Vancouver Canucks: Can Hoglander make the team out of camp?

Nils Holgander impressed the Vancouver Canucks at development camp, but can the 2019 second-round pick make the team out of training camp this upcoming season?

With the Hlinka Gretzky Cup next up in terms of great hockey tournaments this year, a surprising discovery was regarding Vancouver Canucks 2019 fortieth overall selection, Nils Hoglander. Hoglander announced that he will not be playing in the tournament in favour of training this summer for the upcoming season. Safe to say then that Hoglander is planning on making a big step forward in 2019/20, but where?

Last season, Hoglander played with Rogle BK in the SHL as a Draft -1 forward and finished with 7 goals and 14 points in 50 games played. Respectable numbers for an undersized teenager that is getting his first taste of professional hockey in a tough league. With elite-level hands, many say the best in the draft, his elusiveness and his ability to play big despite his stature make him a very intriguing player for the Canucks.

If he were able to make the leap straight to the NHL, he would bring with him an element that the Canucks could greatly utilize. Adding another skilled forward with his innate ability to deflect the puck and the vision that he brings, would no doubt add to a powerplay unit that was abysmal last season.

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It’s difficult to assess whether a young player is capable of making the leap right away when they play overseas in a professional league, but a much different league. Obviously, there’s a larger ice surface and style of play, but playing in the SHL has worked wonders for several young players before flying across the Atlantic to the bright lights of the NHL.

One recent example of such is Canucks phenom, Elias Pettersson. It is incredibly unfair to compare Pettersson’s last season in the SHL with the Vaxjo Lakers to Hoglander’s most recent campaign. Pettersson broke all kinds of records in his run to an SHL championship and MVP award. Instead, let’s look at Pettersson’s Draft -1 season.

Pettersson put up great numbers in his season with Timra IK in the Allsvenskan with 19 goals and 41 points in 43 games. Keep in mind though that this is the league below the SHL and many believe that Pettersson realistically could’ve made the Canucks right away, especially with the rookie campaign he just had, but it was substantial for his development to have the season that he had in the SHL.

It’s a different time now in Vancouver, with a renewed sense of optimism towards the team to make a playoff push and more muscle added over the summer thus far. When Elias Pettersson was starting in his first NHL game, the team was significantly weaker and slighter so it was crucial for Pettersson to have a solid rookie campaign.

Now though, the Canucks don’t need to put pressure on a young kid coming into camp to make the team and be an impact player. This buys Hoglander time. He may very well be skilled enough to make the NHL this season, but it would probably be much more beneficial for him to hone his craft with another season in the SHL much like Pettersson did.