Timothy Liljegren
Ht/Wt: 6′ 0″/190 lbs
Position: RHD
Team: Rogle Jr20 (SWE)
Ranked #10 by Hockeyprospect.com
Ranked #8 by ISS Hockey
Ranked #22 by Future Considerations
Ranked #20 by McKeen’s Hockey
Ranked #6 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)
Ranked #16 by TSN/McKenzie
When your name gets called by the @MapleLeafs. #TMLTalk #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/P6XFtYDxFG
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017
Jeff Marek of Sportsnet – Mar. 8th: “A strong Five Nations Tournament alleviated all fears that his game was slipping. For most teams he is the best defenceman in this year’s draft.”
ISS Hockey – Mar. 7th: “Elite skater both in terms of speed & agility. Played well at 5-Nations, finishing 2nd in shots”
ISS Hockey – Feb. 3rd: “Offensively creative defender. Recently returned after bout w/mono and scored his 1st goal.”
Mike Morreale NHL.com – Jan. 20th: “Liljegren (6-0, 191) missed two months because of mononucleosis earlier in the season but is a solid prospect with great upside. He’s calm, smart and creative, and can move the puck with authority.”
Future Considerations: “An active, offensive-minded rearguard who likes the puck on his stick…skates with strong fluidity and agility, getting from one point to the next effortlessly as his feet always seem to be in motion…can take the puck end-to-end a la Erik Karlsson…his offensive IQ is off the charts as is his creativity…makes strong breakout passes to move along the attack to his forwards before jumping into the play himself…has a strong wrist shot that is quick off his blade, strong and accurate, and he gets some solid velocity on his slap shot”
Dennis Schellenberg Hockey Prospectus – Nov. 9th: “Very strong and matured puckmoving skills, delivers at both ends of the ice, has a booming shot and competes real hard in his own zone. A leader on the blue line who is competing against men in Sweden for the second season.”
FROM Last Word on Hockey Prospects
Skating
Liljegren is an elite skater. He moves well both forwards and backwards, with excellent speed and acceleration. He also has very good edge work and pivots. As such he can cover a ton of ice. Liljegren can make offensive plays rushing the puck, or pinching in at the blue line; but still has the speed to get back defensively. He also has good balance and lower body strength. This helps him to win his battles along the boards and in front of the net. When carrying the puck, he is tough to knock off of it.
Offensive Game
Liljegren has the poise and smarts to quarterback a power play. He has excellent vision, and makes good passes to set things up at the line. Liljegren finds the open man and makes tape-to-tape passes through tight areas. He can also make the long breakout pass to hit a teammate streaking through the neutral zone. Liljegren is a very good stick handler. He can move the puck out of danger, and avoid fore checkers when starting the transition game. He also has the ability to make plays leading the rush or to join the rush as a trailer. Liljegren’s has high hockey IQ, as he makes almost always makes the smart play with the puck.
Liljegren also has an excellent shot. His slapshot has great power, and the has the ability to get it through traffic and on net. He can really hammer a laser when he is given a good pass for a one-timer. He also can vary things up with a quick release and accurate wrist shot. Liljegren usually keeps his shot low, looking for teammates to get deflections and rebounds.
Defensive Game
Liljegren’s defensive game is very advanced for an 18-year-old, however there is still plenty of room to improve. He uses his strong skating ability and quick feet to contain his opponent and maintains good gap control. His stick is quick and he can create turnovers through poking a puck away from an opponent or through intercepting a pass. Liljegren could stand to be a bit more physical though. He’s He already has decent muscle mass, but could add a little more.
Projection and Comparison
After a rough season, Liljegren will need some development time. It is unlikely that he will be ready to step into the NHL immediately. There is real upside here though, and Liljegren could become a top pair NHL defenceman if he continues to improve his game. In terms of a stylistic (but not talent based) comparison, he resembles Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Arizona Coyotes.
He had an impressive Scouting Combine showing
Liljegren was among the 104 participants at the 2017 Scouting Combine and all indications are that he performed well. He had the eighth-best score in the standing long jump drill with a score of 111.5 inches. He was also the only projected first rounder to finish in the top 25 for mean power output in the Wingate Cycle Ergometer test which would indicate that, just like Karlsson, his legs stay fresh late in games.
While there, he met with 28 of the 31 NHL teams. The only teams that didn’t interview him were the Canucks, Penguins and Flyers.
In Chicago, @Hennytweets chats to @MapleLeafs first round draft pick @Timmeliljegren. #NHLDraft #TMLTalk pic.twitter.com/o1GjsiErj2
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017
Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter talks about the @MapleLeafs drafting of @Timmeliljegren. #NHLDraft #TMLTalk pic.twitter.com/g2VlYFFR51
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017
A message from @Timmeliljegren. #TMLTalk #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/Cc1jgEd5WB
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017
Time for your portrait, @Timmeliljegren. #TMLtalk #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/hZIpTerpZv
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017