2022 Flames Second Round Targets: Simon Forsmark

At the professional level, Forsmark has struggled to produce offense so far but he is engaged in offensive play through zone entries and his positioning in the offensive zone. He occasionally has seemed overwhelmed in the defensive end by the quicker and stronger competition at the men’s level, however. He primarily needs to work on his defensive positioning and speed in order to adapt to a step up in competition. One upside to Forsmark’s defensive play in the SHL is his physicality. While not overly physical, he uses his body wisely and is effective in boxing out opposing forward when defending the net-front area. Forsmark is a highly touted prospect for the upcoming draft, who many consider a top-40 pick. If his offensive skills begin to translate in the SHL and he continues his reliable transitional play, he could emerge as a potential first-round talent.

I don’t think Simon Forsmark is getting the love that he deserves. He’s an extremely mature defender, a strong two-way presence. Forsmark is strong defending the rush, leading with his stick and angling out into the boards with ease. He’s a takeaway machine, forcing turnovers with regularity and quickly turning it back up the ice. It seems that any puck around him, on a stick or not, seems to end up on his stick.

Forsmark’s hands look to be fairly slow but his feet and playmaking make up for this. He likely won’t be a player to carry it himself in transition but can distribute it out very well. Forsmark will need to build some strength, as it does look to be an issue at the SHL level, but that will come with development. You should give him another look and bump him up in your rankings.

To be a teenager playing a regular shift for a pro team in Sweden says a lot, especially on the blueline. Forsmark appeared in 41 games for Orebro’s pro side, averaging nearly 10 minutes of ice time per game. He only had three assists in the pros but showed much more offensive prowess at the U20 level. He averaged better than a point per game there and showed a skill level that he just couldn’t at the pro level. He has good size and solid puck skills and defends extremely well. The maturity of his game is a big selling point despite his skating only being OK.