Drafted 31st Overall by Columbus Blue Jackets
Sweden has really started to develop a number of quality goaltending prospects in recent years, and Oscar Dansk is hoping to join a group including Jacob Markstrom, Robin Lehner, Jhonas Enroth, and Johan Gustavsson as the next generation of Swedish goaltenders. Dansk has played for Sweden in winning bronze at the 2011 Ivan Hlink tournament, and silver at the 2012 IIHF Under 18 World Hockey Championships. Dansk is playing in the Brynas system, currently playing for their junior team in the Swedish J20 league. Dansk has had exposure to the North American game playing for 3 years in the famous Shattuck St. Mary’s program. Dansk joins Malcolm Subban, and Andrei Vasilevski as the top 3 goalie prospects in this year’s draft.
Goalie
Born February 28, 1994 — Stockholm Sweden
Height 6.02 — Weight 185 — Shoots L — Catches L
Dansk is a tall athletic goalie. He plays the traditional butterfly style. Dansk has good athleticism, and quick reflexes. He moves well laterally and slides quickly from post to post and is able to make some very nice saves as a result. He is also extremely strong down low, and covers the bottom of the net effectively. He is great at stopping the first shot and is rarely beaten on a clean opportunity. Dansk has an excellent glove hand though he could use some work on his blocker side. Dansk is a good puckhandler and is always coming out of his net to play the puck. He may even come out of his net more than many coaches would feel comfortable with.
Dansk shows very good technique in the net. He goes down in a wide butterfly stance, but it is controlled and there are no gaps. He has very good size and covers a lot of the net. He is quick to recover when he does drop down and gets ready for the second shot. His movements in the crease are controlled and smart. He could use some work on his rebound control, as this will need to be developed with experience.
Dansk’s demeanor in the net is cool and calm. He recovers quickly from goals against and plays with a quiet confidence. He can sometimes get flustered by big strong forwards crashing the net, and he’ll have to learn to deal with this to succeed in the NHL. Adding more muscle onto his big frame will help him to deal with this more effectively.
Dansk has the size and skills necessary to project as a future starting goalie in the NHL, however the team drafting him will need to be patient as it often takes goaltenders time to develop into effective pros.
… and thats the Last Word.
