Habs Prospect Update: Filip Eriksson

Following his strong start to the SHL season, Eriksson went on a slump of 6 games where he was held off the scoresheet. While it felt disappointing for the 21-year-old’s development, it wasn’t that shocking considering he had no prior sign of breaking out the way he did early on, as he relied on a very high shooting percentage to record his points. It was obvious that his numbers would eventually drop, as the on-ice shooting percentage couldn’t be sustainable long-term. Even if his game dried up a bit, he had more than tripled his previous career high in SHL goals and doubled his point totals from his rookie season in the SHL.

Thankfully for the former 6th-round pick, things would get better once he broke his 6-game pointless streak with an assist, and he started producing more regularly, with the longest he’s gone without a point being 3 games ever since. Since the 18-game mark, Eriksson has recorded 6 goals and 12 points in his last 22 games, scoring a point in every other game. In all honesty, that’s likely around how much he should produce playing with 2nd line minutes. He may not be scoring as much as early in the year, but his current clip seems sustainable long-term.

Eriksson is still very lanky, which would make him struggle in a more physical league, so if he doesn’t add a little more meat to his bones, he may struggle to ever be successful in North America. However, in the SHL, it’s very evident that his game of finesse fits well and that he has the potential to be a star in Sweden for a long time. It will be interesting to see if the Habs bring him over from Sweden in the next few years.

If he does end up coming over to play in the NHL/AHL, expect him to challenge more for a lower-in-the-lineup-type player, as he also brings a great 2-way game with Lulea this season. His whole game seems to be improving every game since his slump ended with that assist. On top of his 13 goals and 25 points in 40 games on the season in the SHL, he has scored 2 goals and 5 points in Champions League action. He has slowed down in those competitions from his early season start, but Eriksson is definitely an intriguing prospect that we could see play in North America some day.

It should be noted getting traded from the Växjö Lakers HC to Luleå HF in the off-season really allowed Eriksson to find another gear in his game thus far. The trade really could be exactly what he needed to develop his game, as it seemed like with Vaxjo, there just wasn’t the right opportunity. Sometimes all it takes is the right situation to unlock your game and put scouts on notice.

Do you think Filip Eriksson has the chance to play in the NHL someday?