Red Wings draft Simon Edvinsson 6th overall

The Detroit Red Wings selected Simon Edvinsson with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.

Simon Edvinsson

Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 207 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Frolunda Jr. (J20 Nationell)
Nationality: Swedish

(Stats source: EliteProspects.com)

Edvinsson is a towering defenseman, and that's the type of player teams are constantly searching for. He possesses a nifty set of offensive skills, which is rare for a blue-liner of his size. It's not often that a team has the opportunity to select a mobile defenseman with great skating skills who is also sound defensively.

He has all of the tools to develop into a premier two-way defenseman in the NHL. He can man the power play and has excellent vision at both ends of the ice. He showed just how good he could be at the last world juniors when he was one of Sweden's top players.

What they're saying

"It’s rare to see a player his size lead a rush or make a play off the blue line and dangle through opponents consistently like he does," writes The Athletic's Corey Pronman. "Edvinsson is also quite a good skater for his size. His straightaway speed is just OK, but he’s got great edgework, showing the first step and quick turns to elude pressure and create clean exits and entries.

"Edvinsson's a great skater with all the essential parts of being a really good defenseman," said TSN's Craig Button. "I don't think he's going to be a 50-to-60-point producer, but he competes under pressure and makes every right play. As the game got harder, he got better."

Highlights