For the second time in the past few weeks, an Anaheim Ducks prospect has opted to depart the minor-league ranks and return home. Defenseman Axel Andersson has now signed a two-year contract with Djurgårdens IF in the second-tier Allsvenskan, per a team announcement.
A pending restricted free agent, Anaheim can retain Andersson’s NHL rights with a qualifying offer next month.
A 2018 second-round pick of the Boston Bruins, Anaheim acquired Andersson in the deal which sent winger Ondrej Kase to Boston in 2020. Highly regarded as a prospect because of his puck-moving ability and power-play production, he hasn’t quite yet panned out in a minor-league role for the Ducks.
He’s spent the last two and a half seasons in a San Diego Gulls uniform after Anaheim loaned him to the Allsvenskan’s Södertälje SK during the first part of the 2020-21 campaign. Since then, he’s struggled to stay healthy and in the lineup, posting 20 points in 84 career AHL games along with an even plus-minus rating.
It’s not the end of the road for Andersson’s development, and it’s still a wise choice for Anaheim to qualify Andersson and examine bringing him back over when his contract with Djurgården expires, at which point he’ll be 25 years old. His AHL production wasn’t horrific, and he did show positive strides at points.
For Andersson, it marks a return to where he spent the two seasons prior to the 2018 draft developing, playing 84 games in the Djurgården junior program. The 6-foot, 179-pound right-shot defender should receive more opportunity on a Djurgården team looking to regain promotion to the SHL this season.
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