No. 1 – LW Jonathan Dahlen (Timra IK, Allsven.)
#Allsvenskan: LW Jonathan Dahlen (VAN) scored twice and assisted on another as Timra edged Tingsryds 3-2. He's too good for that league. Time to move on, IMO. https://t.co/PvAfP3yAdG
— Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) November 11, 2017
Yes, Jonathan Dahlen is too good for the second-best league in Sweden. He proved it by scoring twice and adding an assist in a game against the Tingsryds, factoring into each of the three goals that his Timra side scored.
After going point-per-game last season with the help of Elias Pettersson, perhaps Dahlen’s dominance of the Allsvenskan this year should not surprise us. It simply was the next thing for Dahlen to do to show his development.
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His performance is certainly something to be excited about, nevertheless. How often do we see prospects fail to simply take the next step? It would have been very worrying for the Canucks if Dahlen failed to develop the moment he was taken away from his buddy Pettersson.
With that performance, Dahlen now has eight goals and 13 assists in ten games, good enough for the team lead despite joining the team seven games after opening day. Dahlen leads the entire league in points-per-game (1.30), which also ranks in the top-15 all-time in the Allsvenskan.
As for Pettersson, he had the game-winner and the eventual series-clincher for his Vaxjo Lakers in Champions Hockey League action. Quarter-final action goes December 6th, when Pettersson will face SC Bern.
Finally, Thomas Gradin had thoughts about bringing Dahlen and Pettersson to Vancouver this season. In this interview with a Swedish source, Gradin mentions that the Canucks don’t look too good this year, which is the same year the 37-year-old Sedins’ contracts expire.
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Gradin notes that the Sedins should be perfect mentors for these two young players this year. If not this year for Dahlen and Pettersson, it’s next year, says Gradin. I don’t know if that would be wise, but if the two young Swedes continue to play extremely well, it could force the Canucks to make tough decisions this coming offseason.