The Ottawa Senators tore their roster down at the trade deadline. Out went Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, with picks and prospects coming back in return. The prize of their moves was Erik Brannstrom, a 19-year-old defenceman, considered to be one of the NHL’s best prospects by many pundits.



One doesn’t have search long to figure out why Brannstrom is so highly regarded. He’s always been ahead of the curve. At 16, Brannstrom was playing in Sweden’s under-20 junior circuit. At 17, he played 36 Swedish Hockey League games. At 18, he was a full-time SHL defender. In all three seasons, he either set the record or was right next to the best in points or points per game for a defender his age.



This season, at 19, Brannstrom’s 0.67 points per game trails only John Carlson for the highest scoring rate by an under-20 defender in the AHL’s past 20 seasons.



While many of the elite defender prospects were already in the NHL...