On Christmas Eve it felt like a good idea to do a write up on Detroit prospect Axel Sandin-Pellikka. Today it feels like it was an even better idea than I thought. The 19 year old leads his team in points and now has 21 points in 15 WJC games. For many (likely most) the dman can’t get in a winged wheel jersey quickly enough. This is an exciting player to watch.
Detroit’s trade that sent Hronek to Vancouver looks even brighter right now. The 19 year old right shot Dman stands 5’11” but was physical and had 3 goals and an assist in Sweden’s 5-2 win over Slovakia. It’s bitter sweet that he won’t stay in North America but certainly (hopefully) something to look forward to toward the end of the season.
In trying to draw comparable defensemen I thought of a young Brian Rafalski. The speed and demeanor that allowed him to more than make up for a smaller stature. In truth, ASP looks a lot like Raymond when he shoots and looks for open lanes. Whereas Rafalski had an immensely tippable shot Sandin-Pellikka can just hit the corners or go bar down.
Though I’m still cautious about the physicality of the North American game, ASP was physical in this contest. He plays at lot bigger than his frame may suggest. That doesn’t erase the adjustments needed when one of the Tkachuk boys has you in their sights. Those lessons are learned with ice packs and video replay.
If you didn’t see the game, you can check the goals below and the embedded video is a quick game summary. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. Sorry for 2 articles in one day, Todd McLellan was a surprise add to be sure!
1st Period goals:
Slovakia scores only goal of the first
Shots: 9-5 SWE
Score: 1-0 SVK
2nd Period goals:
ASP grabbed an assist on Sweden’s opening tally in the 2nd period. Nice play at the line to get to the goal scorer Bergqvist (MTL 7th round pick). Teammates on Skelleftea 1-1
After serving another penalty, ASP gets a hat trick goal. After a faceoff win the Dman walked the blue line to the middle of the ice and snapped a long shot in. 4-1 SWE
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