I'd love to see Detroit pick him up with their second 1st round pick. He feels like the offensive dynamo on the blue line that Detroit has been missing for a long time.
Hmm a defensemen who might be considered good during the season but not in the playoffs? Sounds like he’d be perfect for the Canucks since they almost never make the playoffs anyway.
I’m a Skellefteå fan and watch every game, ASP got a shot in the SHL lineup due to some injuries on the blueline. From the moment he first stepped on the ice you could tell this guy has that special something. Elite vision, stick handling, passing and poise. He does have problems in the D-zone where he tends to get lost sometimes and puts himself in difficult situations without the puck. But then again this is common for young players in the SHL. Despite this the coach had a very hard time removing him from the roster (when the injured guys came back) since he played so well, he wasn’t supposed to play the amount of minutes he ended up doing but he made a big impact almost every shift. On a top team that reached the final and a very stacked blueline from the beginning. I would say he has a top 2 pairing potential, does he reach that? We’ll see, might take a couple of years but I think he has the potential to be a EK65 kind of player. Remember he was selected at #15 in 2008 ;)
Very close Shannon, the pronounciation is closer to "schellefteow", but really good for a non-scandinavian! Thanks alot for all your coverage, you truly are the best!
I had the pleasure of watching Pellikka play against my home team, the Belfast Giants, in the Champions Hockey League this past season. Granted, there is a huge disparity between SHL and UK Elite League in terms of skill, but Pellikka was unfazed by the heavier North American style the Giants brought and countered with a smart, deceptive transition game (as a 17 year old) against guys with significant European, NCAA, ECHL, and American league experience. He'll adapt well across the pond.
He is exceptional with the puck and I really like how he takes away the attackers stick when he is defending, and his gap control is really good because of his agile skating. So if his defensive awareness improves a few notches so he starts reaction to threats as quick as he will have to do in the NHL and stops coughing the puck up so much against forechecking, then he'll be an extremely strong defenseman. Will be very interesting to see how early he gets picked. Because I think he's in a very similar position as Will Smith is. Where he often makes overly complicated plays, but he gets away with it because he's so much better than his peers. So the question for players like them is if they will have the skill and balls to keep making plays like that in the NHL, or if they will simplify it to the extent where they lose what makes them great against their peers.
After the Red Wings July Camp ASP will go back to Skellefteå AIK for another year. Kronwall will be in Sweden to help Axel fix his defensive angles for his full year in the SHL. Nick will not turn Axel into a heavy hitter dman as his frame is not built for that. But just as long as ASP will learn to anticipate how to clog up passing lanes he will be able to gain some skills being a pest for opponents inside the blue line. ASPs defensive game can be fixed.
I remember Brian Burke recounting a story about the pre-draft interview with Nail Yakapov went so badly, one of the scouts almost got into a fight with him and the team vowed to not even consider drafting him if available. Teams do take those interviews seriously. Also, with today's high rate of roster turnovers and changing strengths and weaknesses, I doubt there is a GM that doesn't take "the best player available" when assessing talent that is at least 2-3 years away from competing for a roster spot.
I agree it was good, nailed the 'å' in the end :) but yes, the 'k' is silent. Funny thing is that even Swedes pronounce the start in "Skellefteå" differently. Some does the softer "sh" like in "shark", while the rest does more of a "ch" like in... hmm no real good English examples for the other type that I can come up with. The "sk" often is pronounced with the silent 'k'.
His size is comparable to Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Adam Fox. Two of those guys have Norris Trophies. There are other smaller defensemen coming into the league like Lane Hutson, who's even smaller. His size would be the least of my concerns if drafting him plus he may still have a bit more growing to do.
Sounds like David Reinbacher will be the first defenseman taken in the draft from what I'm reading. Sounds perfect for the Canucks to take a shot at Axel since he sounds like a reliable top-four option in the future.
