The 2019-20 season is paramount to the development of Nils Lundkvist. It’s not that the previous season went terribly for him. All things considered, 10 points in 41 games is fairly good production for an 18-year-old, two-way defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League.
But compared to fellow 2019 first-round picks Vitali Kravtsov and K’Andre Miller, who had breakout campaigns and thrust themselves into top prospect discussions around the NHL, Lundkvist’s post-draft season was modest. For the most part, the cause was circumstantial rather than his own doing. His team, Luleå, were arguably the best in the SHL last season and had a crowded defensive corps.