2025 NHL Draft Profile: Karl Annborn

"Pace" is a very in-vogue term in hockey, especially in scouting circles. Being able to play at a high pace, being able to keep up with the pace of the NHL, and things of that nature are talked about for pretty much every single prospect I've followed this year. Now, when you see me mention the word in this context, I imagine you're thinking I'm talking about skating and speed. Players in the NHL need to be able to move at the speeds of the competition, or else they literally just can't keep up.

But that's honestly not fully true. Movement speed is definitely part of it, but it is arguably more important to be able to process the game as it happens around you, and make a decision very quickly. In my opinion, it's more important. There are plenty of fast skaters who don't process the game as fast as their feet can move them, and there are slower players who are able to keep up with play in spite of being relatively slow.

That said, being able to do both at a high enough level is by far the most important. Being able to do both at an elite level is how you get Connor McDavid. But for most prospects, deciding how well they can keep up with the mental and physical pace of hockey is the most important discussion with a prospect. More than their shot, their passing, their defense, their transitions, forechecking, physical play, size, or anything else.

And it's the biggest question for today's prospect I will be profiling.

THE BASICS: STATS AND CONTEXT

• Position: Right-shot defenseman
• League(s): J20 Nationell
• Height: 6'1"
• Weight: 187 lbs
• Birthdate: March 6th, 2007

Here are his draft rankings, as of writing this:

• Bob McKenzie: Honourable mention
• Corey Pronman: 107th
• Will Scouch: Not ranked
• Elite Prospects: 126th
• Scott Wheeler: Not ranked
• Dobber Prospects: Not ranked
• FC Hockey: 148th
• McKeen's Hockey: 151st
• HockeyProspect.com: Not ranked

Annborn entered this season with a fair amount of hype, not as a first rounder or even a borderline one, but he was on the radar of more than a few scouts. That is partly because he had been part of Sweden's international teams and got his first taste of the top junior league in Sweden when he was just 15 years old. He was one of those guys who was never necessarily the one to be promoted up to more competitive leagues as early as the elite guys, nor was he one of the top producing defensemen his age at the levels he played. But he was always in that next level.

This year, for example, Annborn's 24 points in 39 games (0.62 PPG) in the J20 Nationell put him in a tie for 4th in terms of points per game for U18 defensemen, just behind Oliwer Sjostrom (0.68) but a chunk below the leader Axel Elofsson (0.84). Nor did he play the most games in the SHL for U18 defensemen, his 5 games being behind Aron Dahlqvist (16) and Theodor Hallquisth (12) in a tie for third most games played. He was, however, the only U18 defenseman to register a point in the SHL this year.

When it comes to Annborn's international play for Sweden, he did play a lot of games – 34 total games between the World Junior A Challenge, the World U18 Championship, and various other mini-tournaments and exhibitions. He had the third most points among Sweden's defensemen in those games, but second in points per game behind only Sascha Boumedienne who will be a first round pick this year.

In the J20 Nationell, and in those various international tournaments (especially at the World U18s), Annborn was a top pairing defender. In Sweden's junior league, he was on the top pair at even strength, the top power play, and seemed to be on the top penalty kill unit as well. At the World U18s, he was on their top pair at even strength and the top penalty kill, but not on the power play. He also bounced between the left and right sides, depending on the partner he had on any particular shift.

THE GOOD: SMART, PUCK MOVER, TWO-WAY

The biggest strength of Annborn's game is not something that is quickly noticed. He is not the flashiest or most obviously skilled player, even for a defenseman. He is a very well-rounded prospect that's solid across the board, but not at a high end in any particular area. The one exception that could be argued, in my opinion, is that he's very smart. Most of the positive elements of his game are driven by those smarts, and his ability to process play. It's arguably the reason why he's consistently played up against older competition, even internationally. He always looks calm and makes good decisions even in high-pressure situations – that's some of that high level and quick processing I touched on.

