The 2020 NHL draft might be one of the deepest drafts since 2003, With quite a few players NHL ready or close to it. Today, I am going to focus on the Swedish right winger, Alexander Holtz, who plays for Djurgarden IF of the SHL.
Holtz is a skilled forward, who possesses a scoring touch that might be unmatched in his draft class. As a 17/18 year old playing on one of the best teams in the SHL, amassed 9 goals, and 7 assists good for 16 points in 36 games before the league was shut down due to the ongoing corona-virus pandemic. His offensive ability has allowed him to take his game to the next level. Holtz has one of the best shots I’ve seen from a draft prospect in years, along with the accuracy on his shot, and his vision, he should find himself on an NHL roster in a matter of a couple years.
While the offensive side of his game has the potential to make him a high end NHL player, Holtz has a couple aspects of his game he needs to refine before becoming making it full time in the NHL.
In some clips I have seen, he seems to lack in the defensive awareness department, while he is present in his own zone and does get back, his ability to break up passes, man to man coverage seems minimal, and that very well could be due to the fact that his is only 18 years old playing against others who are much older than him. But it isn’t a cause of concern as his work ethic will drive him to be better in those areas, and another year in Sweden will help him tremendously.
As I mentioned already, his shot, shot accuracy, and vision, are some of the best qualities he has in his game, and they might be among the best in the entire draft class, but one underrated part of his game is his passing ability. He is able to put the puck right on his teammates stick blue line to blue line, in the offensive zone he can thread the needle pretty well and give his teammates an easy tap in. His vision is a key factor to his strong passing ability.
Holtz is also quite disciplined, only receiving 12 penalty minutes in the 36 games he played. It’s easy for a young player to take an unnecessary penalty when they’re frustrated but Holtz has done a pretty good job at keeping his emotions in check.
I’ve been tracking Holtz for the past couple years now and have to say that he has grown overall as a player since I started watching him. He still has a little ways to go before he will in the NHL full time, but it won’t be very long until we hear announcers calling his goals plenty of times each season.
To conclude my report on Alexander Holtz, I’m going to provide you with list of different aspects of his game and rate them on a scale from N/A or limited viewing to 10. I will be using the NHL Central Scouting checklist as a guide. The rating scale as follows:
N/A, LV: Not Available, Limited Viewing; 1-2: Poor; 3-4: Average; 5-6: Good, 7-8: Very Good; 9-10: Excellent.
Skating: Acceleration (5), Speed (6), Balance (5), Mobility (5), Backwards skating (4).
Puck Skills: Shot accuracy (8), Shot strength (6), Shot release (7), Possesses multiple shot types (7), Puck protection (5), Face offs (N/A), Giving a pass (7), Receiving a pass (6), Scoring touch (9).
Competitiveness: Scoring drive (9), Work ethic (6), Attitude (6), Consistency (Rated 1 out of 5: 3), Forechecking (5).
Physical Play: Board & Corner play (4), Physical presence (3), Conditioning (6), Hitting (4), Fighting (N/A).
Hockey Sense: Playmaking (6), Anticipation (5), Discipline (7), Decision making (6), Play under pressure (5), Versatility (4).
Defensive Play: Defensive anticipation (4), Positioning (4), Backchecking (5), Defensive reliability (3).
Psychological Factors: Leadership (4), Communication (6), Confidence (6).
NHL comparable: Although they don’t play the same position (Holtz is a RW, Zibanejad is a C), Mika Zibanejad is a perfect comparable. Both possess an elite level shot, and have solid vision, which helps both them read the play well, and with their passing.
NHL ETA: 2021-22. Holtz signed a 3 year extension with Djurgardens in September of 2019, but most European contracts have an NHL out clause, meaning if an NHL team were to approach them to sign a contract they are able to without causing any breach of contract issues.
Potential: Elite top 6 forward.
Draft projection: Top 10, more specifically he’ll go anywhere between 6th and 10th overall. Two teams who could really use some offensive help, that fall between that 6th to 10th overall range are Buffalo and Montreal.
Alexander Holtz. Born: Saltsjo-Boo, Sweden. January 23rd, 2000 (18 yrs old). Position: Right wing. Height: 6’0″. Weight: 183 lbs. Shoots: Right.
2019-20 statistics: Djurgardens IF (SHL): Games played: 36, Goals: 9, Assists: 7, Points: 16, Penalty minutes: 12, Plus/minus: -1.
Sweden (2020 WJHC): Games played: 7, Goals: 3, Assists: 5, Points: 8, Penalty minutes: 2, Plus/minus: 0.
Awards (with Sweden): 2018-19: Bronze medal (U17 World Hockey Challenge), Silver medal (Hlinka Gretzky Cup), Gold medal (U18 World Championship). 2019-20: Bronze medal (World Junior Hockey Championships).
Statistics from: https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/344808/alexander-holtz
Scouting checklist: https://hockeyfamilyadvisor.com/2019/11/19/nhl-central-scouting-checklist-forwards/