Maple Leafs Prospect Turning Heads in Sweden with Major World Juniors Push
Photo credit: TSN
Maple Leafs prospect Victor Johansson has had quite the World Junior Summer Showcase, and explained to TSN how hard he's working to make Team Sweden.
The World Juniors are the most anticipated time for international junior hockey as we get to see the future of the game as the world's brightest stars compete for hockey supremacy.
Currently, four squads are getting towards the end of the Summer Showcase, where Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland are all getting a look at who might be on their roster come December.
The Maple Leafs are well represented, with Ben Danford fighting for a shot with Team Canada (and has a good chance to make it too) but there's another defensive prospect making waves: Victor Johansson.
Victor Johansson Emerging as a Surprise Standout for Sweden
He's had a very solid showing thus far, and in speaking to TSN's Mark Masters, he explained his excitement at getting the chance to showcase his stuff, and his goals this season:
It's been great, actually. I'm really happy with my game. I think I've played well for it being the two first games, I'm really happy with it and hopefully I can continue like this.
You know that World Juniors is coming up and you got to keep on going, so it could be a little bit of pressure, but you got to handle that good and just continue to play our game and hopefully it ends up well.
Every kid wants to play, so it's a dream come true if you can make it there. Hopefully, I can do pretty good by myself and hopefully I can take a spot.
You know that World Juniors is coming up and you got to keep on going, so it could be a little bit of pressure, but you got to handle that good and just continue to play our game and hopefully it ends up well.
Every kid wants to play, so it's a dream come true if you can make it there. Hopefully, I can do pretty good by myself and hopefully I can take a spot.
There's been a ton of progress for Johansson, a defenseman who came in underweight due to medical issues but has since been able to pack on some more weight.
This past season with Leksands IF's J20 team, he registered 39 points in 47 games but had 113 PIM; an issue exacerbated by his ADHD diagnosis.
Though he's not a hulking beast, he's slowly getting his size into form and if he can keep his staunch two-way presence while bulking up; it'll only pay dividends.
Magnus Havelid, Sweden's U20 head coach has also seen a lot of improvement from Johansson and is excited to see what he'll bring to Leksands this season:
Maybe a late bloomer, but he was really, really good with us in the national team in April. I can see now he's growing, being stronger, being quicker. It's fantastic development.
I'm looking forward to seeing him now in Leksands, it's a competition, but I think he can surprise a lot of Leksands fans.
I'm looking forward to seeing him now in Leksands, it's a competition, but I think he can surprise a lot of Leksands fans.
But what does this mean for the logjam of defenseman the Leafs have going forward?
What His Rapid Growth Means for the Maple Leafs This Season
For a team who once had a lot of question marks about their defense, not only are they in good hands now, but their future is looking pretty bright.
Though Johansson and Danford are still a couple of seasons away from debuting, their progress means that guys who are on the cusp need to start making their statements.
So that means guys like Cade Webber, Noah Chadwick, William Villeneuve, and even NCAA guys like John Prokop need to get their act together come training camp; and translate that into a strong season with the Marlies.
Toronto is in need of a two-way defenseman who adds an offensive punch, and they have a couple but if Johansson is growing at the rate he is; he'll be undeniable soon.
But even if these other players need to fight for their spot; it might still take a while regardless.
The back end of Toronto has five of their six blueliners locked up long term, and unless they decide to part ways with Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson; but then there's also Henry Thrun and Dakota Mermis who are NHL-ready depth players.
So for Johansson, this showcase is just the first step towards making the team in the future, and if the timing lines up; he'll be ready just when Toronto needs him the most.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 1 | 1383 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Prospect Turning Heads in Sweden with Major World Juniors Push Will Victor Johansson make Team Sweden for the World Juniors? | ||
| Yes | 1227 | 88.7 % |
| No | 156 | 11.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
