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William Stromgren Scouting Report: 2021 NHL Draft #39

William Stromgren Scouting Report

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 “2021 NHL Draft”! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here. Today we bring you our William Stromgren Scouting Report. 

Swedish winger William Stromgren has been playing in the Modo Hockey system but was recently traded to Rogle BK. Playing for the men’s team in the Allsvenskan, he put up three goals and nine points in 27 games this year. It was the most points by an under-18 player in the Allsvenskan this season. He also played 14 games in the J20 league scoring 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points. He led the North Division in goals. Stromgren also put up one goal and three points in the J18 league. With Swedish junior leagues ending their season early due to COVID-19, he was lent out to Örnsköldsvik HF in the Swedish third division. Stromgren put up one goal and 12 points in 11 regular-season games. He also added two goals in four games in the relegation playoffs.

Stromgren played with Team Sweden at the IIHF U20 Worlds, helping the team to a bronze medal. He scored two goals and three assists for five points in the seven-game tournament. In 2019-20, Stromgren played 22 games in the J18 Elit league. He scored 17 goals and 20 assists for 37 points to lead the league in scoring.

William Stromgren Scouting Report

Left Wing — shoots Left
Born June 7th, 2003 — Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
Height 6’3″ — Weight 176 lbs [191 cm/80 kg]

Skating

Stromgren is a very good skater. He has a long and powerful stride. This gives him excellent acceleration as well as very good top-end speed. Stromgren’s ability to change speeds helps to create space and fool defenders. He also has the ability to take a defender wide and cut hard to the net. Stromgren also has very good edgework and agility. His cross-overs are very good and allow him to accelerate out of turns. He is also able to get around a defender with quick changes in direction. Stromgren has very good lower-body strength. He has very good balance as well as the ability to fight through checks and keep moving to the dirty areas of the ice. Stromgren is able to win battles on the boards and in front of the net. This should continue to improve as he matures and adds muscle to his frame.

Offensive Game

Stromgren is a pure goal scorer. He loves to take the puck to the front of the net, working to get there with power. In tight he can score goals with his quick hands. He can elevate the puck over the goaltender from in tight to the net. Stromgren can finish on both his forehand and his backhand. His quick hands can also deflect pucks and bang in rebounds. Stromgren has a powerful and accurate wrist shot. His release is good, but can still be even quicker. However, with his quick hands, he is able to change the angle of his release, fooling goaltenders. Stromgren has a knack for getting open without the puck, finding the soft spots in the defence and setting himself in good position for a pass.

While mainly a scorer, Stromgren shows some playmaking ability. He can make a pass through a tight passing lane to set up a teammate. He could be even more effective if he passed the puck more, but can often get tunnel vision and focus on scoring goals himself. Stromgren is also good on the cycle game. He uses his size as well as his stickhandling ability to protect the puck down low. His hands and skating ability help him to gain the zone quickly and efficiently. He is also quick to get in on the forecheck and pressure defenders into mistakes.

Defensive Game

Stromgren’s defensive game is a work in progress. He can sometimes focus too much on watching the puck and stop moving his feet in the defensive zone. This causes him to lose his man and cause him to be a defensive liability. If one of his teammates creates a turnover, he can leave the zone early looking for a long breakaway pass instead of setting himself up for the safe outlet pass that will get the transition game started. Stromgren also tends to get caught up the ice at times. He is often the last man back in the defensive end. Stromgren will need to be coached on his positioning and work in his own end of the ice. He also needs to work on his discipline as he can take bad penalties by being out of position.

Projection and Comparison

Stromgren is a boom or bust prospect. His size, skating ability and goal-scoring skills are a rare combination that will intrigue NHL scouts. However, he needs to work on playing more of a team game. Stromgren can learn to be a bit less selfish with the puck. He also needs to work on his defensive game. If he can overcome these issues and reach his potential, Stromgren can become a top-six winger in the NHL. However, if he does not overcome the issues, he will drive coaches crazy and have trouble maintaining a spot in the lineup. When at his best, Stromgren’s game is reminiscent of Chris Kreider. However, this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill and ability.

Highlights

The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of William Stromgren that are available on youtube and twitter.

 

Come back tomorrow for our latest NHL Draft article.

 

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