When you look at his stat sheet and game log, one thing is pretty evident about Theo Stockselius: the kid played a ton of good hockey during the 2024-25 season.

He didn’t make Sweden’s national under-18 team that went to the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. But aside from that setback, he had a monster year. He was one of the top players for his junior team, Djurgårdens IF, in Sweden’s top junior league, the J20 Nationell. He played his way onto the national under-18 team by November and played in the World Junior-A Challenge (in Camrose, Alberta) and Under-18 World Championship (in Frisco and Allen, Texas).

His year was capped off by being selected by the Flames in the second round, 54th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft.

His superb season is even more impressive when you consider that it’s just a few years removed from Stockselius dealing with a thyroid cancer scare that required two surgeries.

“It was like three years ago in the summer,” said Stockselius, speaking to media at Flames development camp at Winsport. “I got, been sick like every week. So my father took me to the hospital one day and they see directly that my thyroid was bigger. So they take a test and they see that it was cancer. So after that I did two operations in the summer there, in August and then one in November the same year. But after that, I’m fine. But I go for checkups like every six months. So, but I’m feeling really good and it’s fine right now.”

According to Stockselius, he ended up missing about two weeks of hockey while he navigated his cancer diagnosis.

“You know, hockey is the finest thing you can do in the world,” said Stockselius. “So when I had a bad period here, I just played hockey and, you know, not thinking about that so much. So I think the hockey has helped me a lot through this, you know, period and the cancer stuff. So hockey is, you know, the best thing.”

In addition to a strong individual season, with 51 points in 40 regular season games in the J20 Nationell, Stockselius contributed to a ton of team success wherever he landed. On the club level, he played simultaneously in the J20 Nationell and J18 Nationell playoffs, helping Djurgårdens IF win both the under-18 and under-20 league championships. On the international level, he helped the Swedish national under-18 team capture silver at both the WJAC and the Under-18 Worlds.

“I think it’s gone really good,” said Stockselius. “Probably like in the end of the season, in the playoffs. I think I’m going to step up really, really much. And it has gone good in the national team and I have to take a place there.”

Stockselius was drafted by the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds in the 2025 CHL Import Draft. But his junior contract with Djurgårdens runs through 2025-26, so he’ll be back in Sweden for at least one more season. In terms of his aims for the upcoming season, he’s hoping to earn his way into some SHL games and perhaps get onto the World Junior radar, too.

“First of all, to just take a place in Djurgårdens men’s team,” said Stockselius. “You know, probably make some games there and take a place there. It’s my biggest goal, I would say. And then, in the national team, just, if I can play there I’m happy but it’s going to be tough. There’s a lot of good players in Sweden. So, I will do my best and we’ll see how long it takes me.”

The Flames have a long history of drafting promising Swedes that turn into productive NHLers. Time will tell if Stockselius joins those ranks, but at the very least his draft year performance provides reasons for optimism.