Axelsson: The Beginning [1/2]

[Dangles13 373]

Otto Axelsson Rookie Report

 

 

Name: Otto Axelsson

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 205

Age: 19

Birth place: Falkenberg, Sweden

Position: Center

 

Otto Axelsson. The name sounds cool but it likely doesn't ring a bell for you, hey? I don't think we can really fault you there as most don't really know a whole lot about him. For the longest period of time, he wasn't known even on the scouting reports for VHL GM's and for some time was kept hidden away in Sweden, where he played for the Falkenberg Falcons. For Otto Axelsson, making the jump from the Falcons to the Victory Hockey League's minor system was pretty huge considering his recent work ethic and his player agencies reputation. While there is zero sort of negativity surrounding his player agent and he isn't disliked in the VHL world, he simply doesn't have the work ethic to help produce strong quality, reliable hockey players. The last player he represented was Asher Donovan, who ended up hanging up his skates long before his career should have been over and that was due to the fact that he wasn't made for a professional league like that. Did he have potential to play in the league and be a good player? Yes. At the start, every player holds that form - however, as time went on, his progression didn't. What we were seeing from him we are now somewhat seeing from Otto Axelsson and this could be alarming for some fans around the league, the Bears organization and fanbase and obviously, himself. 

 

Don't be alarmed though folks as he's seemingly hit some sort of stride and is now putting in the work needed to be a solid, blue chip prospect anyway. Is he a far ways away from even being considered good? Yep. But he's putting in the work and hopefully it's starting to be noticed throughout the league. Seattle GM, Blake Campbell, was quoted as saying "I'm happy to be bringing in Axelsson. We know he will be loyal to the organization and that there is upside with this specific player. Of course it's a gamble, but it's low risk for potential high reward and it's something we're willing to risk". Now, for the Bears, they simply need to sit back, wait and see what unfolds in front of them. However, while they and others around the league may know a bit about him now, we can imagine you still know very little. So, let's take a trip down Otto Axelsson's past. 

 

Younger Years

 

He started hockey at the age of 5 and loved it the very moment he put skates on and had the stick in his hands. While he was good at the sport, he wasn't considered amazing and it wasn't until later on that people started thinking that maybe he was something special or could potentially play it as a career choice and do it for a living. Growing up, skating wasn't his strong suit and while he did put in some minor work, he wasn't going crazy like a lot of good quality players had done before him. He used the ability he had to play the game and he was fine and content with that level of hockey. Throughout his younger years, he played for the Falkenberg Silvertips and while not the best player, was always somewhere in the top 5 on the team.

 

Minor League stats:

117 games - 23 goals, 69 assists - 92 points

 

SEL

 

After sometime in the minor league system, he made the jump higher - put out a solid year and eventually caught the eyes of the Falkenberg Falcon's of the Swedish Elite League. For him this was a pretty big deal because he always felt as if he was normal and while it was a dream of his to go professional, he never really was truly expecting to do such. Entering into the Falcon's roster, he played 2 years with the team and while the first year was rather disappointing, he made some noise in the 2nd year which managed to turn some heads and grab the attention from North American teams and leagues. One, of course, being the VHL/VHLM. During his first season, he managed to only get 4 goals, 11 assists for 15 points in 36 games and to say the least, no one was expecting anything great from him. However, during the second year he found a way to up those numbers.  Through the 36 games season, he largely scaled up those totals to 16 goals, 21 assists for 37 points - a hell of a lot better than before.

 

VHLM + VHL

He was drafted into the VHLM and despite showing somewhat promise at the start and in his final year of the SEL. He fell of the maps and because of this, was totally excluded from any roster for S58. He has since came back a little bit, mentioned wishing to play big and come back hard and has since had his rights and shit traded to the Seattle Bears, where surprisingly, he'll be making the jump to the big leagues this season. All eyes are on him to see if he can live up to the pressure.

 

PROS

 

1. He has a good support system in Seattle. While management has been known to largely help their players in Seattle, the organization is also full of knowledgable, experienced members who are always willing to lend a hand. Lots of them are represented by strong agencies, so this is a large benefit for Otto Axelsson.

 

2. Loyalty is key for this agency. They had shown it before with Donaovan, who played some time with Seattle prior and showed exceptional loyalty and such with the organization. With everything going on and the amount of work Seattle is currently putting into Axelsson, we can expect a similar outcome this time around.

 

3. He's a versatile player, or has the potential to be. Or maybe he'll need to be. Seattle has their centres, but at the end of the day it doesn't hurt to have that extra youth coming up who can one day take over for the others as they age. Right now though, we largely expect Seattle to push him into the wings as he lands the short straw and is the weakest link in the Centre position.

 

NO'S

 

1. His work ethic is almost zero up until recently. This is an issue for himself and for Seattle, however, a flame seems to be lit under his ass right now. All eyes are on him, as stated before, to what is going to happen. One must remain cautious when dealing with players like this, but we have a good feeling that a depth player is something that is almost a guarantee for him now.

 

2. Low stats = Shit stuff happening. Right now, he's not developed at all but Seattle is calling him up to the big leagues because they are in dire need of filling position spots but have no cap to do so. They could have elected to have a higher player, but that would have cut into their depth. For Axelsson, he has lower stats and this won't be a great thing for him heading into the season. Look for a lower statistical season offensively.

 

3. Low scoring, no goals? It's a NO, or a weaknesses, but more so for him than Seattle. Axelsson is capable of making things happen this season too, despite what was said above. His pass first mentality could help make things happen this season and it's mostly for the fact that a majority of players throughout the leagues and dating back prefer to shoot first and score as opposed to gain the helpers. However, it's a weakness either way looking at his player page.

 

+8 for Axelsson

[Banackock 8,044]

beauty

[HellBillyXIII 61]

Review: like this guys build. Seems versatile and big enough to be relevant in the defensive zone. Hopefully you ride it out with this guy. Nice profile.