Otto Stenberg, C/W SWE Jr.

Projected 1st rounder

Otto Stenberg played in both the J20 league and the SWEHL. He scored 11 goals 15 assists in 29 games with J20 and 1 goal 2 assists in 23 games with the pro team. Stenbergs draft stock has been steady all year projecting as an end of the 1st round talent. He had a bump at the end of the season when he torched the U18s by scoring 7 goals 9 assists in 7 games. He led all of team Sweden in scoring and basically cemented himself in the top 35 of the draft. Similar to Sandin-Pelikka, Stenberg excels at shiftiness with the puck. He is great at creating room for himself and plays at a high pace. He thinks the game faster than his age group. His regular season production might not be what you want from a late first round pick, but he passes the eye test. He has always had a high compete level and kept up with every level he has played with. I am sure scouts have accounted for this in their evaluations. I'm guessing he gets drafted anywhere from 20-32 in the 1st round. I see Stenberg similarly and ranked him in the middle. I love his skill-set more than most, but worry about his pro-projection and size at the NHL level.

Otto Stenberg excels in the puck carrying part of the game. His on-ice elusiveness and puck control abilities really stand out to me. If the NHL was all about puck posession, I'd be happy to get Stenberg in the top 20. The skill aspect of Stenbergs game is where his tools really shine. His offensive instincts have plenty of potential and I never came away with the impression that his IQ is low in that area. I saw him make much better decisions and show initiative in the offensive zone in the U18s. Something I didn't see as much in the regular season games I saw of him. As a skater, he has great speed for his size and will need to work on the strength aspect of his game. That goes for the power in his stride and gaining the ability to play more on the inside rather than the perimeter.

Also I'd really like to see Stenberg improve in the skill and vision area of his game. There needs to be better utilization of the tools at play. The skill is there, but he needs to use that to increase the regular season production. You don't see many weaker 5'11" guys thrive in the NHL with lesser production. I can see the appeal of drafting this type of player, especially if you need to concentrate on skill aspects over size. If your team drafts Stenberg, they are getting an elusive puck carrying forward that has plenty of skill and upside to be a top 6 forward.

Below is his Elite Prospects page

Elite Prospect's page for Otto Stenberg

Shooting Ability

2/4 Average

Skating

2/4 Average

Hockey IQ

2/4 Average

Playmaking/Puck skills

3/4 Above Average

Physicality/Compete

2/4 Average

Below are some sources to look at for visual demonstration;