ANAHEIM – The Anaheim Ducks credibly are more than attracted to players from the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In fact, Anaheim has been nicknamed “Swedenheim”. In past years, Ducks Coach Bob Murray has made what some thought were strange choices, of Swedish players that were not strong prospects but have turned into gold for the team. With their second pick in the first round, ProHockeyNews projects the Ducks 
will select another Swede and choose forward Nils Höglander of the Rögle BK of the SHL.
After spending most of the past two seasons playing in a men’s league, Höglander has made the move to the top level for his draft season. There isn’t a lot of scouting information or video on Höglander pre-Draft, but what there is indicates he is a solid player with great skating ability and acceleration. He plays left-wing, is 18, shoots left-handed, and is 5’9’’, 185 lbs. Even though Rögle is one of the worst teams in the SHL and Höglander played only limited minutes, he has managed to put up decent numbers considering his age and inexperience. Höglander became an essential part of the team that made the playoffs. He played 50 games, scoring 14 points.
Höglander is a very good skater with quick feet and seemingly instant acceleration to top speed. He is a good stick-handler and may have the best hands in this year’s draft according to Corey Pronman of The Athlectic.
Höglander is undersized but this doesn’t keep him from throwing big hits. He has been described as fearless in the corners and isn’t afraid of getting scrappy in front of the net.
Junior Associate Editor at Dobber Prospects, Jokke Nevalainen has said of Höglander, “ he has top-six upside but even if his offensive upside doesn’t fully materialize, he can still become a great third-liner. He will likely require another year of development before challenging for a spot on an NHL roster.”
New young players are needed for this team’s roster as Ryan Kesler is 35, Patrick Eaves is 35, Ryan Getzlaf is 34 and Corey Perry is 34. As a reminder, Anaheim has the ninth overall pick in the Draft and Pro Hockey News predicted they would select Matthew Boldy (May 30, 2019 article). This selection was based on Boldy’s size and powerful skating, something currently lacking on the Ducks’ roster. Add Höglander’s speed and grit and the Ducks first round picks look to add solid talent to their roster.
“With the 24th pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Anaheim Ducks are pleased to select, Nils Höglander of the Rögle BK in the Swedish Hockey League.”
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