I think that's totally fair, but I'm just saying that's where I see his ceiling being at this point. Obviously we can't declare he'll be that, but he's doing everything he can to show he's at that level of player.

I see much better IQ on him than guys like Rundblad and Boqvist. Hopefully he's in the NHL next year and we can see what he can do.

Yeah, no one should expect Makar/Hughes/Fox out of a prospect including those guys when they were coming up.

However, if you were going to reasonably think a prospect can hit that level.. ASP is one of, if not the only one out there right now with a resume that it doesnt seem completely outrageous. It was like when Seider was getting Weber comparisons coming up. You cant reasonably expect a Weber out of a prospect, but if you were going to, Seider was the guy to bet on.

ASP is quickly becoming a top ~5 prospect in the world

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Almost certainly. Could have Edvinsson as a partner too.

There's never an "Almost certainly" when it comes to a 20 year old defenseman with Detroit.

Especially when it's an offensive defensemen. It's not nearly out of the realm of possibility that they pull the "We want to see him play a more well rounded game" shit and keep him down while continuing to ice some of the shit veterans we have under contract.

Shit. Edvinsson pretty much stepped in this season as a top pairing D, and this is his first actual season. He was ready last year, they just over-signed D and didn't want to call him up.

 

[deca guard]

iq+hands+shot+egdes=best pp qb in nhl 2026/27 (the same season detroit becomes contenders,with asp n edvinsson becoming the perfect duo)

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

Lundkvist looked a world beater too and here we are now he barely can hold onto a job in Dallas. ASP has been very good (so has been Willander), but the NHL is another animal.

ASP appears to be a bit more suited to handle the physicality in the NHL. Was heavier than Nils at the combine and was stronger/performed way better.

Granted combine isn't everything. I just feel like it was questionable whether Nils could handle the NHL even when he was blowing up the SHL, whereas ASP seems better built for it.

ASP weighs almost as much now, as a 19 year old, as Lundkvist as a 24 year old. And that's with Lundkvist supposedly being two inches taller. (He apparently had a post-combine growth spurt)

 

[Martin Elz]

I like watching Alex Sundin-Hakkapeliitta play.

 

[nbwingsfan]

He’s not getting the attention he deserves.

People still doubting he’s an elite prospect need to start paying attention

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

ASP appears to be a bit more suited to handle the physicality in the NHL. Was heavier than Nils at the combine and was stronger/performed way better.

Granted combine isn't everything. I just feel like it was questionable whether Nils could handle the NHL even when he was blowing up the SHL, whereas ASP seems better built for it.

ASP weighs almost as much now, as a 19 year old, as Lundkvist as a 24 year old. And that's with Lundkvist supposedly being two inches taller. (He apparently had a post-combine growth spurt)

wasn't asp the strongest prospect in his entire combine? am i remembering someone else? i remember it was a surprising name due to their size

edit: yea, asp was number 1 on the bench press

 

[FriendlyGhost92]

wasn't asp the strongest prospect in his entire combine? am i remembering someone else? i remember it was a surprising name due to their size

Based on bench press, yeah. But I think short guys also typically do better on the bench.

He was also top 10 in the VO2 max.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInDetroit]

Based on bench press, yeah. But I think short guys also typically do better on the bench.

He was also top 10 in the VO2 max.

i get that. but it gives me significantly more confidence than a top offensive prospect that can't do a single pull-up