Dahlin tops Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin of Frolunda in Sweden is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters for the 2018 NHL Draft, to be held at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 22-23.
Central Scouting revealed its final list of the top International skaters and goaltenders, and top North American skaters and goaltenders, on Monday.

Dahlin (6-foot-2, 181 pounds), a left-handed shot, could become the first Sweden-born player chosen No. 1 since Mats Sundin by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989. He would be the first defenseman chosen No. 1 since Aaron Ekblad by the Florida Panthers in 2014.
"Dahlin is an exceptionally talented prospect who will be able to contribute, influence and impact a team's fortunes much in the way that defensemen Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators) and Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning) have in the NHL," said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. "If you wanted to pick one player from the 2018 draft who could potentially be viewed as a generational talent, Rasmus would be the only candidate. There is that much respect for him and his abilities."
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RANKINGS: [North American Skaters | North American Goalies | International Skaters | International Goalies]
Dahlin, who turned 18 on Friday, had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists), a plus-4 rating, 30 hits, 36 blocked shots and 84 shots on goal while averaging 19:02 of ice time in 41 games in the Swedish Hockey League. He had three points (one goal, two assists) and a plus-3 rating in six SHL playoff games.
He was named the best defenseman at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship after he had six points, all assists, 25 shots on goal and a plus-7 rating while averaging 23:08 of ice time in seven games to help Sweden win the silver medal. He also was the youngest player on Sweden's roster for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics by seven years.
"Dahlin is in a class of his own," said Goran Stubb, director of NHL European Scouting. "He's fulfilled everything that was expected of him as a regular with Frolunda. He's a smart two-way defenseman with a great set of tools, including skating, puck handling, vision, intelligence and shot.

"He's not overly physical on the ice but he doesn't shy away from the rough stuff."
Dahlin opted to sit out the IIHF World Under-18 Championship, which runs April 19-29, in order to prepare for the NHL Scouting Combine in June. He played 74 games in 2017-18, including regular-season and playoff games for Frolunda, and with Sweden in international tournaments.
Rounding out the top five among European skaters are No. 2 defenseman Adam Boqvist (5-11, 168) of Brynas' team in Sweden's junior league; No. 3 right wing Vitali Kravtsov (6-2, 170) of Chelyabinsk in Russia; No. 4 right wing Martin Kaut (6-1, 176) of Pardubice in the Czech Republic; and No. 5 defenseman Adam Ginning (6-3, 196) of Linkoping in Sweden.
Boqvist, 17, is a right-shot defenseman who had 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists) and a plus-6 rating in 25 games with Brynas in the junior league, and one assist in 15 games with Brynas in the SHL. He's the younger brother of New Jersey Devils forward prospect Jesper Boqvist (No. 36, 2017 draft).
North American Skaters | North American Goalies | International Skaters | International Goalies]
"Boqvist is an extremely skilled defenseman with excellent vision and tons of talent," Stubb said. "He has good on-ice awareness, a good shot and is a finesse-type player who plays bigger than he is."
Kravtsov, 18, was No. 10 on Central Scouting's midterm list. He made a big jump after major strides in the second half of the season for Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. He had seven points (four goals, three assists) in 35 regular-season games, and 11 points (six goals, five assists) in 16 KHL playoff games.
"He's gained more weight and is a powerful skater with balance and speed," Stubb said. "He's also gritty at times and has a no-quit attitude. A prototypical power-forward."
Kaut, 18, had 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 38 games in the Czech Republic's top professional league.

Ginning, 18, a left-shot defenseman, had two points (one goal, one assist) in 28 SHL games.
Lukas Dostal (6-1, 158) of Treibic in the Czech Republic's second division, is the No. 1 on Central Scouting's final list of International goaltenders. Dostal, 17, had a 2.43 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 20 games.
"He has good overall net coverage with strong angle and positional play," Stubb said. "When he is hot, he's really good. But like many other young and inexperienced goalies, he's a bit inconsistent from game to game. But he does play with a lot of desire, determination and confidence."