Despite the fact Edmonton traded away their first-round pick, there’s still going to be some high-quality talent around where they’ll make their first selection in the second round.
A few days ago, Oilersnation’s Liam Horrobin looked at Kelowna Rockets defenceman Caden Price, which you can read here. Today, we’ll look at one of the youngest players in the draft, forward Felix Unger Sörum.
NHL DRAFT CONTENT PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Felix Unger Sörum Scouting Report and Profile
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Nationality: Sweden
Date of Birth: August 24, 2005
Height: 5’11” / 181 cm
Weight: 172 lbs / 78 kg
Shoots: Right
Nationality: Sweden
Date of Birth: August 24, 2005
Height: 5’11” / 181 cm
Weight: 172 lbs / 78 kg
“He can find openings with long passes throughout the offensive zone, and on the power play he knows what to do and when to do it, and does not often get pressured into poor plays.” – Fredrik Haak, FC Hockey
“Unger Sörum was able to demonstrate his versatile game at the pro level, showing his smarts, his ability to find the slot, and his tenacity. Against J20 competition, his playmaking shone very brightly and could unlock a higher offensive ceiling in his game.” – Luke Sweeney, Dobber Prospects
Unger Sörum is a young Norwegian-born, Swedish winger playing in Sweden for Leksands IF Jr. In 2022-23, the 17-year-old scored 10 goals and 36 assists in just 42 games. This was an improvement on his 2021-22 season, where he scored just five goals and seven points in 18 games. He had an opportunity to play in the Swedish Hockey League, going pointless in the seven games he appeared in.
Unger Sörum ranks anywhere from 43rd to 73rd overall and could be available when the Oilers pick with the 56th pick. Furthermore, Oilers’ General Manager Ken Holland has shown year after year that he isn’t afraid to draft European hockey players.
The Oilers have several right-wingers in the cupboards, such as 2021 first-round pick Xavier Bourgault, Matvey Petrov, and Ty Tullio. All three of those prospects are shot-first, scorer types, while Unger Sörum, on the other hand, is a playmaker first, rather than a goal scorer. He’s excellent at funnelling the puck into high-danger areas and setting up teammates for good scoring chances. According to Dobber Prospects, he completes passes to the slot more than any other top 50 players (next to Will Smith) on a per-60 basis during five-on-five play.
Unger Sörum is also said to have a high hockey IQ in the offensive zone, knowing where his teammates are and being able to exploit open space. Unger Sörum lacks a heavy shot and is an average skater. His IQ carries to the defensive zone as well, as his ability to shut down the opposing team was on full display this past season. Unger Sörum has great anticipation, defensive awareness, and other attributes that make him a defence-first winger.
The 17-year-old is obviously a long-term project, but has a ceiling of a middle-six forward who plays a smart two-way game.
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