Lias Andersson, son of former NHLer Niklas Andersson, is among the ISS top 31 ranked prospects for

the 2017 draft listed at 26th overall, he is a smart, talented prospect that did not have the breakout
performance that many were expecting at the World Junior tournament. TSN Insider Bob McKenzie had
Andersson ranked seventh among World Junior draft eligible prospects after speaking with scouts at the
tournament. He was not put in a primary offensive role with Sweden at the WJC with players like Alexander
Nylander, Joel Eriksson EK, Carl Grundstrom and Jonathan Dahlen outscoring him. He had three goals in
seven games and will likely see a bigger role next season with Sweden with the experience that he gained.
Andersson plays with HV71 of the SHL which is the top league in Sweden and in 24 games he has nine points.
At a sub six-foot, 195lbs frame he is still growing so it will be some time before he makes it to the NHL. He
has the two-way game that every NHL team looks for in a center with strong defensive awareness, strong
backcheck, and has offensive upside. What will determine his draft position is the offence that he is able to
provide. His 59 points in 37 games with HV71s under-20 team shows that there is offensive upside to his
game and his commitment to a two-way game is like Henrik Zetterberg which is a player he has been
compared to. He will likely spend next season in Sweden before coming to North America and is a strong
consideration for the top-10 in the 2017 draft.