Here are some snippets:
QUOTE
**** Axelsson might be the best prospect nobody's ever heard of.
Detroit Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson calls Axelsson a "more talented version of Mikael Samuelsson. He's certainly our best European prospect in a bunch of years," Andersson says. "That talent, that's what people are dying for. In my book, I don't think there's a prospect in Sweden (already drafted) who I would trade him for."
"He's big, he's fast, he has very good hands and hockey sense," Andersson says. "He's equally good at scoring and passing. Some guys are passers, some are goal-scorers. Samuelsson's a goal-scorer. **** has both those assets."
Andersson hasn't spoken about a prospect in a contract year so glowingly since Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk were coming up the pipe. The natural talent is in place for Axelsson to become another gem along those lines.
"If he makes it, he has a chance to be first-line material," Andersson says. "He's that good. Pure talent-wise, he's up there with any name you can mention."
There is little doubt that Axelsson will be signed at season's end. From there, he'll likely bring his game to the American Hockey League. The sky is the limit.
"If he can learn to work hard every shift and fill out, I've got to say, he's the biggest prospect we've had in years," Andersson says. "The upside is very, very exciting."
Detroit Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson calls Axelsson a "more talented version of Mikael Samuelsson. He's certainly our best European prospect in a bunch of years," Andersson says. "That talent, that's what people are dying for. In my book, I don't think there's a prospect in Sweden (already drafted) who I would trade him for."
"He's big, he's fast, he has very good hands and hockey sense," Andersson says. "He's equally good at scoring and passing. Some guys are passers, some are goal-scorers. Samuelsson's a goal-scorer. **** has both those assets."
Andersson hasn't spoken about a prospect in a contract year so glowingly since Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk were coming up the pipe. The natural talent is in place for Axelsson to become another gem along those lines.
"If he makes it, he has a chance to be first-line material," Andersson says. "He's that good. Pure talent-wise, he's up there with any name you can mention."
There is little doubt that Axelsson will be signed at season's end. From there, he'll likely bring his game to the American Hockey League. The sky is the limit.
"If he can learn to work hard every shift and fill out, I've got to say, he's the biggest prospect we've had in years," Andersson says. "The upside is very, very exciting."
Exciting stuff!
