SHL: Tampa Bay Lightning Prospect Noah Steen Impresses

Despite many SHL prospects playing at the World Juniors, there is still plenty of young talent to track in the league. On Saturday, Lightning prospect Noah Steen recorded two assists for Örebro. Draft-eligible defenseman Axel Elofsson was also in the lineup, while Malte Gustafsson logged significant minutes for HV71. Read more on those players in today’s SHL prospect roundup.

Noah Steen, Tampa Bay Lightning, round 7 #199 overall 2024

Lightning prospect Noah Steen logged one of his highest ice-time totals of the season and recorded two points for Örebro against Brynäs. His energetic play has earned him a spot on the top line alongside productive forwards Patrik Puistola and Patrik Karlkvist. Skating on that line, Steen picked up an assist on Örebro’s opening goal and later delivered a clean feed on the play that sparked the team’s third-period comeback. On the sequence, he showed good awareness by moving the puck to the blue line for the onrushing Luke Martin, cutting the deficit to 4–3 before Örebro later tied the game at 4–4. The comeback ultimately fell short in overtime, leaving Steen less than satisfied after the game despite his strong performance.

“The first period is fairly good. In the second period, we become quite passive and they come out pretty hard. In the third, it feels like we give them a few goals, and then it’s a very strong comeback and we push hard. In overtime, anything can happen,” said Steen to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet after the game. He continued: “We clearly need to work on our defense. But we have still been able to score goals going forward.”

In his second season as a regular SHL player, Steen has recorded six goals and 12 points in 30 games. With that, he has already surpassed his point total from last season, when he posted five goals and six points in 51 games.

Draft-Eligible Viggo Bjorck Stars for Sweden: “It’s Just Hockey” Sweden rallied past Switzerland at the World Juniors as draft-eligible Viggo Björck sparked a third-period comeback in a 4–2 win.

Other notable prospects in the SHL

While Noah Steen recorded two points for Örebro, draft-eligible defenseman Axel Elofsson was dressed but remained on the bench. The highly offensive blueliner has put together a strong season in Sweden’s junior league, totaling 26 points in 20 games with four goals and 22 assists. Elofsson did not see any ice time in this one, but the fact that he was dressed suggests he is closing in on an SHL opportunity.

Another Swedish draft-eligible defenseman who has stood out this season is Malte Gustafsson. He played his second straight game on HV71’s top defense pair in the SHL. On Friday, he logged more than 21 minutes of ice time, followed by just under 15 minutes on Sunday. Gustafsson has been able to translate the same game he showed at the junior level to the professional ranks, particularly in the way he skates out of pressure in his own zone and consistently carries the puck up ice. He is likely to be Sweden’s first defenseman selected in the draft, and with a strong finish to the season, he could even push into top-10 consideration.

Draft-Eligible D Malte Gustafsson Making an Impact in the SHL 2026 NHL Draft prospect Malte Gustafsson logged over 21 minutes in the SHL, showing he can already contribute effectively at the professional level.