The 1st Ohio Battery summer prospect series continues with our No. 5 best prospect in the Blue Jackets organization, winger Jonathan Davidsson.
Reason for Ranking
Davidsson was a 6th round pick in the 2017 NHL draft, and almost immediately appeared to be a worthwhile pick for GM Jarmo Kekalainen and his staff.
An "over-ager" pick , the now-21-year old has played over 100 games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), one of the top professional league's in the world. He grew up in the Djurgårdens system and has played on their U16, U18, U20, and is now starring on their top team, as he finished second on his team in scoring.
Internally, we all felt strongly about Davidsson's potential. Paul had him ranked lowest at 7th overall, while I had him at 5th, and Sam had him pegged as the organization's 4th best prospect.
NHL Projection
Middle-six winger.
There's reason to believe that Davidsson could have been an impactful player in the NHL this past season. Using Emmanuel Perry's NHLe ratings, in which he compares points in leagues around the world to the NHL, Davidsson could have been expected to score 31 points over an 82 game NHL schedule based on his 2017-18 season. SHL points are worth the second most of any active league (behind the KHL), with one SHL point is worth 0.6375 NHL points (Jeremy Crowe wrote an excellent guest-post for us on this topic), which I'd recommend.
Extrapolating for an 82 game season, that would have put him somewhere between Matt Calvert (24 points/69 games) and Boone Jenner (32 in 75).
The New York Rangers' Jesper Fast is a good comparable for Davidsson, and not just because he's Swedish. Both are averaged-sized, right-shot tight wingers who were picked in the 6th round of the draft. Fast had 30 points in 79 games in his first full season with the Rangers, and has shown to be a productive player at the NHL level.
Best Case Scenario
For the first time in our prospect list, we have a position player with a legitimate best case scenario that should excite fans. Davidsson could (could) become a top-line winger in the same vein as Cam Atkinson. Both are small-ish yet effective, fast, skillful players with a harder shot than you'd expect and a tenacity to penalty kill effectively.
Kekalainen has not been afraid to sing Davidsson's praises, saying "he is a smart player and mature young man and we believe he has a very bright future with our organization" and that he's "a player that we think has a good chance of making our team next year."
He signed his entry-level contract with the club this spring, so clearly the organization has high hopes for the young Swede.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Davidsson's speed and shiftiness are his calling cards. He's a good passer and brings a creative eye to his game, all while playing a responsible defensive game that is prototypical of Swedes. He could improve his strength with the puck, as he looks slighter than his 5'11, 185 lb. frame suggest.
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