SWE: Ribbenstrand-ed

When Djurgarden hosted the defending SEL champions from Frolunda there was a good deal of young talent on the ice. Some of the players were already drafted such as draftees from the last couple years including the likes of Anton Axelsson (Det), Richard Demén-Willaume (Col) and Patric Hornqvist (Nsh). We also have notes on two players that might get drafted in the upcoming draft.

While many of Frolunda's perhaps more well-known youngsters struggled. The team is currently going through a major slump, with four losses in their last five games and coming off an 8-2 blow-out defeat on the road versus Lulea prior to this game. Djurgarden's younger players, on the other hand, thrived and were a big factor in the playoff pacing Djurgarden's 3-2 win.

Anton Axelsson (Det), LW, Frolunda

He has managed to play pretty well overall in his first season with men .. skates very well, has a lot of energy in his game .. always works hard and the effort is certainly there .. responsible in his own end and backchecks well, however his offensive game is mostly missing so far .. he tends to look nervous with the puck and doesn't make much noise creatively in the offensive zone .. boasts a lot of puck skill, but thus far has failed to showcase it the way he did in the junior league last season.

Richard Demen-Willaume (Col), D, Frolunda

Plays regularly as the sixth defensemen on in Frolunda, barely behind Jonas Ahnelov on the depth chart, but the way he is playing now, one could ask for how long .. struggles defensively, as he is having trouble with his lateral movement and gets beaten on the inside track, between himself and the boards too much, which he pays for either in penalties or goals against .. shows signs of creativity with the puck and wants to contribute offensively, but doesn't make the right decisions and tends to make situation more complicated than they are at times .. still there's a good amount of upside in the package, as he will likely learn how to deal with the situations as he gains experience at this level of play.

Patrik Carlsson (2006), RW, Frolunda

A late born '87 player, who barely made the Frolunda junior team last season, but has taken huge strides in his development the last couple of months .. scored four points (1-3-4) in his first four SEL games, but has cooled off since .. not a huge player, but is not afraid to move into high traffic areas and has a good scoring touch around the net .. a smooth, deceptively quick skater, although he lacks blistering top speed .. reads the game fairly well and knows how to pass the puck and to utilize his linemates .. had a fairly bleak showing in this game however.

Patric Hornqvist (Nsh), RW, Djurgarden

Has quietly been one of the more productive junior players in the SEL this season, although without getting much attention and was also cut from the Swedish WJC team .. a gritty player with a lot of energy in his game who doesn't back down, but he's not a textbook agitator like Andreas Jamtin .. works very hard in all three zones and is an excellent team player, received a lot of ice time killing penalties in this game and handled that very well .. good hockey sense, although his creativity and playmaking touch is hardly his best assets .. physical, above average skater and possesses an underrated wrist shot, which he's been able to use to knock in a few goals this season.

Christofer Lofberg (Det), LW, Djurgarden

Was most noticeable in the first half of this game, after which he faded off some .. has become increasingly more confident with handling the puck at this level as the season has progressed, now he just doesn't dump in to the nearest corner, but actually holds on to it and want to be involved in setting up more creative offensive plays .. has a quick wrist shot which he should use more often .. not only does he generally need to increase his overal intensity, he must become more involved physically, considering his impressive frame .. his first skating strides are bit sluggish, but moves pretty well after building up some speed.

Alexander Ribbenstrand (2006), D, Djurgarden

Was surprisingly overlooked in the draft last year, as he only played junior hockey back then .. he has been more or less a regular feature in Djurgarden's defensive line-up this season and handle himself well .. was unable to clear the slot at Frolunda's first goal in this game, but that was his only major mistake during the game, as he showcased his poise with the puck, strong outlet passes .. displays a willingness to compete physically and doesn't shy away regardless of whom he's facing .. received some powerplay time as the game went on and had a point shot which was deflected in for Djurgarden's second goal of the game in the third period .. a smart player with good overall instincts .. smooth, mobile skater that has no problem getting where he needs to be.