Expectations are high for Philip Bystedt even before he started his NHL career with the San Jose Sharks.
The 18-year-old center prospect, the No. 27 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, is projected to be a high scorer with plenty of upside. He had 49 points (16 goals, 33 assists) playing for Linkoping in Sweden’s junior league and two points (one goal, one assist) in 15 games with Linkoping in the Swedish Hockey League, the country’s top professional league. Bystedt finished the season with three points (two goals, one assist) in six games to help Sweden win the 2022 IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
“He caught our eye every time we were over [in Sweden],” former Sharks scouting director Doug Wilson Jr. said July 7. “He played a huge role on the Swedish national team when they won gold too. He was an integral part as a good skating centerman on a championship and gold medal team this year, so he was one of those players who kept catching our eye. He’s a (6-foot-2, 187-pound) center who is one of the smoothest skaters in the draft.”
Video: San Jose Sharks select C Filip Bystedt No. 27
Bystedt is also garnering plenty of attention as the first draft pick after the Sharks named Mike Grier general manager on July 5. Two days later, San Jose traded the No. 11 picks in the 2022 draft to the Arizona Coyotes for the 27th, 34th and 45th selections.
Grier, a retired forward who played 14 seasons in the NHL from 1996-2011, including three for the Sharks, said he wants San Jose to be tougher to play against, and thinks Bystedt will be a good fit.
“We like his character, his makeup,” Grier said. “He’s a big centerman who can really skate and has good habits in his game already as a youngster. When you look at a lot of 17- and 18-year-old kids, you’ve got to teach them a lot of habits and he already has a lot of those habits in his game.
“He was one of the players we had identified as a possibility [to draft] and we are really excited he was there.”
The Sharks have had trouble with depth scoring in recent seasons, so Bystedt could be a welcome addition to a team needing to strengthen its bottom six. They ranked 30th in the NHL last season with 211 goals and 22nd on the power play (19.0 percent).
San Jose will look for Bystedt to contribute a strong two-way game.
“I’m going to bring a compete level and bring skill and be reliable on the whole ice,” Bystedt said at the draft. “Play defensively, and also get us points.”
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