Albert Johansson is a raw talent who has emerged over the course of the second half of this season. Earlier, the potential was there but he didn’t take charge of games, playing more on the safe side. He still plays safe but now he plays to his potential and takes over games with his great skating, skills and smarts. I see him as a potential big riser for this draft. As of now, there is no consensus of him in the top two rounds but I see him as a first-round talent if he gets everything together.
He has the offensive upside with his soft hands (although he needs to work on his shot) and smart decision-making with the puck but also a strong defensive mind, reach and stick work. He can adjust his game to the situation and take the role he needs to take for his team. He makes players around him better. He can contribute on both a power play and a penalty kill. I see Johansson as a future top four defenseman, but he will need some time to grow into his body and get stronger.
| Albert Johansson | 2019 NHL Draft Eligible |
|---|---|
| Position: D, Shoots L | H/W: 6-0", 168 lbs |
| Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) | Farjestad, SHL (3-0-0-0-0) |
| Farjestad, SuperElit (40-5-24-30-63) | |
| Farjestad BK J18, J18 Allsvenskan (1-0-2-2-0) | |
| Fajestad BK J18, J18 Elit (4-3-1-4-0) |
Shot: Johansson has good technique and puck control but needs to work on his shot. He too often misses the net or has trouble getting his shots through traffic. He can shoot hard and at speed. The potential is there but right now this a weakness in his game that makes him less dangerous from the point. Grade: 50
Skills: Johansson has great hands. He controls the puck well and is a precise passer that rarely makes mistakes. He can give you flashy dekes but all in all, he gives you consistency in his puck handling. He can pass the puck in various ways. If he needs to sauce the puck out of a tight spot, he will do so with precision, and if he needs to do a long hard cross pass, he will do that, too. His combination of good decision-making and skills is appealing to watch. His stick work without the puck is also strong. Even though he isn’t big in size he plays with good reach and defends well with his stick. Grade: 60
Smarts: He sees the ice well. He looks calm and turns his head and detects danger well. Johansson is strong in his two-way game and will play the game his team needs him to play. If he plays with a flashy offensive minded defenseman, Johansson will stay back and give his partner room to use his strengths. He plays responsible and makes players around him look better. Johansson also reads the offensive side of the game well and joins the rush when he has the chance. If the play is turned over, he is fast in getting back to the backcheck. He always seems to make the right decision with the puck and is an effective player for his team. The decision-making is Johansson’s biggest asset but sometimes, he can get a hot head and takes bad penalties. Hopefully, that is something that he will grow out of. Grade: 60
Physicality: Johansson isn’t big, and it doesn’t look like he has grown in to his body yet. He has good balance on his skates but needs to get stronger to win more physical battles. Johansson tends to be a bit soft along the boards and wins his battles more through good stick work than through sheer physical strength. He will be team loyal though, blocking shots and making that extra effort for his team in tight games, rarely just playing for himself or for his stat sheet. Grade: 45
Overall Future Projection (OFP): 56.25
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.