Filip Bystedt has had a productive year since the San Jose Sharks selected him with the No. 27 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.
The 19-year-old center was named the Swedish Hockey League's rookie of the year last season after he had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 45 games for Linkoping HC. He also played for Sweden at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship, finishing tied for first on the team with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games.
Bystedt then signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sharks on June 12, though whether he makes the jump straight to the NHL this season remains to be seen.
"It's uncertain," Bystedt said at development camp last month. "I'll go home to Sweden after this camp and will train with my team at home and will talk to these coaches and everyone else after this camp."
This was Bystedt's second development camp with San Jose, which gives him somewhat of a leg up on younger prospects in the organization.
"What we're looking for so far is [the prospects'] approach," San Jose AHL coach John McCarthy said. "Do they handle themselves as a pro? Do they come in ready to work? Are they engaged in the meetings? Are they retaining the information?
"Some guys have done this same thing for five years now, so you expect them to be a little bit ahead. But for other guys, this is their first crack at it."
Bystedt said he is still adjusting to the size of an NHL rink, which is smaller than those he plays on in Europe.
"It's a bit different," Bystedt said. "In the SHL, you have to skate more. Here, (there are) closer areas and you don't have as much time to think as you do back home."
Not that thinking on your feet is necessarily a problem for Bystedt; when asked what he can bring to an NHL team, he said his hockey IQ.
"I think I take responsibility," he said. "I can play a 200-foot game. I can play defense as well as offense, and take responsibility."
Regardless of whether Bystedt shows off that game in San Jose or Sweden this season, he knows there's still plenty he can improve upon.
"It's a bit of everything," Bystedt said. "I want to get faster. [I've been] working a lot over the summer to get faster, and there are small details and everything like that."
