A. Grønvold scouting report

[VattghernCZ 972]

Alagsantere Grønvold is a hard-hitting, defensively-minded defenseman. His defensive readings and instincts are top-notch. Combined with his elite four-way mobility, he's a nightmare to play against, especially in transition. Discipline has been a concern in his game, as has his lack of composure with the puck on his stick and very limited offensive upside. Grønvold will probably never be your team’s top scoring defender, but he could be the perfect counterpart an offensive defenseman needs to fully unleash their potential.

 

Grades:

 

Skating: A

Puck skills: C

Goal scoring: B-

Playmaking: C

Hockey sense: A+

Physical: B-

 

Observations:

 

June 24, 2024: Upon finishing his senior year with the Greenland Youth Academy, Grønvold signed a contract with the Mexico City Kings, who will hold his rights until the upcoming VHLM draft. He looks like a good fit to complete the Kings’ blue line. Due to some visa issues, he's expected to miss the first few games, but he still should have enough time to build chemistry before a potentially very deep playoff run.

 

July 4, 2024: The fatigue from jumping straight from the Greenland Youth Academy senior year into the VHLM regular season has clearly affected Grønvold's game. While he hasn't looked overwhelmed thanks to his awareness and defensive IQ, he has been struggling to adjust to the VHLM pace and to leverage his physical tools. Still, he became an impact defender for the Kings, finishing the regular season with 3 goals, 7 assists, a plus-1 rating, 28 hits, and 23 blocked shots in 16 games.

 

July 13, 2024: Eleven playoff games is not a big sample size, but Grønvold definitely looked more comfortable than he looked in his regular season games. He held his own pretty well, especially considering five of the 11 games were against heavy favorites. Grønvold ramped up his intensity with 19 shot blocks and 20 hits, recorded a single goal and team-leading 7 assists with a minus-2 rating.

 

August 5, 2024: Despite a strong defensive showing at the Junior Showcase Tournament with the tournament-winning Rush team, Grønvold wasn't selected to take part in the World Junior Championship, which arguably hurt his VHLM draft stock as he fell to the 7th overall pick, going back to the Mexico City Kings for season 95.

 

September 13, 2024: In his first—and what should be final—full VHLM season, Grønvold surprised everyone with his production with 18 goals and 48 assists for 64 points (10th among VHLM defensemen). Some of hockey’s best coaches say the better you defend, the less you have to do it, and Grønvold was a great example of it. While his traditional defensive stats were unimpressive—plus-8 rating, 137 hits, and 112 shots blocked—his defensive impact went beyond the box stats, as he was the most deployed player on the league's best defensive team. It's hard to record hits and blocks when your team is on the puck most of the time you're on the ice. Grønvold remains a bona fide mid-first round talent, and a strong playoff performance could even propel him into a top-5 consideration.

 

September 16, 2024: Let's not talk about Grønvold’s performance in the four playoff games Mexico City played. As the draft approaches, Grønvold remains one of the premier blueliners and one of the more VHL-ready prospects, but another year of development before jumping in the big league would be the best approach to his future. He is set to play another season with the Kings now that the VHLE announced the end of their partnership with the VHL and its affiliated leagues.

 

[VattghernCZ 972]

@sadie @kirbithan I was half tempted to say Grønvold was the captain of the Vancouver Giants

[sadie 898]

8 minutes ago, VattghernCZ said:

@sadie @kirbithan I was half tempted to say Grønvold was the captain of the Vancouver Giants

 

that team would have been so terrifying 

[VattghernCZ 972]

Just now, sadie said:

 

that team would have been so terrifying 

 

Already has been with you two