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| Rank | Change from 2013 | M. Leonard | Cornelius | Nolan | Dan | Giesse | Sean | Sarah | Kristian | Servo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | n/a | n/a | 18 | 24 | 23 | 17 | n/a | 20 | n/a | n/a |
Position: LW
Vitals: 6'0", 181 lbs
Acquired: Drafted 6th round (180th overall) in the 2013 draft by the Boston Bruins.
Current Team: Frolunda HC
Kicking off the 2014 Top 25 under 25 is nothing other than Frolunda HC's Anton Blidh out of Sweden. Yes, that's right, he plays for the team that Axelsson built (and won the Swedish league with in 2005!). Anton split time last year between the Frolunda Junior Team (Under 20) and the senior Frolunda Indians team. He also has represented Sweden internationally, which is promising. A lot of good players have come out of that national team program, and also Mats Sundin.
What we said:
After the 2013 draft, a big endorsement:
Blidh was Peter Chiarelli's off-the-board pick in round 6, when the Bruins needed to take a time out because Blidh's name wasn't in the system. After a round of boos from the sleepy crowd, Blidh, a product of the same system as PJ Axelsson, became a Bruin.
Stats powered by EliteProspects.com:
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | Playoffs | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-2010 | Frölunda U16 | U16 SM | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | | | ||||||
| 2010-2011 | Göteborg | TV-Pucken | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | | | ||||||
| Frölunda J18 | J18 Elit | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | | | |||||||
| Frölunda J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | | | Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | |
| 2011-2012 | Frölunda J18 | J18 Elit | 20 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 16 | | | ||||||
| Frölunda J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 18 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 12 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2012-2013 | Frölunda J18 | J18 Elit | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 14 | | | ||||||
| Frölunda | ET | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |||||||
| Frölunda J18 | J18 Allsvenskan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | Playoffs | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Frölunda J20 | SuperElit | 43 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 80 | | | Playoffs | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Sweden U18 | WJC-18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | | |||||||
| Sweden U18 (all) | International-Jr | 16 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | | | |||||||
| 2013-2014 | Frölunda J20 | SuperElit | 27 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 20 | | | ||||||
| Frölunda | ET | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | | | Playoffs | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Frölunda | SHL | 24 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | | | Playoffs | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Karlskrona | Allsvenskan | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | | | |||||||
| Sweden U20 (all) | International-Jr | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | | |
Best Social Media Post:
I mean, there are plenty of interesting things going on on Instagram for him, but this is my personal favorite tweet:
Lake placid
— Anton Blidh (@bliddan) August 1, 2014
This is also of note, Anton showing good taste prior to being drafted:
Stockholm hihi pic.twitter.com/38adxMZPaz
— Anton Blidh (@bliddan) April 3, 2013
A promising prospect, let's hope it all works out for Anton. With any luck, we'll be watching Young Blidh put his stamp on the league soon enough.