We’re continuing our final day of pre-draft coverage, and after talking about Kasper Simontaival’s play in Liiga, we’re making the quick trip over to Sweden to talk about Emil Andrae. Andrae seems to be, at least in some discussions, a late riser in this draft, and is certainly an intriguing prospect. He’s an undersized defenseman who, despite that, has already developed a remarkably well rounded game, and in some ways, it feels a little surprising that he’s slipped as low as he has on some lists. There’s a lot to like here, folks.
BSH 2020 Community Draft Board, No. 29: Emil Andrae
2019-20 Season
Team: HV71 J20 (J20 SuperElit), HV71 (SHL)
Statistics: 11 G, 27 A in 40 GP and 0 G, 0 A in 10 GP
Pre-draft rankings
No. 15 (European skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 42 by Future Considerations
No. NR by ISS Hockey
No. 21 by The Athletic (Wheeler)
What’s there to like?
As we mentioned in the introduction, Andrae already brings to the table quite a complete game. The defensive side already shows a good bit of polish—his vision is good and he’s able to use his solid anticipation to break up plays, he’s strong along the boards, and he brings a nice bit of physicality, to boot. He’s good in transition, as he’s able to use his skating and strong puck control to move the puck up-ice. He also brings brings some interesting offensive upside. His puck skills are strong, he has a good shot and can also pass well to feed his teammates, and doesn’t get easily pressured when he has the puck. He was just a hair under a point per game last season with HV71’s J20 team, putting him fourth in team scoring, and first among defensemen by a pretty comfortable margin.
And, what’s more, since the SHL was able to start their regular season already, Andrae’s not only been able to get back to playing, but he’s also graduated to the SHL full time, and is off to a solid start to his season. He has one point in his first five games, and really seems to be looking more settled in with the professional game. And that certainly changes things—he’s no longer just the player who’s coming off of a solid season in an under-20 league but who still has us wondering how his game will translate to the next level, now he’s actively working to translate that game to the next level, and it’s working. The resumption of play seems to be treating him well.
What’s not to like?
One of the quibbles some scouts have about him is his risk taking—he’s certainly a gifted play maker, but he isn’t always great about picking his spots on when to take bigger risks trying to make the play. It’s something that should improve with a bit of work and development—and it’s also something that other scouts aren’t too fussed about at all—it’ll just be a matter of time. But it’s worth noting.
Also, he’s small. He’s listed between 5’8 and 5’9 depending where you look, so that’s certainly undersized, and that’s something that might scare off certain individuals or teams. But, as we noted above, he doesn’t play small, so it’s not something that I personally am particularly fussed about either. But maybe that’s something that gives you pause, dear reader. To each their own.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
The Flyers could stand to build up their pipeline at defense a bit more, as at just about every other position they seem to have at least close to an excess, so that’s working in Andrae’s favor already. Now, the Flyers also do have a few players like him in the system—strong play making, two way defensemen who can still bring a bit of physicality—and there isn’t much about his game that really sets him well apart from others already in the system. But that’s not really a bad thing. A well rounded defenseman is a good thing to have, and with the way the league is trending, adding another who can move the puck well and can activate and chip in a bit of offense when called upon feels like a wise move. Maybe Andrae’s skillset isn’t wholly unique to those already in the pipeline, but he would be a strong addition, all the same.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
This could be a weird one. Most of the boards we’ve looked at have Andrae going either just about when the Flyers are set to pick or a while after, so if we go by those, Andrae should be well within the Flyers’ reach, if they’re hoping to pick him up.
However! There’s certainly something to be said for a recency boost, how the players who have been able to resume playing this season have gotten some more attention from teams, and Andrae is certainly one of those. He’s made the jump from the junior to pro level in that time, and he’s really been able to hit the ground running, and will have almost certainly turned some heads, and that wouldn’t necessarily be reflected in the earlier rankings. This one really could go either way, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go a bit before the Flyers are on the clock.
2020 BSH Community Draft Board
- Alexis Lafreniere — LW, Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Quinton Byfield — C, Sudbury (OHL)
- Marco Rossi — C, Ottawa (OHL)
- Tim Stützle — LW/C, Manheim (DEL)
- Cole Perfetti — LW/C, Saginaw (OHL)
- Lucas Raymond — RW, Frölunda (SHL)
- Jamie Drysdale — D, Erie (OHL)
- Alexander Holtz — LW/RW, Djurgardens (SHL)
- Yaroslav Askarov — G, SKA (KHL)
- Anton Lundell — C, HIFK (Liiga)
- Connor Zary — C, Kamloops (WHL)
- Seth Jarvis — RW/C, Portland (WHL)
- Jake Sanderson — D, USNTDP (USHL)
- Noel Gunler — RW/LW, Lulea (SHL)
- Jan Mysak — C, Hamilton (OHL)
- Jack Quinn — RW, Ottawa (OHL)
- Jacob Perreault — RW, Sarnia (OHL)
- Mavrik Bourque — C, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
- Dylan Holloway — LW, Univ. of Wisconsin (NCAA)
- Rodion Amirov — L, Neftekamst (VHL)
- Hendrix Lapierre — C, Chicoutimi (QJMHL)
- Kaiden Guhle — D, Prince Albert (WHL)
- Braden Schneider, D, Brandon (WHL)
- Dawson Mercer — RW, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
- Lukas Reichel — LW, Berlin (DEL)
- Helge Grans — D, Malmo (SHL)
- Jeremie Poirier — D, Saint John (QMJHL)
- Kasper Simontaival — RW, Tappara (Liiga)
- Emil Andrae — D, HV71 (SHL)
- ???
