Day four of 10 prospects in 10 days is Tobias Björnfot, the Swedish defenseman that the Los Angeles Kings drafted in the first round, 22nd overall, of the 2019 NHL draft. Björnfot was the Kings’ second pick in the first round of the 2019 draft. The Kings received the pick as a part of the trade that sent veteran defenseman Jake Muzzin to the Toronto Maple Leaves.

Björnfot had a strong draft season in 2018-2019. Playing for Djurgårdens IF J20 of the SuperElit league, Sweden’s premier junior league, Björnfot posted solid offensive numbers: he scored 22 points (11+11=22) in 39 games. He was also more than an offensive defenseman, he also had an impressive plus/minus of +15. Björnfot’s performance earned him the award for best defenseman in the SuperElit league. He served as the alternate captain of Djurgårdens IF J20, demonstrating his leadership capability.

Björnfot’s leadership combined with his impressive statistics earned him the opportunity to play 7 games with Djurgårdens IF of the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league. He also represented his native Sweden in the 2018 IIHF under 18 World Juniors Tournament, where he captained the team to a gold metal. He scored one point, an assist, in 7 games with a plus/minus of -1. Albeit not perfect, these statistics were impressive enough for a 17 year old defenseman in a junior tournament.

Coming in to the 2019 draft, Björnfot was a touted prospect: his clear two-way playing ability combined with impressive skating and leadership capability was hard to criticize. NHL experts placed him at the end of the first round and the Kings selected him at 22nd overall.

The Kings organization selected a defenseman that could potentially take over for Drew Doughty in the distant future. Even at 18, Björnfot demonstrated the maturity to play in professional hockey in North America. After completing development camp with the Kings, Björnfot signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kings. At the beginning of the 2019-2020 season, Björnfot played 3 games with the Los Angeles Kings, alongside Drew Doughty, before being sent to the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

With the Reign, Björnfot proved his ability at the professional level. He posted 19 points (6+13=19) in 44 games played. He was playing top four minuets and had a plus/minus of +13 with the Reign. These statistics indicate that he is ready for a more extensive stay in the NHL. Björnfot also represented Sweden in the IIHF World Juniors Tournament where he was held scoreless in 7 games played; however, he did help his team earn the bronze metal.

It is probable that Björnfot starts next season with a Kings team that has traded several notable defensemen in the past two seasons. He should also be seeing big minuets alongside Drew Doughty, who described the young defenseman as “amazing.” His maturity and natural leadership should be able to flourish under the mentorship of the Norris trophy winning Drew Doughty.

Looking farther into the future, Björnfot can become the defensive anchor on the next contending Kings team. His skating ability compliments the modern style of NHL play and, technically, he is skilled both offensively and defensively. As he is still developing, it is hard to see where his ceiling is, but he does have the capability to be a defensive star at the NHL level.