I’m so tired of the narrative that you need to be a big defender in the playoffs. Makar won the Conn Smythe and the Norris at 5’11. There’s no reason ASP couldn’t also be a very good defenseman in the NHL
I expect Yzerman to draft Axel Sandin Pellikka at 10th overall. Why 10th not 9th? I could see Yzerman trading 9th and 17th overall to St. Louis for 10th, 25th and 29th overall. Yzerman could draft Axel Sandin Pellikka at 10th, Otto Stenberg at 25th and David Edstrom at 29th overall. 3 Swedes!
If Reinbacher is taken early(top 10).. ASP will probably taken a few spots after. I still prefer Simashev over ASP/Wall/etc. More of a playstyle choice then the 'best overall' ranking. By the way.. ASP isn't that small..might even be taller than Makar.. he is not even Lane Hudson small so his size isn't really an issue for from what I see. BUT if no one bytes on Reinbacher.. Vancouver might have a hand full of dman to choose from at 11.
You need to do some more looking up because that wasn't even close to saying Skellefteå! 😂 But I still commend the effort! I think ASP will be a top 4 D in the NHL, but there needs to be other D-men with size on that team. I can see him slip to late in round 1 due to the size. Not super late though. My gut says somewhere 15-19.
If we draft ASP I feel like our Defence will get more squishy nobody to protect the stars I think u draft the Center instead of the smaller d man but saying that maybe ASP makes our defence more lethal scoring wise but not defensive they could go out and try to trade for another right side guy and let bear go then draft ASP have Hughes Hronek ASP ….. Hirose myers Could be a decent d pair if we can get a good right shot d but tbh it’s gonna be pricey
Look I’m no hockey scout but this is a new generation of hockey if anything Cole Caufield & many other prospects of his size should show you that size does not matter in the NHL & that hockey IQ matters the most it’s about how player development & whose out there on the bench for the staff & players teaching/ helping that player grow & learn should this dude fall in the draft many will Gm’s will be shooting themselves in foot over this! I could be well up wrong over this but I stand with my perspective’s over this sport it’s a new game now the old days are done!
He’s in my top 10 no doubt. Size being an issue has to stop. He’s 5’9” 170lbs. He will get bigger. Guys like Gaudreau, debrincat, Caufield, Atkinson, Yamamoto who are like 5’7”-5’9” should make the size thing a non issue.
@@bajjanitor No im not. This is the right video. Makes no difference if he is a d man or a forward. His size is a non issue if you look at all the small guys in the league. Also he is 1.75m which is almost 5’9”. Axel is not 5’11”.
@@guitarcovers5437 "Makes no difference if he is a d man or a forward." Eh okay. Most teams disagree with that. And very weird that you chose to compare him with 5 forwards. "Also he is 1.75m which is almost 5’9”. Axel is not 5’11”." Dude, he was measured at the combine. He is 5'11".
@@bajjanitor If you wanna be argumentative go ahead. Jared spurgeon, torey krug, victor mete, nick blankensburg all 5’9”. Does that make you feel better now that i compared him to d men for you? How dare i compare a guy with other guys his size? Literally does not change my point in the slightest. Also im literally reading it right now that he is 1.75m so if its wrong then they haven’t changed it. Not much else I can do then read whats right in front of me. But hey it just helps my case more then that his size is a non issue if he is 5’11” and 170+ lbs.
@@guitarcovers5437 "Does that make you feel better now that i compared him to d men for you?" Nope, it made me feel worse. "How dare i compare a guy with other guys his size?" You compared him to 5 guys who are between 2 and 4 inches shorter than him and all of them being lighter. "Also im literally reading it right now that he is 1.75m so if its wrong then they haven’t changed it." "it" "they". Well you're reading from some really old and/or really wrong source. "Not much else I can do then read whats right in front of me." You could go read the reporting from the NHL Combine, where they measured all these prospects as recently as this month. But what do I know. "But hey it just helps my case more then that his size is a non issue if he is 5’11” and 170+ lbs." Great.
