NHL Prospect Profile: Oliver Wahlstrom

Statistics

Scout Quotes

Wahlstrom is a dominant power winger with elite puck skills, highlighted by a devastatingly accurate shot. He is one of the top goal scorers available for the draft, but he does far more than simply fill the back of the net. Not only is Wahlstrom Team USA’s top-line right wing, but he is also a key cog in both the power play and the penalty kill. Although it seems like he never turns down the opportunity to crank one towards the cage, he is blessed with an acute sense to quickly identify a defender’s intentions, then exploit the tiniest of windows and turn a seemingly harmless 1-on-1 into a clear dash for the cage. Wahlstrom has very good speed with an above-average first step. And although he is no straight-line road-runner, his footwork, balance and lateral skating ability are all excellent, and he uses a keen understanding of play development to get the extra step or two he needs to create plenty of space between the opponent and him. – The Draft Analyst

Wahlstrom is a versatile player. In 2016-17 he spent most of the season on the Under-17 team playing centre. On the Under-18 team, he has been on the right wing, playing on the first line with possible 2019 first overall pick Jack Hughes. After being drafted, it will be up to his new team to decide where to develop him. I believe that his future is as a right-wing sniper, but it is not impossible to see a team try to move him to centre. – Last Word on Hockey

AJ’s Thoughts

Wahlstrom is a fun prospect to watch. A dangerous offensive player every time he’s on the ice, Wahlstrom combines supreme confidence with dazzling skill. He’s a creative offensive player who has been fed prime scoring chances from Jack Hughes and Joel Farabee all season and his incredible production reflects what a dominant trio they could be at times. Wahlstrom on his own is a pure sniper, though, capable of beating goaltenders with a wide array of shots which he varies already.

I’m not worried that his defensive game is lackluster because he hasn’t been asked to play much of it in his career and he’ll get a crash course in college hockey. Originally slated to attend Harvard, Wahlstrom is now set to make his freshman debut at Boston College next season and I think the physical grind-it-out game will be good for his adjustment. He’s going to get plenty of time to fill out his frame in the weight room as he converts his body into a more toned muscular build.

That will help increase his effectiveness along the way a great deal down the road. Some seem Wahlstrom as a player who could succeed in a transition to center and that would be a definite boost to his draft value but I’m personally of the opinion that he’s a right wing who is going to score an awful lot of goals from that position. He’s a special offensive talent who almost feels a little overlooked as the top trio of forwards has received the lion’s share of love and the fast-risers Kotkaniemi and Hayton are stealing some of his buzz but Wahlstrom is a legitimate top-10 talent and will torment goaltenders wherever he lands.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

Early in the year when we thought the Avalanche were going to be a bottom-10 team, Wahlstrom was widely viewed as the fallback plan in case Colorado missed out on the top forward prospects. With Ottawa likely choosing to keep this year’s selection, the Avalanche are going to lose out on all these guys who would have been perfect fits for their system. Wahlstrom’s goal-scoring punch from the right side would have created a very fun 1-2 combination with Mikko Rantanen for the next decade or so. Somewhere in the multiverse there will be Avs fans who get to enjoy that reality.

Rankings

#6 Hockey Prospect
#5 Future Considerations
#7 McKeen’s Hockey