Annborn's offense is arguably his weakest area on the ice, but that's not to say he's bad in that area – just that I think his defense and transition play is better. He is a good passer and puck mover, but not as a highly dynamic one... he's just smart. He has good awareness for where people are on the ice, he can spot good passing options and quickly makes the decision on what he needs to do to get the puck there. If he needs to make the pass immediately, he does so. If he needs to hang on for a bit and lure a defender in a certain direction to buy time and open the lane needed, he'll do that. You can rely on him to make the right decision with the puck, he just won't look flashy doing it. It just looks simple, but effective.

Annborn's defensive play is a bigger strength from what I can tell, and again his smarts and processing is what drives a lot of that. He has solid defensive habits, and was almost never out of position from what I saw. He excels at breaking up plays cleanly through excellent stick work and precise timing of his physical play. He doesn't try and throw big hits, but is smart about using size and leverage and the boards to slow players down, pin them, then use his stick to knock the puck loose or take it himself.

The physical play is also a low-key strength of Annborn's game, even though he only has above average size for a defender. He is pretty feisty in battles along the boards, more in terms of being able to come away with the puck more often than not. consistently holding his own and retrieving pucks. He's good at boxing out opponents in front of the net so his goalie can see the puck better, which is something he's particularly good at on the penalty kill. He also has strong rush defensive habits when it comes to managing a good gap to effectively angle out opponents and force them to dump it in or turn it over.

I think the best part of Annborn's game is his transitions. All those same things I said about how his intelligence helps him as a passer on the offensive side of things is true here, but I think it has a bigger impact for his team. His breakouts and zone entries make him a reliable and effective player. He consistently makes simple, effective passes on breakouts and is known by scouts I follow for his efficiency. While he can occasionally flash a more complex breakout sequence, he does lean on making the simpler play available to him. He efficiently moves the puck and utilizes inside lanes when possible, making him the most consistent puck mover on his defensive group in Sweden.

THE FLAWS: SKATING, HIGH END SKILLS AND TOOLS

The biggest singular issue I can see at first glance with Annborn is his skating and speed. While he mentally processes the game very well, his acceleration is a concern for me. His speed overall I think is too, but it's hard to tell because he's in position and anticipates play so often he doesn't need to chase or catch up to the play that much. However, my concern comes from projecting him to higher levels, where pure processing alone is often not good enough. At some point, you do need to be quick enough unless you have generational level hockey smarts. Adding some better explosiveness, agility and speed is a must for his development.

Annborn's lack of high-end skill and tools is a general concern. It's great that he can reliably make so many simple but effective plays, but what I said about his skating is also true here. I have some doubt that his ability to process play at a high pace is at a high enough level to make this lack of skills and tools not matter. Will he be able to make those simple plays with the puck when NHL defenders close on him with much greater speed and strength? He'll need to work on being able to execute more high level and dynamic plays with the puck with a similar level of reliability as the simpler ones he makes now.

That affects Annborn's defense as well. He plays a good physical game, but that's against juniors. He'll need to add some above average strength and muscle to compensate for just average size so he can still reliably win those physical battles at higher levels. He could also stand to play with more aggression, as he generally likes to be more passive when it comes to killing plays.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

I have to admit, I probably like Annborn more than I should. As wary as I am of players who seem to play better than the sum of their skills, I also like guys who are just smart enough to play ahead of the game. I particularly like defensemen who are able to reliably make plays to get the puck out of their own end, and I don't care if they do it in the most boring way imaginable. The fact that he's a good penalty killer as well makes me think he could make for a decent third pairing NHL defenseman if he makes those necessary improvements.

The concerns are why I'd be happier with Annborn as a third-round pick, and probably not as my first option at that spot depending on how the draft pans out to that point. There aren't many scouts or outlets who have him ranked before the third round, and most have him ranked after it or not at all. The highest ranking I've seen, which is funny to say because he wasn't technically ranked, was Bob McKenzie's mid-season rankings. As of writing this is the most recent version of his consensus ranking I have to use, and he had him as an honourable mention just outside of the top 80. So somewhere in a hypothetical 81 to 96 range.

That's also perfectly in range for Toronto's third rounder. I would take Engle, Barnhill or Limatov before Annborn if any of them were available, but I wouldn't hate taking Annborn if the others are already taken.

Thanks for reading!

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