Hugo Lejon
2023-24 Team: Västerås IK J20 (J20 Nationell)
Date of Birth: April 9, 2005
Place of Birth: Vasteras, Sweden
Ht: 6-Foot Wt: 176 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 second-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting: 60th (among EU skaters)
- FC Hockey: 193rd
Hugo Lejon is a hard player to project coming into this year’s draft. He went undrafted in the 2023 NHL Draft, and now he’s re-entering as an overager. He’s known more for his offensive ability, but he’s still a very raw talent despite being in the draft for the second time. His 2023-24 season in the J20 Nationell was considerably more impressive than his 2022-23 season as he finished tied for sixth in the league with 61 points. His goal total took a massive step forward this season though, as he went from just nine goals in 46 games last season, to 27 in the same amount of games this season.
Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide
Overall, Lejon is a talented offensive player but he’s far from a game-changer. He’s unlikely to reach the NHL as his offensive capabilities aren’t quite to that level and the holes in his game, namely a lack of physicality and defensive capabilities, will hold him back.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Hugo Lejon – NHL Draft Projection
Most experts don’t have Lejon ranked, which is understandable. I wouldn’t expect this to be a Yegor Chinakhov situation where he gets taken in the first round. If anything, I’d expect him to be taken late in this year’s draft if he’s selected. There are no guarantees for players once you get out of the early rounds, so it’s hard to say with complete certainty that Lejon ever gets selected. If he is though, I would expect it to be somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds, very late in the draft. He’s far from guaranteed to make it to the NHL, as a result, teams may not be confident taking him even in the late rounds as he’s still a very raw talent.
Quotables
“Lejon wants to contribute for his team to score goals and he shows smooth hands and great puck control. As an offensive-minded player, he likes to be in charge of the puck from the offensive blue line in and he can open up areas and finding passing lines that is really hard to see with his vision. He does also have a rather quick release and seems to have a mindset that he wants to score.” – Fredrik Haak, FC Hockey
“Lejon is a smart right-shot forward and an overager in this year’s draft after he was passed over in 2023. His offensive awareness is very good. He has the ability to be at the right place at the right time due to his great hockey IQ. It allows him to make accurate reads and choose the right routes most of the time and it makes him an efficient player who gets a lot out of his efforts.” – Erik Sjolund, FC Hockey
“Lejon regularly incorporates manipulative and gravitational elements into his playmaking while also displaying above-average vision and craftiness under pressure. He pre-scans before he gets the puck and makes quick decisions with it. He has some manipulative moves and can create space.” – Elite Prospects
Strengths
- Playmaking ability
- Improved goal-scoring significantly
Under Construction – Improvements to Make
- Long term project in all areas
- Lack of consistency in postseason scenarios
- Below-average skating ability
- No physicality
NHL Potential
Lejon has a very low likelihood of ever making it to the NHL. With that being said, if he were to reach the very top of his potential, we’d likely be looking at an offensive bottom-six winger. For teams who like to roll four offensive capable lines, he could potentially find a home on the fourth line. But even the third line might be too big of a role for him at the NHL level five years down the road.
Risk- Reward Analysis
Risk – 5/5, Reward – 1/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense- 3/5, Defense – 1/5