In this post, we are working with Sam Happi of DraftLook to take a look at promising young prospect Emil Andrae. We want to give you insight into what a top-level youngster looks like and what he can do to take his game to the NHL level.
And since this is a ‘Hockey IQ’ newsletter, we are going to focus on how the player utilizes his skills rather than the skills themselves. Let’s dive in.
Who is Emil Andrae
Emil Andrae is a 5’9” left-handed Swedish defenseman that was drafted in the 2nd round by the Philadelphia Flyers. He has good hands, an okay shot, good footwork, average speed, and solid hockey IQ.
In his draft year, Andrae was just short of a point per game in the J20 circuit and now as a 19y/o he has been playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL, the top-level professional league in Sweden) and HockeyAllsvenskan (second tier).
In the clips beyond Emil Andrae is:
#4 in black or white for HV71
#28 in red or white for Vasterviks (where he is on loan to get more playing time)
Transition Skills
With average speed, Emil Andrae can come across as uncomfortable of leading a rush or at least using his feet to create time and space. As we will see, his transition game has been quite one-dimensional at the pro level.
Andrae seems to lack confidence in his mobility and puck-carrying abilities, usually attempting to pass the puck to a teammate the first opportunity he gets. He’s a strong outlet passer due to his heads-up play, allowing him to find long passing options to jumpstart transition.
While a great skill to have, Andrae will frequently decline opportunities to use his mobility to create space for himself, even when he has a wide track of open ice inviting him to skate the puck up the ice.
Watch him step around a pair of forecheckers before pre-maturely passing to a quasi-available forward.
Related: Playing Off The Heels
Sometimes Andrae won’t even consider the option of a carry, bringing the puck forward into space with only partial intensity and clearly looking for a pass the entire way.
A consequence of this extremely pass-centric transitional profile: Andrae will often attempt a pass when the option isn’t there, forcing pucks to forwards and putting his teammates in difficult spots.
The Swede would benefit from observing the golden rule of passing: if your teammate doesn’t have more space or speed than you do, don’t pass the puck!
Here is probably the best example: the forechecker is giving up the inside lane for Andrae to skate into, but he stays outside then forces the puck to a teammate instead.
Offensive Zone Abilities
This is the area in which Andrae is best suited. His hockey IQ and soft hands allow him to thrive offensively.
You’ll often catch Andrae activating off the blueline and looking to make plays around the opposing team’s net. Not only did he recognize this opportunity to activate, but he also has the vision and poise to make the back-door pass.
He’s had some sweet moments in the Allsvenskan, where he looks confident making plays off of the offensive blueline. Here he grabs a loose puck down the middle.
Andrae understands the angles and when he has players beat. At the WJC he pulled this nice little move.
Andrae’s offensive movement and assertiveness are promising traits. There aren’t a ton of defencemen with the mobility and confidence to make plays off the blueline that go beyond inefficient point shots.
Right now he is recognizing his opportunities to be a part of the offense. His instincts, confidence, and skating mean that he is frequently involved below the top of the circles in offensive plays. Once he gets the puck, he is a pass-first player just like he is in transition. This is understandable, given his shot isn’t much of a threat at this point in his career. Developing his shot and developing a shot mentality will go a long way to open up his strengths.
Defensive Ability
Andrae is a 5’9”, which traditionally would be a large issue. Now defenders his size are able to compete regularly at the highest levels. Jared Spurgeon, the Minnesota Wild’s captain comes to mind.
Why are smaller defenders able to be effective defenders? Because they can use mobility to play a tight gap, deny entries, and close players off along the boards. First off, while vertically challenged, Andrae is built solid.
A tight gap allows Andrae to deny his man from even playing the puck at all, putting him in a strong position to step up on passes and reverse the movement of the play. Here he kicks the puck to break up the play.
Andrae, again, isn’t afraid to throw his body around and engage physically. He hits and sticks so the puck can be scooped up by his partner.
While he is able to use physicality to dislodge the puck, he often does so with sub-optimal body positioning. Often you’ll see him driving face first as you’d see with larger defensemen. Ideally, we’d like to see him using his body to box out like a basketball player so he can always make a play on the puck.
It worked out well for his center to puck up the puck on the above clip. Yet, as we can see in the clip below, it’s not a great strategy for smaller defensemen to solely focus on being physical. His overcommitment to playing physical sees the forechecker getting past him too easily.
Likely he has been a strong physical presence in the younger ranks, but now playing against men he has to redefine his defensive battle tactics. The aforementioned Spurgeon would be a good role model.
Getting positioning early and initiating contact to control the opposition
If beat, go stick on puck and knock pucks before the opposition can gain body positioning
Bringing it home
Andrae is a good skater with strong agility and a capable first step, but he lacks confidence in his feet as an option to advance the puck in transition.
When he’s not forcing the puck, Andrae is a strong outlet passer that can target forwards down-ice with long passes.
Andrae is eager and assertive to involve himself offensively, even as a rookie to the SHL. He’ll frequently activate off the blueline and will even challenge defenders on the offensive blueline, looking to beat them and take the puck into the slot.
As a result of an average shot and average speed, he has leaned heavily on the pass. Frequently you’ll notice him forcing passes to forwards that lack space and speed to make a subsequent play or over-relying on his playmaking abilities to be his primary method of converting slot possessions to goals.
Andrae uses his qualities to play defense in a modern way. You’ll see him holding a tight gap and engaging physically when necessary. Yet, his commitment to being assertive can leave him being overly physical on defensive battles and getting beat in situations that he should be able to control.
Future Work
Transition - We’d like to see him beat F1 and draw in F2 before passing. Trusting his feet and finding receivers that improve the condition of the puck.
Offensive zone - We’d like to see him threaten shot more before using his excellent playmaking. Good wiggle, but too much pass first.
Defense - We’d like to see him working on finding more technical ways to defend - stick-on-puck, seals, better body positioning, etc.
With John Riley, Kjell Samuelsson, and the rest of the player development staff in Philadelphia it’s pretty safe to assume Emil Andrae will be hitting his potential sooner rather than later.
Emil Andrae is still a teenager adjusting to the professional game. His tools are there to play at the highest level. He needs a little bit of development time and he will adjust well. As his confidence grows you’ll see a player showcasing his impressive talents to the highest degree.
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