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Underrated Prospect Tearing Up SHL preseason

Originally posted on The Sick Podcast | By Nick Lariviere | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 4:04 PM ET

The Montreal Canadiens 6th sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Filip Eriksson, is off to a great start in the SHL preseason with Lulea HC. Could his performance earn him a full-time spot in the SHL this season?

Eriksson has been one of the top players for Lulea HC during their 3 preseason games, where he has registered 2 goals and 4 points. On top of putting up points, he is being used on the team’s top line so far during the preseason. Now, this doesn’t mean he’ll play there to start the regular season, but it does mean that Lulea’s coaching s taff trusts him to play a serious role with the team this year.

It seems that Eriksson’s spot in the SHL could be secured based on both his performance and usage. This is great news after spending the last two seasons bouncing between the top Swedish league and the Allsvenskan second division team within the Vaxjo Lakers system.

Last season, Eriksson seemed to struggle finding his place within the Vaxjo system, which is why this change of scenery is a good thing to give the Habs prospect a fresh start to prove exactly what he can do at the top Swedish league level. If he continues to produce like he has this preseason, the 20-year-old has the chance to move up the rankings of Canadiens prospects.

As it stands, Eriksson likely isn’t in the top 20 prospects within the Montreal Canadiens for most scouts or fans, but that can change quickly with a strong SHL season. The good news is that this trade to Lulea is already looking like it is paying off.

#Habs Filip Eriksson with a goal and assist in today's pre-season game against Timrå.
Here is the power play goal: pic.twitter.com/pGzpor84wh

— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) August 21, 2025

The highlights from yesterday’s game against Timra show a player with a booming shot that may earn power-play time as a 20-year-old in the SHL. While it may not be an NHL shot just yet, his release definitely shows potential to get there someday, and there have been comparisons in his game to former Habs centreman Christian Dvorak, just with his overall style of play. This means that Eriksson is also a player with a strong two-way game and could potentially be a good bottom-six faceoff guy in the NHL someday.

6th rounder Eriksson might have the goods. https://t.co/wnCDNAKbRg pic.twitter.com/FmqbAQCh7S

— Byron Bader (@ByronMBader) August 21, 2025

From the highlights I’ve seen of the young Swede, his game reminds me more of a scoring winger rather than a 2-way centre, but that could also be related to the way young players are used in the top European leagues. It will be interesting to watch how he progresses this year in the SHL. He has always given me the vibe that he could be a potential steal someday, but after last year’s struggles, I started having doubts about him. Time will tell if the change of scenery is all he needs to prove his worth as a prospect.

Honestly, right now, it feels like Eriksson is still a long shot to make the NHL, but with a strong year with Lulea, that could all easily change. If he does pan out, he could be a Tomas Tatar – Victor Olofsson player with a sneaky wrister that could be useful on the power-play. I plan on watching some of his games and keeping a close eye on his progression this season.

Do you have thoughts on Filip Eriksson as a prospect?

This article first appeared on The Sick Podcast and was syndicated with permission.

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