Attached is an article written by Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News on September 10, 2024. The article highlights eight European DE prospects to watch during the 2024-25 season. What follows is a summary of how these players’ respective draft seasons have gone thus far.
Although he has been somewhat inconsistent this season (in fairness, a knee injury slowed him down early on), Swedish center Anton Frondell (#2 int’l skater) has 22 points in 27 games for Djurgarden in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second highest pro league. Frondell’s recent surge in offensive productivity keeps him in the hunt for a top 10 finish. The inconsistency label also can be applied to Russian center Ivan Ryabkin (#3 int’l. skater), although he has averaged over a point per game for Muskegon in the USHL since his move to North America (16 pts on 9G & 7A in 13 gms).
Winger Viktor Eklund, Frondell’s Djurgarden teammate and top-ranked international skater, has come as advertised this season. Eklund has 28 points (16G 12A) in 38 games, & tacked on an additional 6 points at the world juniors.
Touted by some as a potential first-rounder, Swedish winger Filip Ekberg of Ottawa in the OHL has held steady this season as a mid-round pick per central scouting (#136 NA skater). Although his offensive skill set has never been in question, he has received only fourth-line minutes and has just 28 points in 42 games.
Much like Ekberg, central scouting always has listed Czech center Adam Benak of Youngstown in the USHL on the low end of draft expectations. Although ranked only 60th among NA skaters, many mock drafts have him as a low first or high second round pick. His point per game performance thus far this season seems to support these higher rankings. Presumably, his lack of size (5’7″) is his primary issue.
A lack of size also is the main culprit for Slovak D-man Luka Radivojevic of Muskegon in the USHL. Despite securing a commitment to play for potential college hockey national champ Boston College next season, the 5’10” D-man is only the 120th-ranked NA skater in central scouting’s current rankings.
Lastly are a pair of Swedes, being Boston University D-man Sascha Boumedienne & SHL forward Jacob Ihs-Wozniak. As expected, Boumedienne (#18 among NA skaters) has made an immediate impact as a freshman for the Terriers’ D-corps. With respect to Ihs-Wozniak, the Australian-born forward had 56 points (22G 34A) in 36 U20 Nationell games. The 7th-ranked international skater recently was promoted to the Swedish Hockey League, the country’s highest pro league.