"He's a very smart defender, moves and retrieves pucks very well and is a good skater," said Wild Vice President of Hockey Operations Brent Flahr. "As he fills out and gets stronger, we just think his game is going to grow and grow."

Minnesota had its sights set on the Swedish defenseman for months before officially bringing him on board with the 24th overall selection Friday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

DALLAS -- Filip Johansson may have been surprised to be scooped up in the first round of the NHL Draft. But the Wild were more than happy to oblige.

Wild General Manager Paul Fenton is no stranger to Johansson's game as well, having seen him play in person multiple times when Fenton was Nashville's assistant GM last season.

The bottom line, according to Fenton: It's getting harder and harder in today's game to retrieve and move the puck out of the defensive zone. Relieving pressure and escaping dangerous situations are at a premium, and in Johansson, he believes the Wild have a future top-4 defender who has the smarts to do just that.

"I love taking smart defensemen," Fenton said. "It's kind of been a thing that I've done since I started running the draft. When they started talking about the smarts, and I've seen him play several times as well, so I was very happy with the selection."

Going back to his days with the Predators, Fenton has developed a track record of identifying quality defensemen who have made a big impact at the NHL level, including current Wild defenseman Ryan Suter.

Other blueliners drafted by Nashville during Fenton's tenure with the Predators include Shea Weber, Cody Franson, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm and Seth Jones.

When looking at a potential comparison, both Fenton and Flahr didn't have to look far in what they hope Johansson can become: another Swede, Jonas Brodin.

"He's got the Brodin instincts as far as going back and making plays quickly and the hockey sense that he has," Flahr said. "That should allow him to play at higher levels."

Fenton went a step further.

"When I was comparing Brodin, I was talking about Suter," Fenton said. "So same type of smarts and smoothness. It's so hard to get out of your zone these days with the pressure that's there. This kid has the ability to go back and grab pucks and put it out of your zone. You're out of danger."

Johansson said he patterns his own game after Edmonton Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson, the fourth overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in 2011.

While Larsson's offensive game has been slow to develop in the NHL, he's established himself as one of the better defenders in the League, posting a plus-44 rating in his career, and a plus-31 in two years since being traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

Statistically, Johansson hasn't been a force in the offensive end either, but he believes -- as do Fenton and Flahr -- that he has the ability to continue developing in that end of the rink.

"I'm a two-way D, I want to play solid and I think I play a smart game," Johansson said. "I think I can improve my offensive game a little bit."

Part of that development could come as Johansson profile continues to rise in Sweden.

This past season, Johansson split time between Leksands IF's junior team and its top club, which plays in the second-best league in Sweden.



[Related: Complete Wild draft coverage at Wild.com's Draft Central.]



He'll return there this upcoming season as an 18-year-old who won't turn 19 until the end of next March.

That puts him likely at least a year or two away from competing for a roster spot in Minnesota. Listed at 176 pounds, Johansson admitted he could use the extra time anyway.

"Maybe one or two years in Sweden and then play in the American Hockey League or something like that," Johansson said. "I need to build strength and all that. I think it can take a little bit of time."

Time is something the Wild is willing to give Johansson plenty of, especially if he continues down the track the team believes he will and the kind of player he'll be for it in the future.

"Every level he played in, he stepped up and played well," Flahr said. "His mobility, his hockey sense, the way he transitions the puck, he should really help our team with the way we play."

Video: Filip Johansson on being drafted by Minnesota

Video: Fenton and Flahr on drafting Johansson



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