Jonas Johansson – The Next Ones: 2014 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Jonas Johansson THW Close-Up:

Team: Brynäs/Brynäs J20

Date of Birth: 09/19/1995

Place of Birth: Gävle, Sweden

Ht: 6’ 3.75″     Wt:  198 lbs

Catches: Left

Position: Goalie

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2014

Twitter: @JonasJohansoon

THW Ranking: 85

Other Rankings:

ISS: N/A

CSS (International Goalies): 2

Future Considerations: N/R

Craig Button: N/R

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*Check out THW’s 2014 NHL Draft Guide, your quintessential draft resource*

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Carrying On Tradition

Over the last several years, a number of Swedish netminders have found themselves drafted during some stage of the NHL Entry Draft. Individuals such as Jacob Markström, Robin Lehner, Jonas Gustafsson, and a number of other goaltenders have had the privilege of being selected by NHL teams that deemed these players strong enough to potentially make an impact on one of the biggest hockey stages in the world.

While Markström, Lehner, and Gustafsson still have some time to go before they hope to firmly entrench themselves as number one netminders in the NHL, Jonas Johansson will look to become the next Swedish goalie that could make waves in the NHL one day. Playing with the Brynäs teams of the J18 Elit and Allsvenskan since the 2010-2011 hockey season, Johansson has definitely stood out as an interesting prospect for several seasons – and it’s not due to his towering height (6’3.75″) at just 18 years of age. 

Of course, Johansson’s height is one of his biggest assets, but that certainly hasn’t impeded the goalie from refining other aspects of his game. As a butterfly goalie, Johansson features a strong glove hand, solid lateral movements, good athleticism, and the requisite mental acuity required to be a successful professional netminder.

With several seasons of developmental play under his belt, Johansson will likely look to make an impact in the SHL next year after paying his dues in the Swedish J18 and SuperElit leagues. Having shown progression from the early portions of his hockey career, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Johansson excel in the SHL as the goalie adapted to each level of developmental play in Sweden in seemingly seamless fashion.

Not only has Johansson progressed nicely with his J18 and J20 teams, he has also shown that he could play in a number of pressure packed situations. As a member of Sweden’s U18 international teams, Johansson put forth a tremendous showing on the international stage during the ’12-’13 hockey season. Even though Johansson might not have fared too well in international appearances during the ’13-’14 hockey season, he is no stranger to competition and definitely won’t shy away from a chance to represent his country in future tournaments.

Possessing a calm, yet competitive, demeanor, it won’t be a matter of if Johansson is selected at this year’s NHL Draft, but when the netminder will be taken. Regardless of his draft position this year, Johansson definitely has the mold of a potential number one starting goalie in the NHL – the only question is which team will he be playing for a few years down the line when he starts to come into his own.

Scout’s Honour:

“Jonas Johansson has improved a lot during the last two seasons. He’s a solid, reliable goalkeeper, one of the most improved goalies in Sweden, quick reactions, reads the game very well.”

– NHL Director of European Scouting Goran Stubb via NHL.com

“Jonas Johansson has outstanding size for a goaltender, already at 6’4″. It has become the trend in recent years to draft big goalies, and with Johansson that size is certainly an asset. While he is often well positioned for a shot, he seems to play deep in his crease and doesn’t really cut down angles. Despite that he tracks the puck well and goes side to side extremely well. He also has quick legs and a very good butterfly technique. Johansson takes away the bottom of the net extremely well, however will need to work on his rebound control going forward. He has a very good glove hand that takes away the top of the net. Johansson has good athleticism, so he recovers quickly and gets himself square to the shooter on rebound attempts. His strong skating and the fact he plays deep in his crease allow him to be very good on deke attempts, breakaways, and shootouts. Mature for his age, Johansson doesn’t let a bad goal get to him, and avoids giving up two or three quick ones in a row by dwelling on the last one. He’s also shown to be a leader for his International teams, being someone they can lean on when the pressure is on.”

– Ben Kerr via LastWordOnSports.com

“A big netminder at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds, Johansson has started the past two divisional games for the Brynas junior squad, despite being one of the younger backup on the team. He gave up just two goals in each of those games and has posted an overall goals-against average of 1.83 – best in the circuit.”

– Ryan Kennedy via TheHockeyNews.com

Where He’ll End Up In June:

Johansson will likely be among one of the first few goalies taken at this year’s NHL Entry Draft. Many scouts have him pegged as one of the top overall goalies available at this draft and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Johansson’s name called during the earlier stages of selection.

Statistics:

Bio/Interviews:

  • 2014 Draft Profile: Jonas Johansson via NHL.com

International Tournaments:

Johansson has participated in quite a number of international tournaments thus far in his young career as he has represented Sweden in U17, U18, and U20 play in the WHC-17, WJC-18, and Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament .

NHL ETA:

  • 3-5 Years

Risk/Reward Analysis:

  • Risk: 2/5 Reward: 3.5-4/5

NHL Potential:

  • Number one starting goaltender.

Strengths:

  • Good glove hand.
  • Strong skating abilities.
  • Good coverage of lower portion of the net.
  • Good lateral movements.
  • Good puck tracking.
  • Athleticism.
  • Confidence.
  • Mental toughness.

Flaws/Aspects He Needs to Work On:

  • Rebound control.
  • Cutting down his angles.

Fantasy Potential:

  • Goaltending: 8.5-9/10

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** THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph