NHL Prospect Profile: Rasmus Dahlin

Statistics

Scout Quotes

Exceptional two-way defenseman with a well-documented resume who has been succeeding as a teenager playing against much older competition. Dahlin is an explosive, dynamic puck wizard who thinks the game at an elite level. He’s rarely caught out of position, which is quite amazing when you consider how often he likes to jump into lanes and quickly transition up ice. When Dahlin has the puck, opponents are thrown into a state of confusion, as his agility, stickhandling and duffel bag full of dekes and fakes make him next to impossible to telegraph. His shot is both wicked and accurate, augmenting vision that is nothing short of phenomenal. – The Draft Analyst

Dahlin is quite simply the best draft defence prospect we have seen in a decade. Terms like “generational talent” are thrown around often but in Dahlin’s case it is very much deserved. The sky is the limit as far as his potential goes. Now in terms of a style (not talent) comparison, he has the offensive game of an Erik Karlsson, with the defensive game of Drew Doughty.  He should be in the NHL and a big-time contributor next season. – Last Word on Hockey

AJ’s Thoughts

This is a classic franchise defenseman that teams wait years for an opportunity to draft. It’s kind of amusing Buffalo didn’t intentionally tank this year but ended up building just a terrible roster and they won the lottery to select the player that should help address their biggest weakness in the organization.

Dahlin is an elite prospect on the blue line and in my eyes the best defensive prospect since Drew Doughty. Dahlin has good size and combines it with elite tools across the board. He’s great offensively, defensively, and on his skates. What more can you ask for?

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

Dahlin would be a great fit regardless of the organization. He’s a special defensive prospect and players of his caliber with his level of success at the professional level at his age are rare. He would have been a fun addition to the left of Colorado’s defense with Sam Girard and Nikita Zadorov to create a defense that would be the envy of the league in short order. Alas, that is not this reality.

Rankings

#1 Hockey Prospect
#1 ISS Hockey
#1 Future Considerations
#1 McKeen’s Hockey