23 Options for the Leafs at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft: Freij + Sahlin Wallenius

Scouting Report

Leo Sahlin Wallenius

Sahlin Wallenius is a workhorse offensive defenseman with good maturity. Sahlin Wallenius plays a calm, methodical game. He's a steady player who does well controlling the puck, making smart plays and keeping play active.

Good playmaker who does well at creating chances from little. Sahlin Wallenius has good movement with his stick. Good shooting ability. Is able to get chances from deep, and even some goals. There's little moment that Sahlin Wallenius isn't being impactful without the puck.

Defensively mature player with strong vision and effort. Sahlin Wallenius does have some issues, most notably in puck control. He can be prone to one too many bad turnovers, some of which have been a bit costly.

Misplays of the puck have also been a problem at times. He’s a capable playmaker but has had some bad luck at moments. He's not the biggest player but he can be knocked down quite easily by opponents.

His benefit is that a lot of his question marks aren't unusual for his age, although they're important fixes to succeed at the pro level. He'll need to get stronger and more efficient with the puck. Potential for a 2nd pairing defender with PP2 and PK2 chances.

If you're reading through this, it's pretty obvious at this point i'm a much bigger fan of Freij than Sahlin Wallenius.

Freij is a top-15 propsect for me, while I see Sahlin Wallenius a second round pick, although many other who've watched the two have come away more positive on Sahlin Wallenius than Freij, I can see moments where it's realistic, but both are very interesting players.