It's not every day one of the greatest players to ever take to the ice praises you. It's even rarer when you fill the niche Detroit Red Wings defenseman Albert Johansson does. The young Red Wings defenseman, who is currently playing for Team Sweden in the IIHF World Championships, earned some praise from franchise legend Nicklas Lidstrom in Hockeysverige today.
"He can play a little ugly at times, but we like that he competes all the time," reads the rough translation of Lidstrom's interview. "Also, he's good with the puck too, so there are a lot of different things we liked about Albert...He has a good understanding of the game."
Johansson has an assist in three games with Team Sweden and plays an average of around 22 minutes a night. Johansson is one of two Swedish Red Wings competing -- the other being Lucas Raymond. He, Raymond, Justin Faulk, Emmitt Finnie, Cam Talbot, Moritz Seider and prospect Max Plante make up the seven Red Wings competing in the tournament right now.
Lidstrom praises Johansson's progress
In January of 2022, the Red Wings named Lidstrom the Vice President of Hockey Operations. Since then, the seven-time Norrit Trophy winner has worked with every facet of the organization to bring it back to contender status. One of his duties involves properly analyzing the players on the roster.
"I think he had a great development and has taken steps all along -- partly in Grand Rapids," Lidstrom continued. "He never complained or made a fuss about himself. He continued to work hard and we saw him continue to make progress. When he got the chance up in the NHL with Detroit, he took it. He has been very good for us."
Johansson might be the most underrated player on the Red Wings. He's not the kind of player who will show up on the stat sheet often (though, when he does, it's always a treat). Where he excels, however, is through his subtlety. He stays under the radar and rarely, if ever, makes a poor decision.
In a way, he's a little like Lidstrom in that regard.
While Lidstrom is a clear cut hockey legend (and arguably the greatest defenseman to ever play hockey), there's no denying that they share the same subtlety. This is not to say that Johansson is a Lidstrom-tier defenseman, nor is it to suggest that he's going to become one. Rather, it speaks highly of Johansson that he's being praised by Lidstrom in this way.
How Johansson helps the Red Wings
"He has done a very good job, especially in his defensive game," Lidstrom said of Johansson's play in Detroit. "Very stable and can play both on the right and left side. Not many left-hander shooters are also good at their off side. His sense of play and skating are so good that he can play on both sides. He is very good at holding the puck and calm. We see a lot of upside with Albert."
Lidstrom's favorite part about Johansson's game, though, is his tenacity.
"He plays tough in his own zone and can be hard to face. Even though he is not huge, he can play tough and aggressive. That's something we like about Albert."
High praise from a hockey legend.
Add us as a preferred source on Google