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- Position: Center
- Height: 6'1
- League last year: USHL
- Age this year: 18
- Acquired: Drafted 45th overall in the 2nd round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft
One of the most recent swedes to enter the Boston system is the young center with a young face; Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson. After two years in the USHL and making strides towards getting his game into a more consistent order, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson will be playing for the Boston University Terriers this upcoming fall as a freshman.
From the scouting reports, he is generally described as a player who strives to improves in his on-ice consistency, and works hard at improving all aspects of his skills as a player. Where he's most comfortable however, is in the offensive zone, being a player that can take a play that isn't going anywhere and turn it into a scoring chance as well as being described as a smooth skater with high hockey intellect, intense play, and great passing.
He's also a bit of a win for the NCAA D1 Hockey program and the American Hockey development ideal as well. For with all the many players and places a Stockholm born kid could go, he decided not only on the American development system, but with Hockey East.
"I am very excited," Forsbacka-Karlsson said. "My goal when coming to the United States was to play college hockey. Boston University was the right spot for me. After touring the campus and seeing what they’re all about, I knew this is where I wanted to be for my college career."
Very encouraging for a program that is finally starting to be seen more and more as a viable path to player development.
He has quite a ways to go, but four years at one of Hockey East's most auspicious programs against a fairly strong division of College Hockey will definitely let him show off what he's made of, and develop his game even further to handle the rigor of what's to come for a player like him.
Here are some highlights from this last year in Omaha:
Highlights include juking out goaltenders hard.
Box Score:
Social Media Minute:
Here is the young Jakob advocating for proper headwear in a contact sport by example.
Shoutout to my cage for keeping me from this @cLighty2 #4/4pointweekend pic.twitter.com/ApsajtmUuy
— Jakob (@Jakob_FK) November 10, 2013
And the list so far, as picked by you, the reader:
- David Pastrnak (63%)
- Torey Krug (47%)
- Ryan Spooner (60%)
- Zach Trotman (40%)
- Brett Connolly (46%)
- Colin Miller (21%)
- Alexander Khokhlachev (27%)
- Jesse Gabrielle (29%)
- Zach Senyshyn (20%)
- Joe Morrow (17%)
- Zane McIntyre (25%)
- Malcolm Subban (37%)
- Seth Griffith (27%)
- Danton Heinen (25%)
- Jakub Zboril (39%)
- Jake Debrusk (24%)
- Matt Grzelcyk (27%)
- Linus Arnesson (35%)
- Brian Ferlin (25%)
- Brandon Carlo (22%)
- Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (16%)
Who's going to be 22?