Fan In Van

Draft Countdown: David Rundblad

For all the talk about towering defenseman Victor Hedman in this year’s upcoming draft, little attention has been given to another defenseman who has all the makings of an NHL blueliner in David Rundblad.

The Swede doesn’t carry the size of Hedman at 6’0 and 185 pounds, but there’s no questioning that he’ll have every opportunity to impress the team that drafts him in training camp. There are some points of his game which require some fine-tuning, but his offensive talent from the backend make him a strong candidate to go in the top 15 of the draft.

As a member of the blue and gold’s vaulted defense during the World Juniors, Rundblad didn’t register a point but was nonetheless an effective player for the Tre Kronor during the tournament. He played a ton of minutes on the second-pairing behind Hedman and Erik Karlsson and was depended on to create offense on the powerplay.

A lot of Swedish players tend to make the safe play in their own zone by making the smart first pass before they cross their own blueline, but not Rundblad. Rundblad enjoys carrying the puck, leading the rush and jumping up in the play. His most positive quality is his ability to generate offensive opportunities. His smooth and long skating stride is impressive; combine those talents with deft passing skills and Rundblad renders himself a blue-chip prospect for a team’s pipeline, a player who can quarterback the powerplay.

Like a handful of other Swedes in his draft class, Rundblad is an 18-year old playing in the Swedish Elite League. After playing for Skelleftea’s U20 team in 2008 and posting 26 points in 35 games, the Lycksele native was called upon to play for the Skelleftea men’s squad and registered 10 assists in 45 games.

It’s likely that Rundblad is still another year away from making an impact on the NHL, but it’s almost a certainty that he will get there. For Vancouver Canuck fans, think and compare Rundblad to Alex Edler but with a better skating stride and higher offensive potential. Like Edler, scouts would love to see a grittier edge to Rundblad’s game, especially in front of the net, but that will come with added upper body strength.

For more on Rundblad, here’s a video of him with Skelleftea earlier last year. It’s a typical play of his, starting in his own zone and carrying the puck himself into the opponent’s end and making the first pass.