21. Emil Andrae — LHD, HV71, 5-foot-8.5
Andrae has most of the qualities I look for in a draft-eligible defenceman. He’s calm under pressure. He can lead a rush in transition. He has the puck handling ability, east-west vision and four-way mobility needed to run a power play. He’s strong on his feet, which he leverages effectively along the wall. He’s physical when he needs to be without chasing for hits. And he’s calculated enough with the puck to recognize when he needs to hang onto it and when he just needs to advance the play. I have been surprised by the caution so many have about him. He’s very likely to slip into the second round and I believe that would be a mistake. His size is normally central to concerns some have with projecting him. I don’t see it as much of an issue, though. He’s very good defensively for his size. Don’t mistake his height for his sturdiness.
I asked HV71 head coach Nicklas Rahm for his evaluation of Andrae’s game at the SHL level this season. Here’s what he said:
“He played his game. His game is a really high-risk game. When he played under-20s, there was a lot of big risk in his game and the reward is always there. And we talked about it when he came up and he adjusted that. He still did his big things out there and the crowd loved him but he took down the risk level and when it wasn’t there, he didn’t take it. That’s what I like most about him. And he could handle the physical game. When he’s not ready for a hit, he’s on his ass. But if he’s ready for a battle, he’s pretty strong actually. He’s got a low balance. I think he can have a really good year (next) year.”
And here’s HV71 general manager Peter Ekelund on Andrae:
“Emil was not nervous at all. He likes to keep the puck and he kept playing the way he played in juniors, even when he came up to the SHL. And even if he made some mistakes, he didn’t change his game. He did what he was good at.”