One of the main criticisms of the 2013 Draft for the Leafs

is that they didn’t swing for the fences in the first round and instead opted

for a rather safe pick in Frederik Gauthier. After that initial decision the

Leafs seemed to get increasingly more adventurous through the later rounds,

ultimately drafting Andreas Johnson, a 5’10 Swedish winger, 202nd

overall in the 7th round.

The pick was a departure from what the Leafs had done the

rest of the draft as Johnson was three inches shorter than any other player

selected, and was the only one who would spend the following season playing

overseas. It was his strong showing the season after he was drafted, playing in

the Swedish Hockey League, that initially put Andreas on our top 20 prospect

list, and now two full seasons after being drafted he’s safely in our top 10,

getting votes as high as being the 5th best prospect, and sits five

spots ahead of the player the Leafs took in the first round of his draft year.

Name: Andreas Johnson

Position: Left Wing

Hometown: Gävle, SWE

Size:

5’10″, 183 lbs

2015 Team: Frölunda HC

Acquired: Drafted, 7th Round, 202nd Overall in 2013

SCOUTING REPORT

In the inaugural season of the Champion’s League Andreas

Johnson was quick to establish a name for himself with nearly a goal a game

pace, and averaging over two points per game the 19 year old did not look out

of place playing against men, albeit in a league that probably isn’t as good as

the regular Swedish Hockey League.

When playing in the SHL Johnson wasn’t able to keep up his

scoring pace, but finished 5th in the league in goals, 21st

in the league in scoring, so still pretty good for a kid in a men’s league.

From

Corey Pronman:

“Johnson is a tough player to read. I see cases for him being

a “just fine” prospect as well as a great one. He’s small and not

that bulky, but his speed, skill, shot and hockey sense all grade as above

average — and some even better. He has an offensive flair to his game and he

has consistently impressed over the past few years, although he’s never been

dominant. I am willing to bet at least one more year on Johnson as a top

prospect.”

From Mike Johnston of

Sportsnet:

“Johnson, a skilled speedster who possesses serious upside,

has shown excellent progression since being selected late in the 2013 draft.

The Leafs are hoping he can join the likes of countrymen Henrik Zetterberg and

Patric Hornqvist as seventh-round picks that turn out to be hidden gems.”

MOVING FORWARD

Johnson is one of the few prospects that is already playing

hockey, and it’s likely that he’ll be staying in Sweden this year with Frolunda

trying to repeat his success of last season (he currently has 3 assists after

playing one game in the Champion’s League.)

The bar is set pretty high this season for Johnson and

Frolunda, as Johnson will likely need to crack the top ten in Swedish League

scoring, and help keep Frolunda at the top of the league in order for it to

have been worthwhile to continue to develop Andreas overseas.

It feels like somewhat of a waste to have Johnson who is

demonstrating that he can already play at a high level against men not spending

the year in North America with the Marlies, but the need for a winger to learn

the North American game isn’t going to be the same as it would be for a center or

defenseman and when he arrives next season he should be able to compete for a

roster spot the same as any of the other prospects. The reality of the Leafs

wanting to emulate the longer development processes of the Red Wings

organization probably means that Johnson will be on the Marlies following year

anyway.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Players like Andreas Johnson, Connor Brown, and Nikita

Korostelev are easy to like and easy to be excited about based on their late

selections and both Brown and Johnson have done a lot after being drafted to

give us hope that they can contribute to the Leafs at some point. While his raw

skill, and greater potential offensive upside than Brown played a part in him

sitting higher in our rankings, Johnson is more of a boom or bust prospect than

Brown who has shown a versatility to play anywhere in the lineup.

Looking at the Marlies crowded top six for this season it

was probably the right move to let Johnson get the opportunity to play top line

minutes somewhere else and the timing should work out for the team next season

as the Marlies will be ready to graduate some players like Nylander, Brown,

Leipsic, Kapanen or Soshnikov to the Leafs and have a number of Marlies

forwards hitting free agency that they will need to make a decision on.

Perhaps the most exciting thing to me about Johnson is the

fact that for our midseason rankings we had Johnson

second overall, and without thinking any less of him the Leafs have been

able to add five prospects that we value even more than him.

Finally I asked the TLN staff who or what Andreas Johnson looks like and the following answer makes perfect sense…

Clearly Andreas Johnson is the Swedish Taylor Hall

THE RANKINGS SO FAR