I have Axel as mid-20's on my rankings. When playing against his age group, he is a high-end player. He's faster and incredibly elusive but... He isn't very strong and his decision making in real time can be questionable. I also don't see his powerplay skills as translatable. He seems to take advantage of the open space and skating advantage he has over his age group. I just want to make it clear I am not hating on him. All of the above are the bad things in his game that put him lower in my rankings. There are plenty of positives too and a top 30 talent in the NHL draft is quite the feat
I appreciate you trying to get pronunciations correct but I'm sorry to say that wherever you got it from happened to be wrong this time. The sk in Skellefteå is pronounced as the ch in Cher (the artist). Source: I'm Swedish and it's a decently sized city so it makes the news every now and again. 😅 I'm really trying not to come across as a d*ck. It's a tough language and even Google can get it wrong sometimes. Skellefteå-Chellefteå❤ Nothing but love from me.
"The sk in Skellefteå is pronounced as the ch in Cher (the artist). Source: I'm Swedish and it's a decently sized city so it makes the news every now and again." Like 80% of Swedish people disagree with that.
As a Canucks fan, I hope they pick him over a “3rd line centre.” That’s not when you want to be looking for a player like that. A top 4 D is worth more. He’s smaller, I like Reinbacher more or one of the bigger D who can play defense, but he’d be a decent consolation prize. The problem is that you’d have 2 smaller top 4s and from what I’ve seen, having a big top pairing D is one of the most important things a Cup winner can have.
@@bajjanitor losing puck battles to a forward as a d man is generally an indicator of poor physicality but i guess he is perfect and it’s not worth mentioning things he can improve upon to become a better player lol
@@joeroganreal What are you getting all defensive for? Did you see something worth sharing or is a general "he lost a puck battle = poor physique" all you had in mind?
Thats not out of the blue tho. If there’s anyone from 6-15 who could have the potential to be the 5th best player in this draft its pelikka. His ceilling is higher than everyone in this draft except bedard, michkov, fantilli, carlsson and smith.
![Eminem - Fuel (feat. JID) [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t5H_CewqpKA/mqdefault.jpg)
I'd love to see Detroit pick him up with their second 1st round pick. He feels like the offensive dynamo on the blue line that Detroit has been missing for a long time.
Got your wish
We have a prophet
Give this guy a medal
It’s was clear the wings were going to pick this guy or willander
what a call!
Hmm a defensemen who might be considered good during the season but not in the playoffs? Sounds like he’d be perfect for the Canucks since they almost never make the playoffs anyway.
Exactly what I was thinking, knucks don't have to worry about playoff performance
I’m a Skellefteå fan and watch every game, ASP got a shot in the SHL lineup due to some injuries on the blueline. From the moment he first stepped on the ice you could tell this guy has that special something. Elite vision, stick handling, passing and poise. He does have problems in the D-zone where he tends to get lost sometimes and puts himself in difficult situations without the puck. But then again this is common for young players in the SHL. Despite this the coach had a very hard time removing him from the roster (when the injured guys came back) since he played so well, he wasn’t supposed to play the amount of minutes he ended up doing but he made a big impact almost every shift. On a top team that reached the final and a very stacked blueline from the beginning.
I would say he has a top 2 pairing potential, does he reach that? We’ll see, might take a couple of years but I think he has the potential to be a EK65 kind of player. Remember he was selected at #15 in 2008 ;)
Thanks for the insight! Very helpful
I love these prospect videos. Thanks The Hockey Guy
Thanks, Shannon, really appreciate your coverage of draft prospects.
Very close Shannon, the pronounciation is closer to "schellefteow", but really good for a non-scandinavian!
Thanks alot for all your coverage, you truly are the best!
Schell-eff-tey-oh.
She-Left-You
I had the pleasure of watching Pellikka play against my home team, the Belfast Giants, in the Champions Hockey League this past season. Granted, there is a huge disparity between SHL and UK Elite League in terms of skill, but Pellikka was unfazed by the heavier North American style the Giants brought and countered with a smart, deceptive transition game (as a 17 year old) against guys with significant European, NCAA, ECHL, and American league experience. He'll adapt well across the pond.
