Maple Leafs select Timothy Liljegren 17th overall
The Toronto Maple Leafs selected defenseman Timothy Liljegren with the 17th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft on Friday.
Timothy Liljegren
Position: Defense
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 191 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Rogle BK (SHL)
Nationality: Sweden
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
TSN's Bob McKenzie had Liljegren as the draft's second-best player behind Nolan Patrick in his pre-season draft rankings. He had this to say about him:
Scouts say his offensive game is far more developed than his defensive game. He is an elite skater, both in terms of speed and agility, and adept at running a power play. He is seen as both a puck mover and an offensive point producer. No one is suggesting he's the next Erik Karlsson, not by any means, but scouts say he has some of the same qualities and, therefore, has the potential to be projected as a possible top pairing defenceman in time.
Despite McKenzie's positive assessment, Liljegren failed to show progress in his second year in the Swedish Hockey League, recording the exact same amount of goals and assists in 19 games in 2015-16 as he did in all of 2016-17. This statistical decline is partly why NHL Central Scouting had him ranked as its sixth-best European skater in its final rankings.