The Montreal Canadiens have plenty of questions among their defense corps right now, but it seems as though some answers are coming in the way of top prospects. Alexander Romanov was a second-round pick in 2018 but looks like he’ll be coming over before long, and Mattias Norlinder has already raised his stock considerably since being selected in the third round last June.
Norlinder, 19, has been excellent this season for MODO in the Swedish second league, scoring 14 points in 28 games. He was recently named to the Swedish World Junior team alongside an elite defensive group, and teammates are convinced he’ll make the NHL one day. That won’t be next year though, as Norlinder has signed a one-year extension with MODO to continue his development in Sweden for 2020-21.
To be sure, the Canadiens will be watching his play closely as he takes on more responsibility with his club team. If MODO can win promotion to the SHL all the better, but even without that he has become a prospect to keep your eye on. With Cole Caufield set to star for Team USA at the upcoming World Junior tournament, we may even see some battles between future teammates in the coming weeks.
A little disappointing but not unexpected. Norlinder’s been had several highlight reel moments already this year and looks like he could be a really solid offensive defenceman in the future.