Keep in mind Axel was barely considered a first rounder before the season. Very mature and skilled with the puck at a young age.
Lol. He was def considered a first before the season.
@@Random-yb5di He was 29th on one list if I remember.
@@deadheads1352 thats still first round
@@deadheads1352 i saw 20 and 15th rankings last year.
He is exceptional with the puck and I really like how he takes away the attackers stick when he is defending, and his gap control is really good because of his agile skating. So if his defensive awareness improves a few notches so he starts reaction to threats as quick as he will have to do in the NHL and stops coughing the puck up so much against forechecking, then he'll be an extremely strong defenseman.
Will be very interesting to see how early he gets picked. Because I think he's in a very similar position as Will Smith is. Where he often makes overly complicated plays, but he gets away with it because he's so much better than his peers. So the question for players like them is if they will have the skill and balls to keep making plays like that in the NHL, or if they will simplify it to the extent where they lose what makes them great against their peers.
After the Red Wings July Camp ASP will go back to Skellefteå AIK for another year.
Kronwall will be in Sweden to help Axel fix his defensive angles for his full year in the SHL. Nick will not turn Axel into a heavy hitter dman as his frame is not built for that. But just as long as ASP will learn to anticipate how to clog up passing lanes he will be able to gain some skills being a pest for opponents inside the blue line. ASPs defensive game can be fixed.
Truly getting into some NHL 23 names
I had to double take the title.. Dude just won the Norris at 31 in my franchise mode, if that's any sign 🤷♂️😅 lol
I remember Brian Burke recounting a story about the pre-draft interview with Nail Yakapov went so badly, one of the scouts almost got into a fight with him and the team vowed to not even consider drafting him if available. Teams do take those interviews seriously.
Also, with today's high rate of roster turnovers and changing strengths and weaknesses, I doubt there is a GM that doesn't take "the best player available" when assessing talent that is at least 2-3 years away from competing for a roster spot.
In franchise mode as Vancouver, I always tank year 1 and draft Bedard and Pellikka in the 1st round.
9 goals as of today, on pace to shatter the scoring record. He's gonna be a great red wing!
The Oracle has spoken!
You know who else was a smart, puck-moving Swedish defenseman who fell in the draft? Nick Lidstrom (taken 53rd)
Did he fall though..? I don't think Lidström was ever rated high.
Yeah nick didn’t fall no one besides Detroit knew who he was and they didn’t even know what he was gonna be
Are you going to do a draft needs video?
The Frank Corrado story of him being a 7th d and working his way to pp1 by the end of a game really impresses me
Good job on the pronunciation! Just make sure to get the “Sch”-sound at the beginning instead of the “Sk” for full marks!
I've had to memorize this pronunciation because my school's goaltender is from there 😅
I agree it was good, nailed the 'å' in the end :) but yes, the 'k' is silent. Funny thing is that even Swedes pronounce the start in "Skellefteå" differently. Some does the softer "sh" like in "shark", while the rest does more of a "ch" like in... hmm no real good English examples for the other type that I can come up with.
The "sk" often is pronounced with the silent 'k'.
His size is comparable to Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Adam Fox. Two of those guys have Norris Trophies. There are other smaller defensemen coming into the league like Lane Hutson, who's even smaller.
His size would be the least of my concerns if drafting him plus he may still have a bit more growing to do.
Sound like a Bruce Driver type if he can have Bruce Driver career would be great
Sounds like David Reinbacher will be the first defenseman taken in the draft from what I'm reading. Sounds perfect for the Canucks to take a shot at Axel since he sounds like a reliable top-four option in the future.
