RW/LW Mathias From – Rogle BK, SHL
Time to go back to Europe for the fifth and final player on our list. If you live in North America, you probably haven’t heard of this guy yet. If you live in Europe, like myself, you might have heard of him, but probably not unless you are an SHL or, more specifically, Rogle fan. Mathias From has not cracked many draft rankings this year, but as NHL Central Scouting’s 26th North American skater, he can be a late-round steal on June 25th.
From started the season playing for Rogle’s under-20 team in the SuperElit, but also got to play 16 games in the SHL. There, he had two goals and two assists in a limited role, and showed flashes of great two-way ability.
From EliteProspects.com:
"A strong transitional forward with solid offensive and defensive upside. Defensively, always active and keeps himself mobile to make sure he’s in a good spot to keep the opposition on their toes. Sees lanes well and is excellent at taking pucks away and moving them up the ice for scoring chances. Offensively, he drives to the net and has a great shot. Definitely not afraid of the physical side of the game, and can play that all-important power role. Mathias From is a multidimensional buzzsaw that has the drive and skill to net wins and contribute in multiple areas of the game."
With From, anything can happen. He could be picked in one of the later rounds or he might go undrafted, but he certainly has enough offensive and defensive upside to make the NHL one day. Playing in Europe, From has various options for his future, which makes him an even better pick for teams looking for talent in the latter rounds of the draft.
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If he gets drafted, there will likely be a CHL club who picks him up as well, hoping for him to come over to North America at his earliest convenience. Coming from Europe, he will also get the chance to jump into the American Hockey League immediately, or whenever his NHL club thinks he is ready. Last but not least, he can obviously stay “at home” — in Europe, that is, as From is a Dane playing in Sweden.
Mathias From looks like a decent pick for the later rounds who, with a little bit of luck, can turn into an NHL middle-six player.