U19 5-Nations: Swede Sundh Shines

Oscar Sundh of second-division club Almtuna is climbing the charts after last month's gritty showing at the U-19 Five Nations Tournament in Stockholm. We have reviews on Sundh and other Team Sweden participants including MoDo standout Tobias Viklund and Troja's Erik Andersson, the younger brother of Chicago draftee Johan Andersson.

Oscar Sundh (2005), LW, Almtuna

Late `86-born winger is one of the few on the Swedish roster to have actually scored a SEL goal when he was called up to Djurgarden this season after the Christmas break .. despite being really lanky, he still won most of his battles and proved to be much stronger than he looks .. his skating is slightly above average, though one would expect a player with his kind of frame to be even quicker .. displayed impressive work habits and gets the job done in an unflashy manner .. one area that does need work is his shooting as he displayed a fairly weak shot .. a very loyal and useful player though who looks to be a potential NHL grinder .. just don't expect him to carry the offense. (4-2-1-3)

Niklas Olausson (2005), LW, Tingsryd

Unheralded winger has been putting up impressive numbers in the Swedish third league, but failed to show much here .. looked to be a very plain player with slow first strides and only average top speed .. he possesses a decent frame but lacks a physical edge to his game and is hence not very effective in traffic .. also didn't stand out skill wise, average shooting ability and puckhandling .. did show a pretty good work ethic, though he seems to lack some intensity in his game .. put up impressive point totals in the tournament, which was due more to the fact that he played with Sweden's top performers in Hellstrom and Broms than anything else. (4-1-4-5)

Tomas Wallgren (2005), C, Lulea

Another player overlooked at last year's draft .. Wallgren made his international debut in this tournament and seemed a little uncomfortable with his new role having been placed on the third line with limited powerplay opportunities, a change of pace given he is used to being the 'go-to' guy in the junior league .. tended to start off games strongly and then fade away as they progressed .. also didn't seem to demonstrate much chemistry with his linemates, Anton Axelsson and Chris Thorn .. in fact, the trio seemed to be getting in each other's way a lot when trying to set up plays .. he did work hard though and performed well on the penalty kill and in the face-off circle .. however, he seemed to desperately miss his usual partner in crime, Johan Harju, who sat out this tournament .. no Harju here likely means no draft for Wallgren. (4-0-0-0)

Erik Andersson (2005), C, Troja

The younger brother of Chicago draftee Johan Andersson toils in the Swedish second league and has been flying under the radar for quite some time .. blessed with grit and toughness, one can tell that this guy is used to playing against men .. a very dependable player who is both easy to coach and brings a terrific work ethic .. possesses a strong upper body and rarely loses a battle .. also makes some creative touches with the puck, though he isn't really a true playmaker .. plays a very grinding game .. excellent in the face-off circle and proved to be perfect fit for this team .. however, the question is - did he show enough upside to get himself drafted this summer after being already overlooked last time around? (4-0-1-1)

Tobias Viklund (2005), D, MoDo

Viklund came into this tournament directly from the SEL and it showed as he was head and shoulders above any of the other Swedish defenseman here .. played a very confident game, his quick and fluid skating solved any hints of problems for him .. a strong passer who rarely makes a bad play .. not surprisingly, he dared to join the offensive rush much more frequently here than in the SEL, and he managed to support the attack without losing track of his defensive coverage .. though he doesn't really have a booming slapshot, he still makes a useful choice on the powerplay due to his skating, quick passing game and accurate shot .. at 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, he's at a size disadvantage, however this doesn't cause him major problems in the Elite League and it certainly didn't here either .. a very smart player with terrific hockey sense, always reads the game correctly and positions himself accordingly. (4-1-2-3)

Patrik Hersley (2005), D, Malmo

Another Swede bypassed at the `04 draft in Raleigh .. after an injury-filled campaign in `03-4, Hersley has grown into his frame in a good way this season .. was paired up together with Tobias Viklund on Sweden's top unit and did a solid job defensively .. obviously not a skater of Viklund's caliber, but he's decently mobile, especially his lateral movement which is quite good for a guy his size (6-3/190) .. what really stands out about him though is that he is willing to shoot at anything that moves, registered the most shots on goals on the whole team .. accuracy is definitely not there yet though .. wildly unpredictable, you never know where his shots are going as they could end up just about anywhere .. still gives a bit of a raw impression, but the upside is definitely there. (4-1-1-2)