I’m so tired of the narrative that you need to be a big defender in the playoffs. Makar won the Conn Smythe and the Norris at 5’11. There’s no reason ASP couldn’t also be a very good defenseman in the NHL
I expect Yzerman to draft Axel Sandin Pellikka at 10th overall. Why 10th not 9th? I could see Yzerman trading 9th and 17th overall to St. Louis for 10th, 25th and 29th overall. Yzerman could draft Axel Sandin Pellikka at 10th, Otto Stenberg at 25th and David Edstrom at 29th overall. 3 Swedes!
Im a swede so i wouldn’t have anything against it, but why would he only pick swedes??
I believe there's a greater chance Yzerman tries trading for a top 6-7 pick.
@@Random-yb5di Red Wings have a lot of Swedes right now. But thats not because they only want Swedes :p
We really need a Rd with a sweet slapper you think jw
Maybe with Vegas winning the cup and their well documented defense GM's will want bigger defenseman and he slips to 11 🤞
LGRW
If Reinbacher is taken early(top 10).. ASP will probably taken a few spots after. I still prefer Simashev over ASP/Wall/etc. More of a playstyle choice then the 'best overall' ranking.
By the way.. ASP isn't that small..might even be taller than Makar.. he is not even Lane Hudson small so his size isn't really an issue for from what I see. BUT if no one bytes on Reinbacher.. Vancouver might have a hand full of dman to choose from at 11.
Craig Button has him at 5 he compared him to Zubov
Hey you look like LarryNHL Hockey 😂
You need to do some more looking up because that wasn't even close to saying Skellefteå! 😂
But I still commend the effort!
I think ASP will be a top 4 D in the NHL, but there needs to be other D-men with size on that team.
I can see him slip to late in round 1 due to the size. Not super late though. My gut says somewhere 15-19.
If we draft ASP I feel like our Defence will get more squishy nobody to protect the stars I think u draft the Center instead of the smaller d man but saying that maybe ASP makes our defence more lethal scoring wise but not defensive they could go out and try to trade for another right side guy and let bear go then draft ASP have
Hughes Hronek
ASP …..
Hirose myers
Could be a decent d pair if we can get a good right shot d but tbh it’s gonna be pricey
I hope the Sabres draft him at 13.
Look I’m no hockey scout but this is a new generation of hockey if anything Cole Caufield & many other prospects of his size should show you that size does not matter in the NHL & that hockey IQ matters the most it’s about how player development & whose out there on the bench for the staff & players teaching/ helping that player grow & learn should this dude fall in the draft many will Gm’s will be shooting themselves in foot over this! I could be well up wrong over this but I stand with my perspective’s over this sport it’s a new game now the old days are done!
So, NHL scouts will keep passing on pure skill for kind of useless super size???
theres no way were still talking about size being a problem in the nhl
Don't you see how much Orlov struggles physically because he is 5'11"? All the 6'2"+ kids ragdolls him constantly! :D
Tell that to Vegas who are overall a huge team!!! They effed the Panthers who were a dirty team.
@@iainmore3961 conn smthe winner is 5'9
Cake makar, 5’11. A player who must not be good in the playoffs because of his size… right nhl scouts? This “he’s too small” nonsense needs to stop.
He’s in my top 10 no doubt. Size being an issue has to stop. He’s 5’9” 170lbs. He will get bigger. Guys like Gaudreau, debrincat, Caufield, Atkinson, Yamamoto who are like 5’7”-5’9” should make the size thing a non issue.
Ehm I think you're responding to the wrong video. This is a 5'11" defenseman not some 5'9" forward.
@@bajjanitor No im not. This is the right video. Makes no difference if he is a d man or a forward. His size is a non issue if you look at all the small guys in the league. Also he is 1.75m which is almost 5’9”. Axel is not 5’11”.
@@guitarcovers5437 "Makes no difference if he is a d man or a forward."
Eh okay. Most teams disagree with that. And very weird that you chose to compare him with 5 forwards.
"Also he is 1.75m which is almost 5’9”. Axel is not 5’11”."
Dude, he was measured at the combine. He is 5'11".
