Who Are the Top European NHL Prospects?

The impact of European players in the NHL began in the 1970s with the Winnipeg Jets, of the former WHA, loading up on Scandinavian players like Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson as well as Czech center Vaclav Nedomansky.

Then, the emergence of players like Esa Tikkanen and Jari Kurri helped focus the spotlight on their European counterparts.

Eventually, the players who were successful in making the transition included Swedish star, Pelle Lindbergh, Mats Sundin, and Czech goaltender, Dominik Hasek. In the 90s players like Teemu Selanne, Jaromir Jagr and Niklas Lidstrom became the faces of the NHL.

Today, Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi, a Swiss product has come into his own as one of the league’s premier defensemen, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2020.

Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl got drafted high (the highest of all Germans ever at No. 3 overall in 2014). He went on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP in 2020.

With Thomas Vanek retired, the mantle of most notable Austrian-born NHLer has been passed on to Colorado Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky, who represented Sweden internationally.

In the 50 years since the first European players joined the NHL, European NHL players have come a long way in the league. In reporting the current NHL players by nationality quant hockey notes that there are 303 European participants in the NHL out of 970 total players – nearly 27.7 percent.

Today’s Top European Prospects

The 2022 NHL draft is over, so now it's on to the 2023 draft class. It's never too early to begin thinking about the drafts and upcoming prospects that light up the sports betting odds for the future NHL seasons.

Between the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2022 World Junior Championship this summer, we have already seen some of the top players who will be selected in July 2023 take the ice.

Not surprisingly two of the top prospects are goaltenders. They include:

·  Niklas Kokko, Karpat U20, Liiga, an eighteen-year-old out of Oulu, Finland at 6”3”. Kokko anticipates plays well and gets to his spots swiftly and effectively with his great lateral mobility and quickness.

·  Topias Leinonen, JYP Jyvaskyla U20, Team Finland. Another eighteen-year-old out of Jyväskylä, Finland at 6’5” and 216 lbs. Leinonen is a raw talent with a big upside.

The top defenseman is Theo Lindstein, Brynäs IF (SHL). Lindstein is a mobile defenseman with good puck control and solid top-end speed.

Lindstein played in 12 SHL games last year and helped Sweden win gold at the U-18 World Championship, topping off a year that saw him play in over 70 games on various levels.

The Hockey News list of the top offense-minded European prospectsincludes:

·  Eduard Sale, HC Kometa Brno U20 (Czech Extraliga U20)

Sale was an integral piece of Czechia's U-18 World Championship efforts earlier this year, racking up nine points in just six games.

One of the top European forwards for the 2023 draft, Sale is an impressive playmaker that performs the game at a high speed and has a lightning-quick release.

·  Kasper Halttunen, HIFK (U20 Sm-sarja)

Halttunen had an incredible run with the Finnish U-18 team as an underaged forward last year, scoring six goals and 12 points in 19 games.

He also led all U-17 players in the Finnish U-20 league with 38 points in 41 games, good for 10th all-time. You can expect Halttunen to be near the top of the scoring charts.

·  Dalibor Dvorsky, AIK (HockeyAllsvenskan)

After seeing two Slovaks go Nos. 1-2 in the 2022 draft, Dvorsky enters the 2023 conversation as a possible top-five candidate.

The forward has been playing in Sweden for the last four seasons for AIK's program. He attracted our attention this past spring with 11 points in five games at the U18 Division IA Worlds.

·  Leo Carlsson, Örebro HK (SHL)

Carlsson enters the 2023 draft as one of Sweden's clear-cut top prospects. After dominating at the U20 level (27 points in 14 games), Carlsson advanced to the SHL last season, skating in 35 games for Örebro HK's top club.

·  Otto Stenberg, Frölunda HC J20 (J20 Nationell)

Stenberg spent most of last season in the J20 Nationell, where he had 35 points in 38 games for Frölunda's U20 team.

The Swede showed he can perform in all game situations.

·  Alex Ciernik, Södertälje SK (HockeyAllsvenskan)

Ciernik, a German-born skater, plays for Slovakia internationally. The winger spent time with Sweden's U20 level, as well as the country's second-tier professional team, HockeyAllsvenskan.

He recorded 47 points in 43 games at the junior’s level. Cernik stood out for Slovakia with 12 points in five games at the U18 Division IA Worlds.

While June 28, 2023, draft is still 11 months away, there is plenty of time for the young players to drive their draft stock up or down based on their play this season.

We all saw just last month how much things can change when Shane Wright, long regarded as the top pick in the 2022 class, fell three spots to the fourth selection.

Who is your choice for the top picks from Europe? 

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