Prospect Update: Albin Sundsvik

By Thomas Harrington

A sixth round pick from 2020, center Albin Sundsvik played for Skelleftea AIK in the SHL this past season.

Sundsvik played in 47 games for Skelleftea AIK and scored five goals and nine points. His offensive totals dropped from six goals and 14 points in 45 games the year before. Sundsvik’s +6 rating was the highest that he’s had in the SHL. He finished tied for 11th in goals and 15th in points on Skelleftea. He was scoreless in six playoff games.

I had two expectations for Sundsvik last season, to continue his solid defensive play and to increase his offensive totals. He continues to be a solid defensive center but he missed out on my second expectation. His goals only dropped by one, but it was more disappointing to see his assists and points drop by so much. For a player who doesn’t score much, every point really matters for him.

This coming year, Sundsvik should be back in the SHL and playing again for Skelleftea AIK. He extended with them for another year back in November. I have a couple of expectations for him this year. First, after seeing his point totals drop, I want to see him at least match what he did in the 2020-2021 season, if not exceed it. Second, I’d like to see him average more ice time than the 12:40 he had last season. More ice time will hopefully lead to more offense, but it will at least show that he’s becoming more important to his team.

Sundsvik is a number of years away from the NHL, if he makes it at all. It’s rare for sixth round picks to make it to the NHL, and his low offensive output certainly isn’t helping his case. However, there’s a chance that he can carve out a niche for himself as a third or fourth line shutdown center. The Ducks have a number of other prospects who are vying for a similar spot, so Sundsvik will either need to turn into an elite shutdown center or start putting up some more points if he wants to make it to the NHL in the future.

Sundsvik is currently unsigned and Anaheim is in control of his rights for a couple more years. The Ducks are in no rush with Sundsvik; they can let him develop at his own pace, and if he does enough over the next two years, expect to see him signed to an entry-level deal. However, if they decide he hasn’t developed enough, they could let his rights expire.

The next prospect update will be on Sam Colangelo.

Related Articles:

Prospect Update: Henry Thrun

Prospect Update: Thimo Nickl

Prospect Update: Trevor Janicke

Prospect Update: Jacob Perreault

Prospect Update: Artyom Galimov

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September 24th, 2022