Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman always has been head and shoulders above players his age, in stature and talent.
In November 2006, Hedman was featured in an article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet under the headline “The BIG talent.” At the time Hedman was 15, stood 6-feet-5 and weighed 210 pounds.
“I’ve always been big,” Hedman said. “But it hasn’t always been to my advantage. I had to train a lot when I was younger to get control of my body and learn to skate well. But when I was 13 or 14, things just fell into place.”
Now 18, Hedman is 6-6, 225 pounds and regarded as one of three plum prospects in Friday’s NHL draft.
For years, he has been regarded as one of the great talents produced in Sweden. No wonder, considering he made his debut in the Swedish junior league at age 14, teaming with players four and five years older. He played his first game in the Swedish elite league at age 16. He became the youngest player in modern times to play for the Swedish national team, only two months after turning 18.
Having played his whole career for Modo, a club that has produced NHL players such as Markus Naslund and Niklas Sundstrom, as well as former Avs superstar Peter Forsberg, Hedman has been surrounded by players who have shown that it is possible to reach the NHL even if you were born in a small industrial town in northern Sweden: Ornskoldsvik.
“I think it has meant a lot to Victor that he has played and hung out with guys who have been in the NHL,” said Fredrik Andersson, who coached Hedman in the elite league the past two seasons. “This last season, he played a lot with Mattias Timander (a longtime NHL player), and that really developed Victor’s game. Sure, he still has a lot of things he can improve, but he’s got great potential and a game that will keep him in the NHL for many years to come.”
Hedman’s game has drawn comparisons to those of players such as former Hart Trophy winner Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks and six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings.
Although Hedman is huge, it’s his puckhandling skills and smooth skating that make him stand out as an elite prospect. His offensive skills have experts singling him out as the one player who might deny John Tavares the honor of being the first pick in the draft.
“If I would be the first pick, that would be amazing, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s no problem,” Hedman said. “The only thing I want is to be drafted by a franchise that really wants me and thinks that I can be an important part of the team. If somebody passes me over, it just shows that they don’t have that confidence in me, and then I don’t want to be a part of that organization.”
For all of his potential, Hedman is still very much a teen. He recently graduated from high school and relaxes by playing video games. During a phone interview, he worried about running up his cellphone bill because he was talking from a vacation spot in Greece. But when it comes to hockey, Hedman sounds more like an NHL veteran than a young man with a year left of junior eligibility.
“Victor’s a humble guy with great ambition and work ethics,” said Andersson, who wouldn’t mind keeping Hedman with Modo a little longer. “He has worked as hard at school as he has on the ice, and he graduated from high school on time, despite playing pro hockey with Modo.
“I actually think that he would be better off playing one more year in Sweden, but he has his mind set on the NHL, and nothing can stop him.”
Growing up with two hockey-playing older brothers — one of them, Oscar, is a Swedish national team defender and property of the Washington Capitals — and getting the chance to practice with future NHL players at the talent factory that Modo is, he quickly learned that hard work was the way to success.
As for chinks in his armor, Hedman isn’t the physical player one might expect a 6-6 defender to be. His whole career he has heard coaches and experts say that he could put his big body to better use by being more aggressive.
“I’m working a lot on getting more physical and using my body more,” Hedman said. “But I think I already use my range pretty well. I don’t need to run people over. As long as I get the puck and can use my size to protect it, I’ll be fine.”
The Hedman file
Victor Hedman is among the consensus top three picks in the NHL draft and could wind up taken by Colorado at No. 3:
Age: 18, born Dec. 18, 1990, in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
Size: 6-feet-6, 225 pounds
Position: Defenseman
Team: Modo, Swedish elite league
Skinny: Considered one of the best defenseman prospects in years. Older brother, Oscar, plays defense for another team in the Swedish elite league.
Editor’s note
This is the second part of a three-day series looking ahead to the Avalanche picking third in the NHL draft Friday. Today, The Denver Post profiles Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman.
On Tuesday: The Post profiled center Matt Duchene.
Coming Thursday: A profile of major junior forward John Tavares.
