Kyle Davidson has announced that he does not plan to use all 11 draft picks for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. However, he has expressed an interest in moving up in the draft if the opportunity arises. One possible reason for this move is the emergence of a promising young defenseman, Axel Sandin Pellikka, who made a name for himself in the u18 World Juniors.
Pellikka's impressive performance has earned him the number 2 spot in the 2023 NHL Draft prospects and 7th in NHL Central Scouting's ranking of the top European skaters for the upcoming draft. Even he did not expect to rank so high and had initially hoped to simply play enough minutes in U20 and make his SHL
debut.
Pellikka's breakout year started with training under his father, a cross-country skier, and Skelleftea's strength and conditioning staff. He worked on developing his explosiveness, and defensive and offensive skills, and honed his already great skating ability and puck handling. Though he started primarily as an offensive defenseman, he worked hard to improve his defensive game by taking on bigger opponents and working the corners on the ice.
«No, not at all,» he told The Athletic when asked, laughing. «I mean, I wouldn't say I had a weak year the year before but I was pretty shocked. My goal was to play good minutes in the U20 league and maybe, maybe if I was lucky I got to do an SHL debut. I'm pleasantly surprised that it has gone so good.»
His coach, Martin Sandgren, expects him to be drafted in the middle of the first round, but only time will tell if Central Scouting's projections will come true. Regardless, Sandin Pellikka has a bright future ahead of him, and we can look forward to seeing his continued development in the SHL or NHL.
