• Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

Sign in to follow this  
Aussie_Wing

Jonathan Ericsson

Rate this topic

Recommended Posts

Link

Jonathan Ericsson is one of the brightest spots on the Red Wings prospect chart this season. He has gone from a below average player at the second-tier level in Sweden to a rock-solid player at the AHL level.

He started off by having a very strong camp with the Red Wings, getting to play in several preseason games and looking promising. Then after getting back from a minor injury, he took off with the Griffins and is just getting better and better with every game that passes. He has 12 points in 27 games.

Ericsson has always had a very intriguing package of size, skating and puck skills, but unfortunately he never got a fair chance in Sweden. Now he’s getting just that with the Griffins and it looks like he might be a solid player for the Red Wings within the next two years or so.

Link

“He’s learning the North American game, but he has the skill and size to play in the NHL,†said Grand Rapids general manager Bob McNamara. “I think at some point, he’s going to be a regular NHL defenseman, which is extraordinary given he was the last guy picked in the draft.â€Â

Well for someone taken with the 291st pick in the 2002 draft he sure is making remarkable progress. He added another assist today which makes 13 points, +9 and 54 PIM’s in 28 games for the Griffins. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 218-pounds he is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This guy has made huge strides this year and I can see him challenging for a spot in a couple of years, if not next season. He would be the perfect foil for another prospect Kindl who I have no doubt will be in Detroit next season. The future looks bright on the Wings blueline and

having guys like Ericsson coming from nowhere makes it even better.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ericsson had 3 assists tonight in the Griffins 4-3 loss. He now has 16 points in 30 games. You’ve got to be excited about this guy, at 6-5 and with 58 PIM’s for the season he is exactly what we need.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Another assist to Ericsson in the Griffins latest outing which makes 17 points in 33 games.

HOT: Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (Grand Rapids, AHL) is enjoying an incredible rookie year, with 16 points in 32 games. It took him two full seasons playing in three different leagues to accumulate that many points in Sweden.

Link

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I hope Ericsson is called up next time the Wings need a defenseman. You can't coach size into a guy like Ericsson's got. And he's the kind of prospect I like best: the one that doesn't have any hype but rises through the ranks. That way you know they came up on merit and hard work rather than potential.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Another assist to Ericsson tonight and he was also +2. He is a +12 for the season which is outstanding considering the majority of the team has a – rating and the next best is +8.

His stats are also a lot more impressive that the much more hyped Kyle Quincey. Ericsson has 18 points and is +12, while Quincey has 13 points and is -9. What a season for the rookie.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Guest wingsfan28__

thats awesome news on ericsson

but how much ice time a game does he get compared to quincey ??

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

thats awesome news on ericsson

but how much ice time a game does he get compared to quincey ??

Not sure unfortunately.

In tonight’s game Ericsson had 2 assists and was +1. He assisted on the GWG. He now has 20 points in 35 games.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A little offtopic, but I was comparing Quincey and Ericsson and Quincey has quite a bit of PIM.. Is he just a little undisciplined or does he drop the gloves sometimes?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A little offtopic, but I was comparing Quincey and Ericsson and Quincey has quite a bit of PIM.. Is he just a little undisciplined or does he drop the gloves sometimes?

He has dropped the gloves twice this year but he does play a very rugged aggressive style in front of his crease and sometimes he goes a little overboard and takes alot of crosschecking and roughing penalties. He is a little undisciplined but i like the way he plays.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sounds good! :clap: I'm really liking our future D in Kindl, Quincey & Ericsson.

You can throw Jeff May in that group too. He's supposedly a Quincey clone, a big (6'2 200) rugged guy who skates well for his size and can move the puck. He should be signed this summer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You can throw Jeff May in that group too. He's supposedly a Quincey clone, a big (6'2 200) rugged guy who skates well for his size and can move the puck. He should be signed this summer.

I like May, he plays a solid all round game and he can fight. I like Bretton Stamler aswell, 6'1 207 stay at home physical d-man who can also fight but i can't see the Wings signing them both.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sounds good! :clap: I'm really liking our future D in Kindl, Quincey & Ericsson.

I still think we need a guy who's real good in his own zone (preferably a 1st line player who can pair up with kronwall), someone like a Cam Barker maybe. If we can get that type of player this draft, we should have not just a good defense, but a great defense down the road.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Who's to say Kindl or Quincey can't become that? Kronwall probably wont be a 1st liner for a while, anyways.. 08-09 season would probably be the earliest he gets 1st line minutes.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

http://hockeysfuture.com/articles/9387

Ericsson rises up the charts

Written by Colleen Greene on 01/14/2007

While the Grand Rapids Griffins may not be the powerhouse team they were last year in the AHL, they are keeping themselves competitive in the West Division, with a 20-16-4-2 record. A handful of new faces are contributing to the team, and one of them, rookie defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, is certainly turning a few heads with his play.

Ericsson, a native of Karlskrona, Sweden, is getting his first taste of North American hockey this season. While it will take some time for him to adjust to the smaller rinks and quicker pace of the AHL, Ericsson seems to be enjoying it so far.

“It’s pretty tough,†he said of playing in his first AHL season. “It goes pretty fast, and it’s more up and down than it is in Europe where they have wider rinks, so it’s a more spread out game. But I like the smaller rinks and the faster games, so it’s been okay.â€Â

Ericsson has been a pleasant surprise so far this season on a young Griffins blue line, especially considering the fact that he just switched to playing defense relatively recently in his hockey career. Up until the 2001-02 season, Ericsson had been a center for every team he played for in Sweden.

