Djurgarden's Alexander Holtz (C) is squeezed by Munich's Yasin Ehliz (L) and Patrick Hager during the quarterfinal between Djurgarden Hockey and Red Bull Munich at the Champions Hockey League is a European ice hockey tournament on December 3, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. - during the quarterfinal between Djurgarden Hockey and Red Bull Munich at the Champions Hockey League is a European ice hockey tournament on December 3, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by Erik SIMANDER / TT NEWS AGENCY / AFP) / Sweden OUT (Photo by ERIK SIMANDER/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images)

When thinking about the top prospects in the 2020 NHL Draft, don’t forget about Alexander Holtz.

The 2020 NHL Draft is stockpiled with high-end talent. Each week, I will attempt to give you at least one scouting report on all the prospects you need to know! I’ve previously written deep-dives on Alexis Lafreniere, Quinton Byfield, Lucas Raymond, Cole Perfetti, and Anton Lundell. Today, I will be looking at the Swedish forward Alexander Holtz.

Before I begin, for those that don’t know, here’s how these scouting reports go. First, I will begin with some general background information and statistics from that player. Then, I will break down the player’s tendencies, habits, and roles on special teams.

Following that up, I will break down the positives and negatives in the prospects’ game. Finally, I will look at what I feel is the potential of that player, as well as his NHL-readiness. Here’s a list of our past scouting reports for 2020 NHL draft prospects.

Background

Holtz was born on January 23rd, 2002, in Saltsjo-Boo, Sweden. He is a forward for Djurgardens IF of the SHL. Holtz is a right-handed player, who stands at 6’0″, 183 pounds.

Currently, he is projected ninth by hockeyprospect.com, fifth by Future Considerations, sixth by ISS Hockey, fourth by McKeen’s Hockey, and ninth by EliteProspects.

Holtz first broke out in the 2018-19 season, when he was 16 years old. That year, he had 30 goals and 47 points in 38 games with Djurgardens IF’s U-20 team in the SuperElit league. Additionally, Holtz added two goals and four points in five postseason games.

He also slotted into three SHL games but did not record a single point. Holtz also captained Team Sweden’s U-17 World Hockey Championship squad, recording four goals and eight points in six games. Lastly, he was the assistant captain for Team Sweden’s U-18 World Junior Championship squad, producing four goals and seven points in seven games.

This season, it took him two games with Djurgardens’ U-20 team to make the jump to the SHL. In those two SuperElit games, Holtz dominated with seven goals and nine points. So far, he has played 23 SHL games, recording seven goals and 11 points. Also, Holtz impressed with three goals and five points in seven games at the World Juniors.

Holtz’s Tendencies

He is a very well-balanced player, often not making the same mistakes more than once. However, here are a couple of tidbits I was able to find in his game.

For one, when he is in the defensive zone, he keeps his head on a swivel. Holtz always keeps an eye on his man. It allows him to keep watch of the puck while staying in position, allowing him to make a play such as intercepting a pass or blocking a shot.

One negative habit that Holtz has is that he cheats up ice when on the breakout, though this is common with teenagers. When his teammates get possession of the puck in the defensive zone, he goes up ice to attack offensively before his teammates get a chance to move up with him.

On the powerplay, Holtz plays on the left side, which is his shooting side. He plays both the point and half-wall. Holtz moves up and down, trying to get open for one-timers and looking to make a cross-ice pass to teammates for scoring chances.

As for the penalty kill, Holtz does not yet play there. However, it is not due to a lack of defensive reliability. Rather, it’s due to the fact that Holtz is playing with men at the highest level of hockey in Sweden. If he was older, he likely would get some time on the penalty kill. But his attention to detail in the defensive zone with his head on a swivel gives him the potential to be a solid penalty killer at some point.

Positives and Negatives

To start, let’s look at Holtz’s skating ability. He has above-average speed, with great acceleration that allows him to hit his top speed rather quickly. Holtz possesses a strong and powerful stride, though he could work on his edges a bit more to improve his tighter turns and doing a better job stopping on a dime. He is hard to knock off the puck.

Holtz plays with an incredible hockey IQ. His positional awareness in both the offensive and defensive ends is most definitely noticeable. For example, if a defenseman steps up to make an offensive play, Holtz knows to fill in at the point for that defenseman.

He reads the play at an elite level, as he has next-level anticipation often finds himself in the right place at the right time. Holtz seemingly acts as a magnet to the puck because he just finds himself constantly in the area of where the puck is in the offensive zone. One small thing that he also does, is he opens up his stick blade towards a teammate, ultimately giving that teammate a target to pass to. It also makes it easier to receive passes in stride, which helps when in transition.

Holtz possesses incredible passing abilities. He has a great feel for where to place a pass, and how much power must be behind that pass. He also possesses great vision, able to find passes that some players can’t. It also helps that he has great patience, often waiting for the play to open up rather than forcing a play to happen.

Holtz has a very strong shot. He’s able to get shots off very quickly, and the shot tends to be hard and on the net. This leads to rebounds and deflections for the teammate out in front of the net. Though he doesn’t have a tendency to shoot or pass first, he can score from just about anywhere on the ice. Some experts, including Christoffer Hedlund of Dobber Prospects, believe that Holtz has the potential scoring ability to compete for Maurice Richard trophies at points in his career.

He is a decent forechecker and back checker. He doesn’t possess an active stick, which hurts his effectiveness on the forecheck. An active stick is when a player waves his stick out in front of his body to clog up passing plays or force the opposing player to hesitate and make a bad play. If he were to use an active stick, he has the ability to be a far better forechecker.

On defense, Holtz is strong. His anticipation and hockey IQ helps him make decisions while playing defense. He rarely gets sucked into a play and does a nice job staying in his zone or on his man. He knows when to attack the puck and when to stay back and play conservatively.

Holtz does a good job stretching out and defending against the point man on the opposing team. He also does a great job supporting his teammates down low. If he wasn’t playing against men in a top league in Sweden, he would be utilized more in the defensive zone.

Potential, NHL Comparison, and NHL Readiness

I believe Holtz is close to being NHL-ready. In my opinion, he needs maybe one more year in Sweden before he can make the jump. If he can build up his skating abilities further and continue using his high hockey IQ to beat teams, then he’ll grow as expected. As for potential, I believe he could be an elite player at the next level. He has all the offensive tools and the awareness to become a game-changer.

I’m sold on Holtz’s skill-level, and I feel confident saying that I cannot see Holtz being a bust. His IQ and awareness to go with his already near-NHL-ready offensive skills are enough to make me believe that he will be at least a high-end middle-six forward. Not to mention, I feel he already could make an impact on the power play right out of the draft, as his shot is NHL-ready and his playmaking is certainly capable of working at times in the NHL too. He’s that good.

For an NHL comparison, I decided to throw it back a few years. Also, because Holtz is Swedish, I decided to go with a Swedish player. Holtz’s style reminds me of the Sedin twins. Both guys had ridiculous hockey IQ, while also possessing incredible patience and vision to make remarkable passes. Not just that, but Daniel Sedin was also a very talented goal-scorer.

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Holtz is known for his scoring prowess, as shown by his stats in all levels of Swedish hockey, and believe it or not, Daniel Sedin scored 30+ goals in a season several times in his career, including one 41-goal campaign. Neither guy was ever a defensive liability, and both had a very good shot. That said, Holtz’s style of play is reminiscent of either Henrik or Daniel Sedin, though that does not mean he will become as great as either of them. Time will tell his future.