This is the 20th (and penultimate) story in a series of player profiles from the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y., focusing on potential second-round picks for the Penguins at 44th and 46th overall.
LAS VEGAS -- Kyle Dubas made it clear before the draft that the plan wasn't to draft based on any particular positional need, and that the system would be to take the best player available when the Penguins are on the clock. That's not a bad strategy, given that these guys are typically still a few years off from even cracking an AHL roster. But man, it would be great for the prospect pool if they could come out of the second round with a high-end defenseman or two.
Leo Sahlin Wallenius would be a solid pick to add to that defense prospect pool.
Sahlin Wallenius, 18, is a left-handed defenseman from Skovde, Sweden listed at 6 feet, 180 pounds. He spent the entirety of last season with the Vaxjo Lakers' U20 affiliate in the Swedish junior league.
"I'm a two-way defender, a smart player," Sahlin Wallenius told me of his game at the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y. earlier this month. "I have good hockey sense, and I'm a good skater."
He tries to model his game after the Stars' Miro Heiskanen, citing their similar two-way playing styles.
Sahlin Wallenius had a standout year in the Swedish junior league this past season. He was named the league's top defender, and led all defensemen in assists (31) and had the second-most points (42) among defensemen in 43 games.
Since returning from the 5-Nations tournament in Finalnd, Leo Sahlin Wallenius has been on fire.
— Steven Graves (@German_Spitfire) November 26, 2023
He has 10 points in his last 5 games including this goal he scored yesterday.
He in my opinion is the standout from a relatively weak Swedish crop this year. pic.twitter.com/hGYlszjAT5
Those are massive leaps from his 2022-23 totals of two goals and six assists in 30 games in the same league.
Sahlin Wallenius said that he "needs to be stronger defensively and be better on attack in the offensive zone" moving forward, and scouts agree. A Western Conference scout told Elite Prospects that Sahlin Wallenius "could have problems defending in the NHL" as he currently stands, but noted that "he’s a smooth skater though. He wants to get up into the play, which I like to see. He wants to join the rush. He wants to make plays. He’s a driven player. His projection is difficult, but I like the player.”
Projections have Sahlin Wallenius being drafted anywhere in the second round on Saturday. A couple projections had Sahlin Wallenius sneaking into the tail end of the first round, but he didn't hear his name called here in Las Vegas on Friday. But getting picked right around where the Penguins pick at 44th and 46th seems realistic. FC Hockey ranked him 40th and Bob McKenzie had him 42nd, but some rankings had him considerably lower: Smaht Scouting at 55th, Dobber Prospects at 67th, and Elite Prospects at 69th. That's generally how things go this late in the draft, there's a lot of variety in different ranking services.
Sahlin Wallenius told me at the combine that he met with 25 teams, including a meeting with the Penguins he found "fun" because of the opportunity to review his own video with the Penguins' staff. One of the other teams he met with was the Canadiens, and they asked him the weird question they ask all prospects in draft interviews: What animal would you be if you were an animal? Sahlin Wallenius said "horse" in a panic. He said he didn't know why he was a horse.
In May Sahlin Wallenius signed his two-year rookie contract with Vaxjo, so he won't be making the move to North America anytime soon. He said his immediate plans are to "take a place" on Vaxjo's SHL roster and get his first experience in a professional league against men.
"Leo is one of the biggest defense talents in the country," Vaxjo's sporting director Henrik Evertsson said in a team release after Sahlin Wallenius signed. "It will be very exciting to link him to the A team. He has continuously taken steps as a player and we will help him continue with that."
Sahlin Wallenius needs to get better defensively before he makes the jump to North America. He'll marinate in the top Swedish league for the next two years -- a pretty good place to be for a player who needs to get better defensively -- and then maybe he'll be ready to make the move to the AHL in 2026. He might need some time, but he could be a high-end prospect if he puts the pieces together.
