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Liam Ohgren Scouting Report: 2021 NHL Draft #21

Liam Ohgren 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 2022 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 Liam Ohgren Scouting Report. 

Swedish forward Liam Ohgren split time between the SHL club with Djurgardens IF and their junior teams. While he didn’t get a lot of ice time in the SHL, he played 25 games and picked up a goal and an assist. As a 17-year-old he led the J20 league in goals and was close to the top of the point charts despite playing just 30 games. He picked up 33 goals and 25 assists for 58 points. Ohgren also helped the team to the league final, putting up two goals and four assists for six points in six playoff games. Ohgren also helped the Djurgardens J18 to the league title. He scored five goals and four assists for nine points in five playoff games.

Ohgren also spent time with the Swedish National Under-18 Team this year. He put up four goals and three assists for seven points in five games at the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament. Ohgren helped Sweden to the bronze medal. He captained the team at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships, leading them to a gold medal. Ohgren scored three goals and six assists for nine points in nine games.

Liam Ohgren Scouting Report

Left Wing — shoots Left
Born January 28th, 2004 — Stockholm, Sweden
Height 6’1″ — Weight 187 [185 cm/85 kg]

Skating

Ohgren is a very good skater. His stride is nearly textbook, showing excellent knee bend and good leg extension. This leads to Ohgren having excellent acceleration as well as near elite-level top-end speed. If he gets a step on a defender, he can easily pull away. He can take a defender wide and drop his shoulder to cut to the front of the net. Ohgren could use some work on his edgework though. He can lose some speed in his turns, taking them a little too wide and can get better crossovers. This can come with a little work with a skating coach though. His agility is good as his lateral movement is an asset.

Ohgren is strong on his feet. His stride is powerful and he can fight through checks when moving at speed. He is decent along the boards for his age. He should also get even better as he matures and adds muscle. His board work can be decent in the junior leagues but becomes a liability in the SHL when he faces stronger opponents.

Offensive Game

Ohgren’s offensive game is well-rounded. He has an excellent wrist shot. It is both accurate and powerful. His lightning-quick release is also a big asset. His ability to get his shot off quickly as well as the soft hands to change his release point just before shooting give opposing goalies real issues. Ohgren can create his own shot with his speed on the rush. When defenders back off, he uses them as a screen and fires the puck on the net. He also has a good snapshot and slap shot. Ohgren has a knack for finding soft spots in the defence and getting open to take a pass from a teammate and fire a one-timer on the net.

Ohgren can also play the role of playmakder. His stickhandling is very good. He marries this with his skating and makes plays at top speed. Ohgren can weave through traffic and generates effective zone entries. He will need to get stronger on his skates in the cycle game though. This will help him to control the puck down low and extend possession. Ohgren has good vision and passing skills. He can find the open man and makes good decisions with the puck. Ohgren can fire a pass through a tight passing lane. He can create those passing lanes with a quick dangle or good lateral movement just before passing the puck. While Ohgren is decent in board battles against other teenagers, he will need to get stronger to excel at this part of the game when facing top opposition.

Defensive Game

Ohgren is also good defensively. He uses his speed to get back in the defensive zone and provides good back pressure against the rush. Ohgren pressures the puck carrier into rushing his plays. He also can support the defence down low when necessary. Ohgren puts his body in good position to cut down passing and shooting lanes. He is not afraid to get out to the point and block shots. Ohgren plays a responsible game and makes sure his team has cleared the zone before taking too many offensive chances. He works hard to battle on the boards, but must get stronger. When a turnover is created, he is quick to transition the puck up the ice and create offence.

Projection and Comparison

Ohgren’s game is well-rounded and he does well in most areas. His shot, passing ability, skating, size, and defensive game will all help him to make the next level. The question is how high his ceiling is. If he develops correctly, he could become a top-six winger. However, he doesn’t seem to truly excel in any one area and that may prevent him from being a franchise level winger. Ohgren needs some time though. He will likely spend another year or two in Sweden, adding muscle to his frame, and continuing to sharpen his game before coming to North America. His game is reminscent of Jesper Bratt. 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 Liam Ohgren that are available on youtube and Twitter.

 

Check back tomorrow for our latest 2022 NHL Draft Article.

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