When I talked about how Kelly McCrimmon emphasized quality over quantity in my last article, I omitted one name from the posting. His name? Gustav Sjoqvist.
I felt so bad about it that it kept me up at night. How could I leave the Swedish defenseman off an article talking about NHL Draft picks? It didn't sit right with me since he put in so much work to be selected in the 2025 NHL Draft. All of that seemed to be for naught as he was forgotten for other selections.
However! I'm a fair person who will highlight his capabilities as a hockey player. He deserves to be recognized for his achievements and efforts like any other draft selection.
After all, being selected in the sixth round with the 187th overall pick isn't easy to do. You must commit to perfecting your craft and fixing every weakness that you can. As the old saying goes, "Iron sharpens iron."
So let's give him the ol' Vegas spotlight and meet Sjoqvist. Where do his strengths lie? What can he improve on his journey to becoming an NHL star? Let's feast on some Swedish meatballs and dive in on the latest Golden Knights draft pick.
Getting to know Gustav Sjoqvist
The first thing that you should know about Gustav Sjoqvist is that he's fairly big. He's not as big as Nicolas Hague was before being traded to the Nashville Predators. But standing at 6'3" and weighing 207 pounds isn't anything to scoff at.
He also hails from Stockholm and carries a left-handed shot. This past season, he played for AIK of HockeyAllsvensakn, where he scored three goals and four assists in 39 games.
Those numbers might not stand out to the average hockey fan. However, he did have a respectable campaign with the J20 team, where he scored 11 goals and seven assists in 31 games.
In international competition, he scored two goals in three games with Sweden's U19 team. He has some offensive bite to his game, making him a reliable attacker when called upon.
What does he bring to the Vegas Golden Knights?
Sjoqvist is a physical defenseman who loves hitting people. When I say he loves hitting people, I mean he can lay people out. It's perfect for a player his size, specifically when playing a defense-heavy game. Bruce Cassidy will fall in love with his game if he hits the ice for Vegas.
With that size comes an incredible reach that makes him perfect for the rush. He knows when to strike on the defensive end and can kill plays before they happen.
Such effectiveness make him the ideal replacement for someone like Hague. Ironically, he's better offensively than the newest Predators addition was on the attack. He has a hard shot that can rip through opposing defenses.
Of course, he can still do more offensively and contribute to the attack. The Golden Knights value the two-way game at every position. They want players who can move across all 200 feet of the ice. Making more contributions will get him there.
Overall, Sjoqvist is trending towards being a bottom-pairing defenseman if he makes the team in the future. That's not a bad thing, considering how Hague carved out a comfortable niche there. If the 19-year-old can continue trending upwards, he'll become a regular roster figure as a role player.