The Jets select Swedish defenceman with first draft choice of 2024 NHL Draft
The Winnipeg Jets used their top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to select defenceman Alfons Freij with the 37th overall pick in the second round. It was the team's top selection after trading their first round pick to the Kings, who then traded it again to the Montreal Canadiens.
The Swedish product has been described as a "graceful, puck-moving defenceman" according to EliteProspects' 2024 NHL Draft Guide. He is expected to be a future project as he is 18 years old and will be on a loaned contract next season with Swedish club IF Björklöven.
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It will be a telling sign in terms of Freij's development as it will his first season playing in a non-junior league with Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan. Freij was in attendance for the NHL Draft and where he retold the story of his journey to Winnipeg when he was nine years old. He had journeyed from Sweden to play in a youth tournament being held at the Jets training facility and got to recreate the photo ahead of the Jets development camp which took place last week.
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He likely won't get a chance at the main roster for two or even three years as he continues to grow from his current 6-foot-1, 196 pound build that makes him an eye-catching prospect.
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