With the 37th pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Winnipeg Jets have selected Alfons Freij from the Vaxjo Lakers HC J20 (J20 Nationell)
About Alfons Freij
Alfons Freij is an offensively gifted left-handed defenseman from Sweden. He is a phenomenal skater with some serious playmaking upside, so he could be valuable as an in-zone player as well as on the rush. His offensive game is where most of his talent lies, but some development on the defensive front could help him become an impactful NHLer in the future.
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With 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 40 games, Freij had one of the all-time best-scoring seasons for a defenseman his age in J20 Nationell history. Among age-17 defenders, he tied for the 11th-highest point total ever recorded. For reference, Erik Karlsson, who had a 101-point season in the NHL back in 2022-23, had 37 points in 38 games back in 2007-08. The production is absolutely there, but can he take it to the next level?
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
“Freij is a tremendous skater and playmaker from the blue line who would be capable of quarterbacking the power play with ease. Defensively, he is a bit of a project as he often finds himself out of position due to playing overly aggressively in the offensive zone. With that being said, he has great knowledge of the game and tends to make the right decisions more often than not.
“Despite having a fairly big frame, Freij doesn’t use his size to his advantage very often. He tends to shy away from the physical side of the game more often than not. Once he comes over to North America, that will certainly be one of the key aspects that most teams will look to improve. Adding some physicality would definitely help his defensive game as a whole, and he has the size to play that style of game.
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“His awareness in the offensive zone is phenomenal, he seemingly is always in the right place at the right time, however, sometimes he does make mistakes that cost him in his own zone. Whether it be a risky play that leads to a turnover, or if he gets caught puck-chasing, he will occasionally make some judgment errors.
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Jets’ Plans
The Jets, with a promising prospect pool and some great young players on the roster, get some skill on their defense with Freij. Having some offensive upside on their back end should aid them in the future, especially if Freij develops into an NHL player. It could be a while before he is impactful at the NHL level, sure, but Winnipeg is a team that has a pretty lengthy window. If and when he is ready to be an impactful player, he can slot in on their power play and perhaps take on a second-pairing workload if he progresses.