Filip Eriksson
18y, Växjö Lakers, SHL / Nybro Vikings, HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden
The big news regarding the Canadiens prospects in Europe this week was that Eriksson went on a loan from Växjö to Nybro, a 40 minute drive down the road. Eriksson started out on the second line, and had an assist in a 8-3 loss to Södertälje but recorded a goal and an assist in the win against Mora where he was playing on the first line.
Nybro was seventh in the standings and played one of the top-four teams, Björklöven, on Monday night and Eriksson was once more on the top line. He ran the power play, where his hockey IQ, puck control, and hand-eye coordination stood out. In some ways he looked a few steps above his teammates as his passes were crisp and on target and he didn’t seem rushed, contrary to some of his teammates. He finished with two assists, including on the game-winning goal, both coming on the power play.
He also had good shifts on the penalty kill, first and foremost used as a winger, but with experience the centre position could become an option.
In the three games since his loan to Nybro, Eriksson has five points (1G, 4A), an impressive start to say the least.
I think this is a smart move from Växjö and something that Coach Jönsson hinted at before the start of the season. Eriksson needs to play and he has shown that he can play at the SHL level as a third- or fourth-line player, but with limited minutes. With Nybro, he will get the chance to play heavy minutes on one of the top lines, giving him a chance to work on his offence. That will benefit Eriksson next season, and maybe even as soon as the SHL playoffs starts.
Adding the offence to his already strong supporting game will be crucial from a development standpoint, and it will be very interesting to follow his progress during the time he plays in HockeyAllsvenskan. There’s still far to go for Eriksson, even to become a top-six regular in the SHL, but it was good to see new sides from the prospect.
David Reinbacher
19y, EHC Kloten, NL, Switzerland
There were two games for Reinbacher last week, both losses, The Langnau Tigers won 5-2 on Friday night a game in which Reinbacher had an assist.
It’s good to see Reinbacher getting involved and moving up into the free ice to put the pressure on the defending team. He also holds the puck a bit to create the illusion of a shot before passing the puck for his teammate.
The game was decided on an offside review that was deemed to be legal. As Kloten was pushing to draw equal in the dying minutes, Reinbacher took penalty that wasn’t necessary. Kloten still had the goalie in the net and the opponent was along the boards. Langnau scored the 4-2 goal on the resulting penalty.
With the season that Kloten is having, and the near offside call (no good angles to show), it is easy to see the frustration creeping into a situation like the one above.
Kloten lost the second game of the week by a score of 4-1 against Abmri-Piotta.
Reinbacher played a little less this week: 17 minutes in the first game and 18 in the second. He also changed defensive partners from Nathan Beaulieu back to his old partner Kellenberger in the second game.
Vinzenz Rohrer
19y, ZSC Lions, NL, Switzerland
Rohrer played both games for Zurich. He has no points, but close to 16 minutes in the first game of the week, and a more common 11:25 in the second.
Adam Engström
20y, Rögle BK, SHL, Sweden
Engström also played two games, playing in more defensive minutes than offensive ones, but was on the ice for two goals against versus Frölunda.
He lost his man on the first goal against — the game-winning goal — as he was going forward for the long change. Rögle lost possession and Engström couldn’t recover for the resulting counter-attack.
He pinched in a good situation for the third goal against of the game, Rögle had all the other players back and really should have had it all under control, but a team that struggles usually doesn’t get the bounces.
The good thing for Engström and Rögle is that the team has climbed out of the relegation battle, at the moment at least, and the team plays a lot better since the change in management. However, there are still some confidence issues when the game goes against the team. The trend is overall positive and the team really should make the play-in/wild-card series down the line.
Oliver Kapanen
20y, KalPa, Liiga, Finland
Kapanen continued to collect points with smart play this week, two points in three games. While the first point of the week came as a secondary assist, it was Kapanen who was behind it all with a good zone entry and a turn to pass the puck back to a defenceman in space.
Kapanen’s goal came off a good intercept where the KalPa players swarmed the breakout and the opposing net. He needed two shots to get the puck through and get the goal in the end.
There have been questions with regard to Kapanen’s thoughts about the NHL and AHL next year, and while I think he will come over to North America next year, it hinges on his military service. He served three-and-a-half months last summer, which should be his full obligation, something that should leave him in a position to leave Liiga unless he gets a very good offer from a top team. If he doesn’t get a top team offer, the next logical step would be the AHL and Laval Rocket.
Petteri Nurmi
21y, HPK, Liiga, Finland
Nurmi got an assist on HPK’s only goal this week as the team lost its games 4-1 and 4-0. Nurmi joined the primary attack, but as the puck was cycled he passed across the ice along the blue line for his defensive partner to score on a good shot.
Bogdan Konyushkov
20y, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, KHL, Russia
Torpedo has had an up-and-down section of the season as they lost 7-2 to CSKA and 6-1 to Dynamo Moscow last week. They did win against Dinamo Minsk 3-0, and against Metallurg Magnitogorsk by a score of 7-4.
Konyushkov scored his first goal since the end of November against Metallurg, and the goal came on the power play. The puck took a deflection of the defender in front of the net. It’s a smart hidden shot, not the hardest but well-placed and with lots of traffic in front.
As always, it is the defensive side of the game that brings Konyushkov’s overall performance down. Over the last four games he has a -4 rating, getting a -1 in the game against Metallurg and a -3 in the big loss to CSKA. Currently Konyushkov has 23 points (5G, 18A) over 51 games, and a -6 rating.
Torpedo has fallen to fifth in the “Western Division,” which should explain some of the defensive numbers. While they should make the playoffs, it is not the kind of trend you’d want at this stage of the season, as other teams are gearing up for the elimination series.
Yevgeni Volokhin
18y, Mamonty Yugry, MHL, Russia
One game for Volokhin, lowering his goal against to 1.45 (from 1.47) while still keeping his save percentage at .942. The goalie prospect has been outstanding in the MHL so far this season and is gearing up for a playoff run with the Mammoths.
Alexander Gordin
22y, Ryazan-VDV, VHL, Russia
No points for Gordin this week.
Dmitri Kostenko
21y, VHL, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Kostenko continues his production with Yugra, one goal and one assist last week.