His switch to defense came during that season while he was playing junior hockey with Hasten. After a number of injuries knocked several regulars out of the lineup, he was forced to play defense for one game. It had just so happened that Hakan Andersson, Detroit’s Director of European Scouting, was attending that game, and liked what he saw.

“We had a lot of defensemen who were sick and injured that game,†Ericsson said in recalling the experience. “Since it’s more natural for a center to play defense than, say, a right wing, I played D for that one game. There was a scout from Detroit who was at that game and he was actually there to watch a player from the team that we were playing against, so it was a big coincidence.â€Â

Andersson was so impressed with Ericsson’s play, that he approached Hasten's coach, who just happened to be Ericsson’s father Sven, and told him he thought the towering 6’5, 205-pounder should stick to playing defense.

In fact, Andersson liked what he saw so much that he went so far as to tell the newly-turned blueliner that Detroit would pick him in that year’s draft. That was a promise that he kept as the Red Wings selected Ericsson with the 291st pick – the last selection of the 2002 Entry Draft.

Ericsson continued to play in his native Sweden the next year. During the 2002-03 season and through the 2004-05 campaign, Ericsson jumped around leagues in Sweden, splitting time between the junior level where he played chiefly defense, and the Swedish Elite League, where he often suited up as a centerman. But the idea of constantly switching positions wasn’t something that gave Ericsson much trouble.

“When I was young, I played a little bit of defense, but then it was mostly center until 2002,†he said. “After that, it was playing mostly defense except when I would switch for a couple of the clubs I’d play for [in Sweden] who would want me to play center.

“Center and defense are pretty much the same with the kinds of responsibilities you have in the defensive zone,†he continued. “You also have to join the rush and be a bit of an offensive player. But my role in Sweden was to be a defensive center and kill penalties and things like that, so it wasn’t too bad.â€Â

Now that he’s made the jump over to North America, Ericsson has played exclusively defense with Grand Rapids.

“I haven’t played any center, but that’s good – that’s what I want,†he said. “If they tell me they like me better as a center, then I would have to deal with that. But I want to play D.â€Â

And he’s been playing very well. Ericsson’s plus-13 rating is by far the best on the team, and he’s also chipped in 22 points (four goals, 18 assists) in 39 games.

While he said that he hasn’t had one steady partner that he’s been paired with all season, Ericsson has seen time on both special teams units, and is usually paired up with fellow prospect Kyle Quincey on the first line of the power play. Griffins head coach Greg Ireland has certainly been impressed with what the first-year backliner has brought to his club.

â€ÂHe’s been really good,†he said. “We weren’t sure what to expect because we knew he’d had some struggles with confidence playing over in Europe, but he came over and had a great training camp with us, great rookie camp, and he’s just blossomed. He’ll go through a little period where he starts trying to do too much, but once he settles in, he’s a real force on the ice.â€Â

Ericsson has certainly already come further than most in his situation would, considering his up and down career overseas and his low draft position, but Ireland believes the sleeper pick has all the tools to gain even more success.

“His size, his reach, his skating is excellent. He’s seeing the ice very well for us,†he said. “He just transitioned into defense in the last few years and he’s really done a tremendous job. He’s got a lot of upside, and he’s jumped over a lot of prospects to get ahead in the food chain within the Red Wings organization, and a lot of it has been because of his play in the last five months.â€Â

Should Ericsson maintain the steady play he has shown through the first half of this season and continue to improve, it would certainly not be out of the question to see him in a Red Wings jersey in the near future.

“For him to get up the NHL would just be a tremendous story,†said Ireland. “But he’s really worked hard to get there.â€Â

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&a...rticleid=298716

April 9, NHL.com: "I don't think he'll be here long. He's got so much talent,'' said Griffins defenseman Brad Norton. "I think he's like a poor man's Chris Pronger. He's a European who can play the North American style.''

...

"He plays hard. He plays mean. Some games, he's a monster. He throws guys around,'' Norton said.

...

"If you watched him, you wouldn't know he's been a forward before. It just takes him a second or two to read the situation because of his inexperience,'' [Griffins coach Greg] Ireland said. "He was never in a situation where he got a lot of playing time over there (in Sweden). He fights confidence sometimes. He tries to do so much. With him, it's making sure he doesn't keep re-living the last play.''

Sounds awesome & willing! :clap:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've been keeping an eye on this guy for awhile now, and he's looking damn good. We have some good prospects comming our way. Look at our defensive ones mostly, they will sure rip it up soon enough.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

3 - RFD Carroll, 5:36 - Bench minor - Unsportsmanlike conduct , 2 min

3 - RFD Ryan, 5:36 - Fighting , 5 min

3 - RFD Ryan, 5:36 - Game misconduct , 10 min

3 - RFD Skille, 5:36 - Fighting , 5 min

3 - GRA Engelhardt, 5:36 - Fighting , 5 min

3 - GRA Ericsson, 5:36 - Instigating , 2 min

3 - GRA Ericsson, 5:36 - Fighting , 5 min

3 - GRA Ericsson, 5:36 - Misconduct - Instigating (47.10), 10 min

Way to go! :clap:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this