After yesterday’s profile on Boston College center James Hagens, we now shift overseas for our first North American skater on our list – Swedish center Anton Frondell.
Playing in the second-tier Swedish league HockeyAllsvenskan, Frondell became one of the most productive 17-year-olds to ever play in the league. With Djurgårdens IF, a team based out of Stockholm, Frondell and fellow projected lottery pick Victor Eklund vaulted together to the top of draft boards over the course of the season. As we’ll get into with Eklund later in the rankings, there were particular strengths of each player that made the combination quite dynamic for Djurgårdens, and deciding between the two which has the higher upside really depends on what playing style you value and think will translate to the NHL.