Prospect Profile: Herman Traff

By Thomas Harrington

With Anaheim’s offseason upon us, it’s time to begin the summer prospect write-ups. This summer, I’ll be starting with the profiles for prospects that Anaheim has acquired over the past year. First up is forward Herman Traff.

Acquired from the New Jersey Devils in the Brian Dumoulin trade, Traff was originally drafted by the Devils in the third round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, 91st overall. Traff played primarily in the SHL this past season, but also saw action in both the HockeyAllsvenskan and J20 Nationell.

Before being drafted, Traff had played primarily for HV71 J20 of the J20 Nationell, where he scored 13 goals and 21 points in 26 games, but also played in 10 SHL games and eight more in the HockeyAllsvenskan. This past season, he only played in two J20 Nationell games, scoring three goals and four points. In the HockeyAllsvenskan, he played for the Nybro Vikings IF and scored three goals and six points in nine games. In the SHL, Traff played for HV71 and scored three goals and seven points in 25 games. Among teenagers in the SHL, he ranked 10th in points-per-game.

Traff also played for Team Sweden at the World Junior Championships, scoring two goals in seven games. Sweden finished the tournament in fourth place. Traff played in a limited role for Sweden but did all that was asked of him.

Traff is a tall winger, standing at 6’3”. He needs to learn to use his size effectively if he wants to succeed in the NHL, but he’s made good progress over the past couple of seasons. He skates well for his size but does make questionable decisions with the puck sometimes. Traff gets in on the forecheck and plays a physical game.

Traff will be returning to SHL this coming season and could see more time in the HockeyAllsvenskan as well. I only have one expectation for him this coming season: to set a career high in games played in the SHL. The SHL is one of the top leagues in the world, and playing upwards of 25 games will show that Traff’s development is coming along nicely. 

Traff is a number of years away from the NHL. He’s got the size to make it; he just needs to put the rest of his game together. He’s got at least one more year of European hockey ahead of him, possibly more. Traff will then likely spend at least a year in San Diego if he does come to North America. So I think the earliest we might see him in an Anaheim uniform isn’t until the 2027-2028 season, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it didn’t happen until a year or two after that.

Traff is currently not signed to an NHL contract, and the Ducks have until June 1, 2028 to sign him, or they will lose his rights. Given that they just traded for him, Anaheim clearly likes his game, and I fully expect him to be signed well before the 2028 deadline.

The next prospect profile will be on defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka.

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June 2nd, 2025