With World Junior absences opening SHL roster spots, draft-eligible Marcus Nordmark is set for his SHL debut.
With several players away at the World Juniors, a new wave of young talent is expected to receive opportunities in the SHL. One of those poised to get a chance during the holiday period is draft-eligible prospect Marcus Nordmark. His SHL debut likely would have come earlier if not for Djurgården’s long line of talented forwards ahead of him. Now, with Viggo Björck, Anton Frondell, and Victor Eklund away at the World Juniors, an opening has emerged for Nordmark.
Marcus Nordmark opened the season with a brilliant showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Alongside Elton Hermansson, he was Sweden’s best player at the tournament, recording seven goals and 12 points in five games. What stands out most about Nordmark is his ability to create in one-on-one situations and off the cycle. He’s at his best when he can isolate a defender and attack with changes of pace in open ice.
What could further complement his strong skill set is a higher compete level and a stronger motor. While he shows flashes of brilliance with the puck, there is room for improvement in his two-way game. Away from the puck, he can be passive at times, which makes it difficult to project him to a higher level down the line. If he can add more compete and work ethic, he could develop into an intriguing middle-six option, but at this stage, it remains a notable caveat.
One downside of the relatively low level of the Swedish junior league is that players like Nordmark don’t always need to maintain a particularly high work rate to succeed. Despite his inconsistent play away from the puck, Nordmark has still produced seven goals and 25 points in 17 games. For that reason, it would be interesting to see him get SHL minutes, where the pace and demands of the game leave little room for lapses in focus for an 18-year-old.
A similar case to Nordmark is fellow Swede and draft-eligible Elton Hermansson. Hermansson’s work ethic in the junior league hasn’t always been consistent either, but he has raised his level when given opportunities with the senior team. At that level, he’s been forced into better habits, resulting in a noticeably more mature game away from the puck. It now remains to be seen whether Nordmark can follow a similar path. Regardless, Nordmark remains a very interesting player to track ahead of the NHL Draft, as he is still one of the most skilled players in this Swedish draft class.