The Newest Detroit Red Wing: Simon Edvinsson

Sunday afternoon, The Detroit Red Wings Announced the signing of former first-round selection: Simon Edvinsson.

The Detroit Red Wings drafted left-handed defenseman, Simon Edvinsson, in the first-round of the 2021 NHL entry draft. Edvinsson, who has been in the SHL with Frolunda HC for the past four seasons, has been nothing but spectacular in every way you can imagine.

Edvinsson was one of the top ranked players in the NHL entry draft last season, and the Red Wings were lucky enough to land the future superstar defenseman. Better yet, this pick, if it pans out, would give right-handed defenseman, Mortiz Seider, a great counterpart.

Simon Edvinsson’s Scouting Reports

So, for those of you who aren’t familiar with Simon Edvinsson’s game, I decided it’d be best if you heard it from some of the best NHL entry draft scouts out there:

Here is what ‘The Athletic’s’ Corey Pronman had to say about Simon Edvinsson:

“Edvinsson was impressive in the junior ranks in Sweden. He was good, but not amazing at varying pro levels and was an anchor for Sweden’s U18 team internationally. He stands out instantly as a 6-foot-4 defenseman with legit offensive skill. It’s rare to see a player his size lead a rush or make a play off the blue line and dangle through opponents consistently like he does. Edvinsson is also quite a good skater for his size. His straightaway speed is just OK, but he’s got great edgework, showing the first step and quick turns to elude pressure and create clean exits and entries. Defensively his size and skating allow him to close gaps and make a lot of stops and he’s not afraid to be physical. He’s not a dynamic playmaker, but Edvinsson can make the heads-up first pass and shows some power-play poise. In a sentence, Edvinsson projects as a quality top-four defenseman and on a power-play unit with the potential to play higher in an NHL lineup.”

Here is what ‘The Athletic’s’ Scott Wheeler had to say about Simon Edvinsson:

“Edvinsson’s a contradiction and my constant 180s in terms of where I’m at on him relative to the rest of this draft’s top prospects are contradicting too. He’s just impossible to get a true pulse on. I fell in love with him late last year and then he wowed me enough in a couple of preseason SHL viewings for me to rank him No. 2 at the start of the year. He’s a huge defenceman with superb hands and confidence that you can’t teach. That’s enough to get any scout really, really excited. He tries things, he usually pulls them off, and he’s more comfortable handling the puck under pressure than just about any 6-foot-4 teenaged defenceman I’ve ever watched not named Rasmus Dahlin. But there’s also a lot about his game that makes projecting him forward difficult, including the fact that he’s got a weak point shot and his forward skating stride can look a little wonky and gangly, splaying from the knees and dragging the toe of his boots. I love his raw tools and traits. I love his aggressiveness (not just with the puck but without it, where he closes gaps quickly and steps up to play physically against the rush). But I worry about the results and some of the kinks. If he can put it all together, he’s going to be a unique defenceman who will warrant his inevitably high pick. If he doesn’t, though, his development may run into some barriers you don’t typically expect a top prospect will face.”

Simon Edvinsson’s 2021-22 Season

Simon Edvinsson just finished up his season with Frolunda HC. This past season he played in 44 games with Frolunda HC and additionally played in the world juniors as well.

In those 44 games this past season he had two goals and 17 assists for 19 total points. He also finished with a +13 to go along with those 19 points.

As you can see and infer, he didn’t exactly have a standout season. Nonetheless, he did finish with almost a half point per game as a defenseman which is respectable. He also finished with a +13 which is pretty good. Not great, but good.

In the world juniors, he played in two games for Sweeden. In those two games, he had a goal and two assists for three points. Which, yes, it’s not a huge sample size, but still a good stat line to look at.