Even with many World Juniors players absent, there’s still plenty of reason to keep an eye on the SHL for its prospects. One player who has shown significant upside in recent weeks is Nashville Predators prospect Felix Nilsson, who scored twice last night as his team picked up a long-awaited win. We also take a look at Melvin Fernström and draft-eligible Marcus Nordmark, who made his SHL debut, in today’s SHL prospects roundup.

Nilsson has taken on an increasingly larger role over the past couple of months on an injury-hit roster. Even as the team has started to get players back from the injury list, he has continued to earn the coaching staff’s trust and is often logging more than 15 minutes per game. With his consistent work rate, he remains a valuable contributor even when he doesn’t show up on the scoresheet. Last night, however, he delivered two important goals as his team secured a long-awaited win. Those goals proved decisive, accounting for all of the scoring in a 2–1 victory in the final game before the holiday break.

Marcus Nordmark is the latest in a long line of talented players coming out of Djurgården. With Viggo Björck, Anton Frondell, and Victor Eklund loaned out to the World Juniors over the holiday period, an opportunity opened up for Nordmark. On Saturday night, he made his professional debut.

Nordmark logged 8:41 of ice time in a game where his team was outplayed for large stretches. Still, he looked lively in his shifts and wasn’t shy about engaging physically when required. There have been some questions around his work rate in the Swedish junior league, but there were no such concerns in this outing. Perhaps the higher demands of senior hockey are exactly what Nordmark needs to further develop his two-way game. Either way, it was a debut that showed promise, and I expect him to be back in the lineup when the SHL resumes on Boxing Day.

Fernström entered the season as one of the more intriguing young players in the SHL. Last year, he was named Rookie of the Year and appeared to be a strong candidate for Team Sweden at the World Juniors. This season, however, his play has dipped and he hasn’t been able to match last year’s production, which led to him being left off the roster for the tournament in Minnesota. On Saturday, he finally got on the scoresheet, scoring his third goal of the SHL season.