Brother combinations in the NHL are becoming commonplace, and the next one to watch will be Otto and Ivar Stenberg. Otto is up with the St. Louis Blues and currently has six points in his first 12 games. That’s solid, but his younger brother is a better offensive player.
I always say the SHL does a great job of developing young players. Stenberg is one of the best I’ve seen come out of there in the last five years, and there have been some terrific players. He’s only 18 and currently has 24 points in 25 games. This is solid production, but I like to see what players do in a big tournament, too.
Stenberg excelled in the World Juniors. His 10 points in seven games were one of the big reasons Sweden took home a rare gold medal. He was one of the best players in the tournament, arguably the most dangerous offensive player on his team, considering when he scored his goals. He was clutch, and no stage seemed to be too big for him.
Here’s what I’ve seen from him this season from a scouting perspective.
He has a big one-timer. It’s pro-quality already. He is very good around the net, and a high percentage of his shots hit the net. Calling him a skilled passer isn’t a good enough description. What he does exceptionally well is draw the defense to him. All Stenberg’s are strong for their size. I’m not sure what their workout program is, but it’s working for them.
Another key part of his game is that he doesn’t take bad penalties. He can play a boatload of minutes and play in key parts of the game, and coaches don’t worry about him taking his team out of the game with a bad decision. His decision-making in all situations is very good already.
Stenberg is tremendous at bringing the puck up the ice. When he has a head of steam, he’s hard to stop. In this instance, in this clip, he took a hit to make a play, and his team cashed in on it.
I don’t think he will go first overall. Could I change my mind? Of course. I think there are a few teams that might pick him in the top slot, but there’s a lot of season left, and so far I’m not there.
