Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the daily column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day I will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2021 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here. Today we bring you our Isak Rosen Scouting Report.
Swedish forward Isak Rosen plays for Leksands and their affiliated teams. In 22 games in the SHL, he had just one assist. The 17-year-old struggled to find his feet playing against men. However, he was much better when playing against opponents his age. Rosen scored seven goals and five assists for 12 points in the J20 league. He also had two goals and four points in one game in the J18. Rosen really excelled at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships, scoring seven goals and two assists for nine points in seven games. He was named a top-three player on the team and helped the Swedes to a bronze medal.
In 2019-20, Rosen put up 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points in 38 games in the J20. It was the most points by any Under-17-year-old in the league. He also played for the Swedish National Team at the Under-17 World Hockey Challenge. Rosen scored two points in five tournament games. He had three points in one regular-season game in the J18. Rosen also added four points in a playoff game before the pandemic shut down the season.
Isak Rosen Scouting Report
Left Wing/Right Wing — shoots Left
Born March 15th, 2003 — Stockholm, Sweden.
Height 5’11” — Weight 161 lbs [180 cm/73 kg]
Skating
Rosen is an outstanding skater. His first steps as well as his acceleration are excellent. He is lightning quick and this helps him to be first on loose pucks. His ability to change speeds while moving through the neutral zone can fool defenders and helps him to create odd-man rushes. Rosen also has outstanding speed. He can take his man to the outside and cut to the front of the net. Rosen also has very good edgework and agility. He uses this to avoid defenders both with and without the puck. However, Rosen will need to add muscle to his frame. His lack of core strength can be an issue in his balance and in his ability to fight through checks. This should come as he matures.
Offensive Game
Rosen pairs his skating with excellent stickhandling. With his ability to make moves at top speed he is very good at moving the puck through the neutral zone and generating effective zone entries. This can help him to create chances off the rush or get set up in the offensive zone. Rosen is a pure sniper. He has an outstanding wrist shot with good accuracy and a quick release. His stickhandling helps him to change the shooting angle at the last second, getting around a defender or fooling a goaltender. His shot has very good power and could be even better with more strength on his frame. Rosen also has an excellent snapshot and a very good one-timer. His hands are good enough to score goals in tight. However, his lack of size and strength means he doesn’t win many of the net-front battles.
Rosen’s lack of strength also shows up in his work along the boards. He will again need to add muscle to be effective in this area against men. However, he gets in quickly on the forecheck and creates turnovers by pressuring the defence. His passing skill and vision are decent. However, playmaking is not the bread and butter of his game. He makes short, quick passes to the open man and then moves his feet, looking for open ice on a give-and-go. Rosen gets himself into good areas to shoot and is never afraid to fire the puck on the net.
Defensive Game
Rosen’s quickness also helps him in the defensive zone. He reads the play well and gets into passing lanes, creating turnovers and getting the puck up the ice. When a turnover is created, he is very good at starting the transition and getting the puck out of the zone. He is strong positionally and is willing to block shots when necessary. Rosen also provides effective backpressure, helping the defence against the rush. His lack of size can be an issue when defending against cycling forwards, as he can be pushed around by bigger and stronger opponents.
Projection and Comparison
Rosen has a very good all-around game and this will help him become a top-nine forward at the next level. The question will be if his offence can develop into a true top-six player. He will need to add strength and get better at winning battles in the dirty areas of the ice and along the boards. Rosen will also need to be more of a playmaking threat, to add variety to his game and keep opponents honest. His game is comparable to Viktor Arvidsson. This is a stylistic comparison only though and not one based on his skill and potential.
Highlights
The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of Isak Rosen that are available on youtube.
Check back tomorrow for our next NHL Draft article.
Isak Rosen Scouting Report Main Photo:
