SCoC Draft Profiles: Nando Eggenberger is a solid middle-round pick

Analysis:

Eggenberger is a 6’2, 185 lb. winger who can play both sides and in many ways fulfills plenty of people’s visions of what a power forward should be. Large frame, hard to knock off the puck, incredible release, and a very hard skater; and all of this against the Swiss’ top league. To the point that Nando has been a staple of the Swiss national team for years, bringing that same relentless, thundering pace to their international competition:

Eggenberger is part of a movement of quality Swiss hockey players that has been cropping up more and more in the NHL and in NHL team’s prospect systems, though Eggenberger decided that unlike a lot of his Eidgenosse compatriots that he’d prefer staying closer to home, and home he stayed, playing for HC Davos and their youth clubs since he was 14, being a leader amongst his peers for Davos’ .

Of course, being a guy so young in such a competitive league can be a bit of a mixed blessing, as he definitely found out this year.

Eggenberger did merely alright in international play with the Swiss team, but was only able to match his production from the previous year; a measely 5 points in 36 games. A bit troubling, but it is important to note that many players of this age tend to be like this in the NLA. As evidenced by the fact that in his single game with the U-20 team this year he had 6 points in one game, so it seems he’s in an interesting and probably immensely frustrating limbo right now of being just a bit too young and inexperienced for the main squad, and too old and gaining pretty much nothing from being on the youth squad.

Nico Hischier had this problem too, being pretty nondescript with SC Bern before he decided to go to the QMJHL, and look how he turned out!*

* = please do not point out to me that Hischier and Eggenberger are miles apart in terms of player I know this already I’m just making a point.

Eggenberger is projected to go a lot of places. Middle-to-late 2nd round, somewhere in the 3rd, and it all seems to come from whether or not you think Eggenberger’s year was the result of being a youth against men or if this is the best he can do.

But hey, as a late 2nd or even 3rd round pick, there’s not much other than building on a strong foundation left to do. What do you think?

Player Rankings:

Ranked #48 by NHL Central Scouting among European Skaters

Ranked #88 by FutureConsiderations