The Toronto Maple Leafs have drafted Swedish right winger Carl Grundstrom from Modo of the SHL with their 57th overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft.
If the Yegor Korshkov pick at 31 was a reach according to the rankings, Grundstrom comes in later than the consensus at 57.
Grundstrom, 6’1, 194 pounds, played his entire draft season in top-flight Swedish hockey with Modo, accumulating 16 points in 46 regular season games and adding four points in seven playoff games. He scored one goal in seven games at the 2016 World Junior Championship.
Leaf pick Carl Grundstrom can score. In Jr, had top PPG [ahead of Alex Nylander.] This yr, #1 scoring 18 yo in SHL [on a bad MODO team.]
— Quinn MacKeen (@quinnesq) June 25, 2016
Carl Grundstrom Rankings
- Ranked #36 by Hockeyprospect.com
- Ranked #53 by ISS Hockey
- Ranked #44 by Future Considerations
- Ranked #41 by McKeen’s Hockey
- Ranked #6 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
- Ranked #40 by Bob McKenzie
Carl Grundstrom Scouting Report
Courtesy of the 2016 NHL Draft Black Book
Grundstrom logged a full season with MODO in SHL, putting up a respectable 16 points in 49 games and also appeared for the Swedish U20 squad internationally. Coming in at 6 feet and 194 pounds, Grundstrom already has a fairly strong build which helps him compete against men. He has a strong compete level which is apparent in his will to drive the net with and without the puck. Once he gets going he shows above average skating ability, which helps him arrive to the net with speed and cause havoc. He likes to play a power-game at a high pace that when working continually drags the defense out of position and causes coverage break-downs as the defense will need to continually re-assess their position.
Grundstrom also likes to play a physical game, throwing his body around on the forecheck, in fact we have seen him make some borderline dangerous hits which resulted in penalties. His physicality and compete along with speed allow him to play an up-tempo game full of energy, but he also has enough puck skills to play with more skilled players.
That said, we have also seen Grundstrom make some rather questionable decisions with the puck. He has at times struggled to let the play develop. Instead of making a smart play, he would be stuck in his uptempo mindset and force passes that weren’t there or take himself out of play. For Grundstrom to project as a player that could play with skilled players at the NHL level, he will need to iron out those decision-making qualities and add some polish to the way he processes the game.
Carl Grundstrom Statistics
| SEASON | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | POST | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | IF Björklöven U16 | U16 SM | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | | ||||||||
| 2011-12 | IF Björklöven U16 | U16 SM | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | | | |||||||
| IF Björklöven J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | | | ||||||||
| 2012-13 | IF Björklöven U16 | U16 SM | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | | | ||||||||
| IF Björklöven J18 | J18 Elit | 19 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 24 | 12 | | | ||||||||
| IF Björklöven J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 18 | -2 | | | ||||||||
| Sweden U16 (all) | International-Jr | 11 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 0 | | | ||||||||
| 2013-14 | MODO Hockey J18 | J18 Elit | 8 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 20 | | | |||||||
| MODO Hockey J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 10 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 37 | 12 | | | Playoffs | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 2 | |
| MODO Hockey J20 | SuperElit | 31 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | -6 | | | Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | |
| Sweden U17 | WHC-17 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | | | |||||||||
| Sweden U17 (all) | International-Jr | 13 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | -2 | | | ||||||||
| 2014-15 | MODO Hockey J18 | J18 Elit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | |||||||
| MODO Hockey J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | | | Playoffs | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| MODO Hockey J20 | SuperElit | 27 | 21 | 15 | 36 | 53 | 15 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | |
| MODO Hockey | SHL | 24 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -4 | | | ||||||||
| Sweden U18 | WJC-18 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 0 | | | ||||||||
| Sweden U18 (all) | International-Jr | 20 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 20 | 3 | | | ||||||||
| 2015-16 | MODO Hockey J20 | SuperElit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | | | |||||||
| MODO Hockey | SHL | 49 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 53 | -2 | | | Relegation | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | |
| Sweden U20 | WJC-20 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | | | ||||||||
| Sweden U20 (all) | International-Jr | 20 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 2 | | | ||||||||
| 2016-17 | Frölunda HC | SHL | - | - | - | - | - | | | ||||||||
