NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Alexander Holtz

One burning question will remain on the minds of Buffalo Sabres fans between now and the start of the NHL Draft on Oct. 6: Who will be available when the team selects eighth overall?
According to Dan Marr, the director of the NHL's Central Scouting Services, eighth is a pretty good place to be.
"The top eight is where you want to be if you want to get a marquee prospect," Marr said. "Not every club is going to have the same order, so they could conceivably get somebody who they have five or six on their list and they're going to be tickled pink to be able to do that.
"I know they've really been working hard preparing. They probably are going to have to get their eyes checked after watching so much video they had collected on these prospects. They're going to get a marquee NHL prospect here."
Alexis Lafreniere is the consensus favorite to be selected first overall. After him, most projections have forwards Quinton Byfield and Tim Stutzle going second and third in some order - though, as we have seen in recent years, those projections are never a guarantee.
Neither is this one. But, over the coming days we can do our best to profile some of the candidates who might be available when the Sabres pick. We continue today with Swedish forward Alexander Holtz.

8 for 8 profiles: Marco Rossi | Jack Quinn | Cole Perfetti | Anton Lundell | Lucas Raymond

Alexander Holtz - RW, Djurgarden (SHL)

6-foot-0, 192 pounds

2019-20: 35 GP, 9 G, 7 A, 15 P

Of the two Swedish wingers projected to be taken in the top 10 (we covered the playmaking Lucas Raymond here), Holtz is known as the more natural goal scorer.
Holtz, like Raymond, spent the majority of last season playing against men in the Swedish Hockey League. His 16 points with the big club led all under-18 players.
The numbers were even better against his peers. Holtz tallied nine points - including seven goals - in just three games for the Djurgarden J-20 team.
Holtz is highly regarded for his hands and his lethal wrist shot, making him one of the premier goal scorers in this year's class. NHL Central Scouting Services ranks him second among European skaters behind Stutzle.

What they're saying

NHL.com's Mike Morreale, who has the Sabres selecting Holtz in his latest mock draft: "A pure goal-scorer with a great selection of shots, Holtz plays a tough, intelligent game. He had 55 shots on goal and averaged 12:53 of ice time in 35 games in the SHL this season.

Watch this

Holtz cleaned up a rebound for his first goal of the 2020-21 season on Saturday.