SJo is tall, with a nice reach. At least 2" taller than ROR and Hunt, to my eyes....at least 6'2, but more like 6'3". He was a forward that converted to D, so with that you get a Dman with surprisingly good puck skills, and poise in the O zone. On the down side, he seems hesitant defensively, and in puck battles. Pretty passive.
He needs to work with Rossi's trainer next summer if he wants to turn things around and get a sniff of the NHL. Guy needs some beef, and some aggro. He's not a lost cause, but there are a lot of D prospects coming, and he'll have to fight to stand out among them. Right now he seems like a poor man's Gustav Olofsson, albeit w/o his injury problems.
By not big, I meant not beefy, sorry. ROR and Hunt play a much bigger game and are tougher on the puck. Not refuting you, just clarifying my post.
With the possibility of Peart and a Kalem Parker being in the mix next year, I'd rather his minutes goes to Spacek/Masters, assuming they earn it by the end of the year. I think both of them have more potential, are younger, etc.
Yeah, his size stood out to me. I know Iowa isn’t great defensively, so I didn’t put much stock in his +/-. I also wasn’t sure how he was being used (offensively or defensively), or which pairing/partners he’s been with.
It‘s interesting to me that he played a couple of seasons in the SHL, put up decent numbers, then he made the jump to the AHL.
Someone in the organization must believe he’s got upside, otherwise he’d have been better off staying and developing in the SHL… Right?
He’s 24, so maybe he transfers back to Sweden if he doesn’t get a call-up soon.
Normally I don't care that much about +/- but I think it is more valid here when comparing to the other D. Welinski is the only one I'd say is worse in the D zone.
Prior to the influx of D men, we were super barren. My guess is he was older, had played in the pros as you mention, and the belief was that he'd be able to be a stopgap. He does seem to get more minutes and is trusted more, so the coaches obviously know more than me, and I definitely have not watched him shift by shift, so it is entirely possible I am missing something.
The other argument, albeit a weak one imo, is that he has been paired with 20 or 21 year olds the last two years. If he is trying to cover for them, then perhaps that is contributing to his play. But even then, his raw skills don't jump out at me at all.
Just wanted to make clear that my comparison of him to Gustav Olofsson wasn't meant to be a slight. I really liked GO, and thought he looked like a two way, middle pairing NHL Dman of the future, but his career was destroyed by injuries....shoulder and knee, i think? SJO is not as good defensively, but at least as good offensively, though he isn't the best on the breakout. He also has that tall thin build and a passive demeanor, which kind of worries me.
I like Dmen who are resolute, tough, smart, and decisive in the their own end. I'm not sure that any of those adjectives apply to him in the D zone. ROR is, which is why he has a better chance to be a NHL'er, even though he isn't a sure thing, either.
RE: ROR - I've actually really come to appreciate his game more this year. I think he is accepting and digging into more of what his role will be. He doesn't overplay the puck, gets shots on net, and plays hard. Wouldn't surprise me if we don't see him for another year or two, but I think letting him get a lot of minutes will make him a good 4-6 Dman.