SEL NN: Steens Olympic Snub

Alexander Steen's hot start to his freshman NHL campaign went unnoticed by Swedish national team head coach Bengt-Ake Gustaffson, who did not find room for the 21-year old on the preliminary top-64 list of candidates for the country's Olympic roster.

The rationale for the surprising snub turned out to be rather befuddling.

"He (Steen) wasn't very noticeable with MoDo last season and I don't think he has the qualities to add anything to the roster," explained Gustaffson.

Making the situation even more awkward, Gustafsson later admitted that he had not seen Steen, nor any other of the Swedish NHLers, in October prior to announcing the list. He added that Steen would have had a better chance to make the team had he played for Gustafsson's local Farjestad team, less than an hour's drive from where the coach lives. Not surprisingly, one fifth of the 64 players on the preliminary roster are current or former members of Farjestad.

"I'll get to see those guys a lot and I know what they are able to bring to the table", said Gustafsson.

What Steen could have brought to the table was apparently of little interest to him.

LATE BLOOMER

Tim Eriksson, a seventh-round selection of the Los Angeles Kings in 2000, is ready for a breakout season after falling victim to last season's sudden influx of NHL talent, which limited his playing time and effectiveness. Two years ago, the little-known winger broke through with a 26-point performance in the SEL, but was relegated to fourth line duty in 2004-05.

Eriksson has emerged as one of this season's feel-good stories – the crafty, hybrid forward has thrived on Linkoping and has notched five goals, 12 points in 13 games, good for seventh overall in league scoring.

Among others beginning to emerge, PJ Axelsson's kid brother Anton Axelsson has been a catalyst with Frolunda. The 19-year old Detroit property has made the transition from junior to the SEL exceptionally well and is impressing with qualities reminiscent of his older sibling.

Anton plays with energy and gumption and is an excellent skater. If he continues to develop, we can realistically see him become a more offensive version of PJ. Needless to say that with Johan Franzen's defection, the Red Wings keep plucking off gems out of Europe.

ORSZAGH BACK ON RADAR

Lulea had some money to spend in the off-season, which it used on Slovakian winger Vladimir Orszagh, whose troubling knee injury prevented him from signing an NHL contract with the Nashville Predators in August.

The knee appears to be fully recovered and a solid performance over the coming month may still result in an NHL contract, as the Predators will most definitely send a scout or two to monitor Orszagh's progress. Lulea provided Orszagh with the infamous out-clause, which has been widely used by European teams during the lockout year.

A LOOK (FAR) AHEAD

John Tavares - you've got competition for 2009. Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi is a Swedish phenom who has burst onto the European hockey scene at the tender age of 14, starring in the nationally broadcasted tournament "TV Pucken" which featured predominantly the top 16-year olds from Sweden. What makes this wunderkind special is that he is not eligible for the NHL draft until 2009. He tied for the tournament lead in goals with eight, for a total of 13 points (fifth overall).

Briefly, the scouting book on Svensson-Paajarvi is that he has extremely good balance and hockey sense for his age, combined with a natural scoring touch and a strong, well-built frame. He will continue to play with older kids, as he was recently selected to try out for the Swedish Under-17 national team. He is the youngest player in Swedish hockey history to be granted such an honour.