In the months leading up to the NHL Draft this past June, almost all of the national media attention was focused on what was dubbed the Dahlin Sweepstakes. Rasmus Dahlin was crowned the best defensive prospect in at least a decade and the clear frontrunner for the first overall selection. And his 11 points (2g, 9a) through 22 games, leading all rookie defensemen, goes to show that he’s capable of a long, exceptional career in the NHL.
But while all of the cameras were focused on Dahlin and his exceptional play in the SHL, Andrei Svechnikov was quitely putting together one of the hottest rookie OHL seasons in league history.