Hakansson is easily defined as a big, strong, reliable, shutdown defender who matches up against top forwards and rolls over the boards to kill penalties. He’s the kind of defenceman who complements a more active offensive partner. For example, pairing Hakansson with a player like No. 12-ranked Ryan Lin from my list makes sense. Hakansson is plenty mobile, makes a solid first pass and occasionally contributes some depth offence.

Håkansson didn’t get a ton of ice time at the World Juniors, but we saw exactly what he’s capable of – raw defensive energy. There’s absolutely no flash to his game. Instead, he uses his big 6-foot-4, 207-pound frame to flatten opponents while being a pain in the rear end defensively. He’s quite mobile for his frame, too. Håkansson’s lack of offensive awareness won’t help his draft stock, but I absolutely could see him becoming a solid shutdown defender in the NHL. He’d go higher if he could shoot or make passes like Alberts Šmits.