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Kasper Lundell
2021-22 Team: HIFK / Liiga
Date of Birth: Mar. 11, 2004
Place of Birth: Espoo, Finland
Ht: 5-foot-11 Wt: 174 lbs
Shoots: L
Position: Forward
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2022 first-year eligible
Rankings
For Kasper Lundell, the 2022 NHL Draft is coming at a good time. After dealing with injuries from 2018-2020, Lundell managed to get back on the ice mostly full-time over the last two seasons, putting together great outings along the way. In 2020-21, he posted 26 points in 20 games while playing in the U18 SM-sarja (Finnish U18 Juniors), while in 2021-22, he scored 26 points again in 31 games in the Finnish U20 SM-sarja.
Throughout these seasons, Lundell saw steady growth in his game, and he has started showing the skillset of a solid two-way forward. He sees the ice incredibly well and knows how to keep himself out of trouble while slowing down his opponent’s chances. If he is able to improve his skating, there’s a real chance he could be a shutdown forward at whatever level of hockey he plays.
Related: THW’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide
Unlike his brother Anton Lundell, who was selected 12th overall back in 2020, Kasper isn’t seen to have the highest offensive ceiling, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t potential there. He has a great toolkit, and if he could stay healthy, his development could grow by leaps and bounds every year.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Kasper Lundell – NHL Draft Projection
While he likely won’t be a top selection at the 2022 Draft, Lundell has the toolkit and ability of a player who will hear their name called. If he were a little bit bigger or had been injury-free throughout his development, he may have been a second or third-round pick.
As it stands now, though, Lundell seems like a pretty safe selection in the fourth round. He could slip a little bit due to his size, but it seems unlikely that he would fall much past the early fifth round.
Quotables
He does not have high end quickness or agility in small areas right now. However, once he gets stronger, it’ll be interesting to see if that added strength transitions into a more powerful stride. Kasper may be underrated as a prospect because he had struggled with injuries, but his best hockey awaits.
Lundell’s work ethic on the forecheck was something that stood out for me in this game. He might not have had the most active game as far as scoring chances are concerned, but he was able to showcase some of his other skills. His hockey-IQ is very good, which he was able to display when reading plays and thus getting turnovers on both ends of the ice.
Rasmus Tornqvist (From Kasper Lundell Game Report, FCHockey, Mar. 22, 2022)
Like his brother, Kasper possesses a persistent work ethic and smarts that allows him to succeed every shift. He’s a very dangerous playmaker, as he had 17 assists and 26 points in 20 games at the U18 level and does a great job at protecting the puck.
Strengths
- High hockey IQ
- Plays a smart two-way game
- Solid offensive toolkit
Under Construction- Improvements to Make
In order to take that next step in his career, Lundell will have to improve his overall skating ability. Right now, he is an average to below-average skater, that sometimes struggles to get up to speed, which hampers his ability to move with the puck. This is fixable, of course, especially as he grows into his body.
NHL Potential
Given his rapid development since getting healthy, Lundell is on a great track to one day reaching the NHL. If he can stay injury-free, this would allow him to work out the kinks in his gameplan while developing his already strong two-way play
📸: Leijonat https://t.co/4x347OifDU
It will take time, but Lundell could have a higher ceiling than his statistics would lead you to believe. Right now he may look like a bottom-six defensive forward at most, but if he can improve his overall skating and refine his scoring instincts, there’s a top-six forward in his toolkit. This may be a bit of a best-case scenario, but he strikes me as a player that we will look back on in four or five years and see as a draft-day steal for whoever takes him.
Risk- Reward Analysis
Risk- 2/5, Reward 4/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense – 5/10, Defense – 6/10
Kasper Lundell Statistics
Eugene Helfrick is a Tampa Bay Lightning writer who is actually from Tampa Bay. He has written about the Lightning for six years, covering everything from their run to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, to their crushing first-round exit in 2019, to their redemption in the bubble in 2020. While he is happy to talk about just about anything from cows to cars to video games, hockey will always remain one of his favorite pastimes.
