Claimed:Theo Axelsson Rookie Profile [Reviewed]

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With the Season 50 VHL Draft recently opening up to players, there has been much hype surrounding the landmark draft as well as the players who have declared for it.  Theo Axelsson in one player who, upon declaring for the draft, has attracted the attention of both scouts and fans alike.  Having played for VIK Västerås HK of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of Swedish ice hockey and Sweden’s national U-20 team, Axelsson is a player who comes with experience at a higher level than a good amount of VHL prospects.  And at only 20 years old, it seems as if his peak potential is still yet to be reached.  However, there are multiple other players who have declared for this draft, and currently Axelsson seems as if he will be in close competition with Diana Maxwell and Essian Ravenwing for the first overall spot in the draft.

 

Obviously his experience outside of the VHL is a benefit, but every draftee entering the VHLM kind of evens that out.  So what sets Axelsson apart from the crowd?  Currently, it’s hard to tell - it’s possible that after his first year in the VHLM it’ll become more clear.  But there certainly are things that make Axelsson a unique player.

 

 

Scoring - The Swedish winger is no stranger to the net.  In his final season with Västerås, he scored 22 goals in 53 games to be the league’s top scorer, despite the fact that his team finished only eighth out of 14 teams.  Axelsson has essentially been a top scorer on just about every team he has been on since the day he started playing hockey, and seems likely to contribute his goalscoring ability to the teams he ends up playing for in both the VHLM and VHL.  If he is able to fully reach his potential, it’s entirely possible that Axelsson ends up being one of the league’s top scorers.  

 

Defense - One thing that makes Axelsson unique as a player is that despite being such a prolific goalscorer, he is also known for contributing a lot on defense.  This wasn’t always the case throughout his career, but after starting to play against tougher competition, Axelsson realized he could no longer get away with only relying on his goalscoring ability.  Since then, he has become known for his work ethic - not just off the ice, but on it as well.  Axelsson gives it all into every shift on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ice, and because of this his defensive abilities are one of the most important aspects of his game.

 

Skating - Axelsson is a natural skater - like scoring, it’s been one of his strengths since the first day he laced up his skates.  He’s known for being incredibly smooth and agile on the ice, which helps him on both offense and defense.  Offensively, it helps him to get into the right position to score, and defensively, he’s quick enough to get back and help after being on offense.  Skating is easily one of Axelsson’s biggest strengths.

 

 

Passing - However, one thing that Axelsson isn’t good at is passing.  Since he’s so used to scoring, Axelsson doesn’t really pass the puck too often.  And because of this, when he does pass, he tends to give the puck away.  With such a glaring weakness in his game, this sometimes makes it easy for opposing teams to prevent him from contributing too much - if they put a lot of pressure on him as soon as he gets the puck and force him to pass, this will make him very susceptible to giving the puck away.  For Axelsson to be more successful, it’s better for him to be on a team with not only other good scoring options, but also good passers so he can find himself in open space.

 

Strength - Despite his ability on defense and penchant for checking people, Axelsson isn’t incredibly strong.  Like his passing ability, this makes him more likely to give the puck away.  Instead of using his body to shield people off and keep the puck, Axelsson tends to prefer focusing on puck handling and being more skillful to get away from the defense.  While this can result in plays that are fun to watch, it’s also very high-risk and can result in him losing possession more often.

 

New Culture - It doesn’t directly have anything to do with his on-ice performance, but one challenge for Axelsson upon joining the VHL will likely be the place that he is living in.  Having played in Sweden for one team his entire career and only really having left the country once throughout his life, it’s very likely that adjusting to a new culture, new language, and new teammates will be difficult at first.  It’s been rumored that Axelsson has begun taking English lessons in order to better acclimate himself to the VHL, but how well he’ll adjust is yet to be seen.  We’ll have to pay attention to the rest of this season to find out as he plays for the VHLM’s Saskatoon Wild.

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Review:

very solid RP. The graphic at the top is very cool and looks very thoughtfully made! Nice to have a solid pure scorer added to the VHL. Though if I'm being nitpicky, Vasteras finished 9th and the leading scorer in Allsvenkan has 27 goals  either way good job. And you have fit in well in Saskatoon!

 

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