@@bajjanitor If you wanna be argumentative go ahead. Jared spurgeon, torey krug, victor mete, nick blankensburg all 5’9”. Does that make you feel better now that i compared him to d men for you? How dare i compare a guy with other guys his size? Literally does not change my point in the slightest. Also im literally reading it right now that he is 1.75m so if its wrong then they haven’t changed it. Not much else I can do then read whats right in front of me. But hey it just helps my case more then that his size is a non issue if he is 5’11” and 170+ lbs.
@@guitarcovers5437 "Does that make you feel better now that i compared him to d men for you?"
Nope, it made me feel worse.
"How dare i compare a guy with other guys his size?"
You compared him to 5 guys who are between 2 and 4 inches shorter than him and all of them being lighter.
"Also im literally reading it right now that he is 1.75m so if its wrong then they haven’t changed it."
"it" "they". Well you're reading from some really old and/or really wrong source.
"Not much else I can do then read whats right in front of me."
You could go read the reporting from the NHL Combine, where they measured all these prospects as recently as this month. But what do I know.
"But hey it just helps my case more then that his size is a non issue if he is 5’11” and 170+ lbs."
Great.
It's Shellefteå when it is sk in Swedish. Ske haters tell english speakers to say "Sheleftyou" 😅
And the locals don't prononounce the "å". They say "Shellefte"
That's actually funny
not in top 10..maybe 13-17
He is probably top 6 if you draft by potential
I have Axel as mid-20's on my rankings. When playing against his age group, he is a high-end player. He's faster and incredibly elusive but... He isn't very strong and his decision making in real time can be questionable. I also don't see his powerplay skills as translatable. He seems to take advantage of the open space and skating advantage he has over his age group.
I just want to make it clear I am not hating on him. All of the above are the bad things in his game that put him lower in my rankings. There are plenty of positives too and a top 30 talent in the NHL draft is quite the feat
Size does mean a lot when you are playing against Trouba. Just ask Seth Jarvis
I appreciate you trying to get pronunciations correct but I'm sorry to say that wherever you got it from happened to be wrong this time. The sk in Skellefteå is pronounced as the ch in Cher (the artist). Source: I'm Swedish and it's a decently sized city so it makes the news every now and again. 😅
I'm really trying not to come across as a d*ck. It's a tough language and even Google can get it wrong sometimes. Skellefteå-Chellefteå❤
Nothing but love from me.
"The sk in Skellefteå is pronounced as the ch in Cher (the artist). Source: I'm Swedish and it's a decently sized city so it makes the news every now and again."
Like 80% of Swedish people disagree with that.
As a Canucks fan, I hope they pick him over a “3rd line centre.” That’s not when you want to be looking for a player like that. A top 4 D is worth more. He’s smaller, I like Reinbacher more or one of the bigger D who can play defense, but he’d be a decent consolation prize. The problem is that you’d have 2 smaller top 4s and from what I’ve seen, having a big top pairing D is one of the most important things a Cup winner can have.
him being just a fine defender/poor physically and the abundance of forward prospects will cause him to fall in the draft. but not past the teens
Poor physically?
@@bajjanitor yes??? he was outworked by forwards at times which led to goals in some instances lol
@@joeroganreal Hm. So which physical deficiency did that show to you?
@@bajjanitor losing puck battles to a forward as a d man is generally an indicator of poor physicality but i guess he is perfect and it’s not worth mentioning things he can improve upon to become a better player lol
@@joeroganreal What are you getting all defensive for? Did you see something worth sharing or is a general "he lost a puck battle = poor physique" all you had in mind?
Clueless Craig Button had him at #5.
TSN sure loves giving Button screen time. Feels like he’s the NHL’s equivalent of Mel Kiper Jr.
Thats not out of the blue tho. If there’s anyone from 6-15 who could have the potential to be the 5th best player in this draft its pelikka. His ceilling is higher than everyone in this draft except bedard, michkov, fantilli, carlsson and smith.
Garl y1.5.0 too small.
When the Canucks trade the 11th pick for Barbashev and a 4.8 x 8 year contact extension