In this post I compare the 3rd ranked North American and European skaters, William Smith and Axel Sandin Pellikka. Concerning Smith, he has tallied 100 points (39 goals, 61 assists) in 49 games so far this season, and has a +/- rating of +57. Against international competition, he had 9 points (6 goals, 3 assists) in 4 games at the u18 5 Nations Tournament, and another 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 4 games at the u18 4 Nations tournament.
Sandin Pellika has fared well in international competition at the u18 level as well, recording 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 12 games played this season. His +/- rating for these games was unavailable at the time of this post, although at the 2023 world juniors he was a -4 for Team Sweden in 7 games, recording 1 assist. Also, Sandin Pellikka has 36 points (16 goals, 20 assists) and is +15 in 31 games at Sweden’s u20 level this season, as well as garnering 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) and a +2 rating in 22 games since his promotion to the SHL.
Although both offensively gifted players, Smith and Sandin Pellikka occupy distinct categories concerning the roles they will play at the next level. Smith is a point-producing machine at the forward position, while Sandin Pellikka’s speed and passing skill allow him to control the pace of play from the back end. Sandin Pellikka’s offensive production also fits nicely in today’s NHL, where a team’s top defenseman routinely is among the team leaders in points per game. Nonetheless, I’ll give a very slight edge to Smith comparison-wise, as to this point his scoring ability sees no drop-off regardless of the competition he is facing. This appears to be the consensus in the scouting world. Smith is a top 10 player in all mock drafts I have seen, while Sandin Pellikka is ranked anywhere from 10 to 17.