2015 NHL Draft Profiles: Joel Ek Eriksson
Joel Ek Eriksson, 6’2 Centre, Farjestad (Swedish Hockey League)
Joel Ek Eriksson Rankings:
- 20th by ISS Hockey
- 26th by Future Considerations
- 18th McKeen’s Hockey
- 43rd by Bob Mckenzie consensus rankings
Joel Ek Eriksson Strengths:
- Effort and energy – Eriksson has been described as a strong two-way player and brings a great deal of intensity with each and every shift; he is a fierce workhorse on the forecheck and brings some of the best board play in this draft class; he finishes checks, blocks shots, win pucks battles and simply wants it more than anyone else; this is your prototypical coach’s dream – a player who leads by example every night
- Goal-scoring ability – He is more of a natural scorer than a play-maker, displaying good scoring instincts and positional understanding; he has an above average wrist shot and is deft at finding and putting in loose pucks around the net
Joel Ek Eriksson Criticisms:
- Top end potential – Some teams like to be able to hit a home run in the first round and it’s unlikely that Eriksson will ever be that type of player; while he does a lot of things well, you’d be hard pressed to say he does anything at an “elite” level’; his skating ability and overall offensive talent will likely grade out as average
The Verdict:
- Potential two-way centre – He figures to be more of an excellent complementary piece than a centerpiece of a winning team; considering the importance of strength down the middle in today’s NHL, that’s certainly more than enough to justify a late first round selection; his impact could be in the mold of an Andrew Ladd or a David Backes type of player
- Draft Day – Eriksson projects to be slot in comfortably toward the latter third of the first round
Joel Ek Eriksson Statistics
Season | Team | Lg | GP | G | A | Pts | + / - |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013-14 | Farjestad J18 | J18 Elit | 19 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 21 |
Farjestad J18 | J18 Allvenskan | 14 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 5 | |
Farjestad J20 | SuperElit | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
Sweden U17 | Int. JR | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
2014-15 | Farjestad J20 | SuperElit | 25 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 13 |
Farjestad | SHL | 34 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
Sweden U18 | Int. JR | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 2 |
Joel Ek Eriksson Video
Joel Ek Eriksson – Shift by Shift:
Joel Ek Eriksson – Highlights: