NHL Draft profiles: Defenseman Freij dominated junior level

This is the 16th 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 -- The Penguins need to come out of the second round with at least one defenseman. It's the weakest position group as a whole in the prospect pool. They need more high-end guys.

Alfons Freij would be a good option if he's still on the board when the Penguins are on the clock in the second round.

Freij, 18, is a left-handed defenseman listed at 6 foot 1 and 197 pounds from Sweden. He described himself to me at the NHL's Scouting Combine in Buffalo, N.Y. earlier this month as a "a two-way defender that is more offensive-minded and likes to have the puck with my ability to create scoring chances and stuff like that. I also have good skating, I would say."

That "good skating" might be an understatement. The Elite Prospects draft guide called Freij one of the "best lateral movers" in the draft. But he's got that straight-ahead speed, too:

A lot of the higher-end prospects being drafted out of the European leagues have at least a taste of the professional level already in their country, but Freij hasn't had that opportunity yet. He spent all of last season with the Vaxjo Lakers' U20 junior team, and he was dominant. His 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 40 games tied for third among all defensemen in the league. He was able to put up the points on the international stage too, scoring two goals and four assists in six games with Sweden at the U18 World Junior Championship.

Freij will look to make that jump to the Swedish pro game next season ... but maybe not quite yet in the top league. Vaxjo loaned Freij to Bjorkloven in the Allsvenskan -- the second level of Swedish pro hockey -- for the 2024-25 season. The Allsvenskan is still a professional league with older, more experienced players. If Vaxjo doesn't believe that Freij is ready for significant SHL minutes, loaning him to an Allsvenskan team like this will allow Freij to get comfortable playing in a professional league with more significant minutes.

"I haven't played with men yet," Freij said of that transition. "I think I'm going to use my size a bit more, my physicality side. Especially next year, when I'm playing with men, I'm going to have to do that."

In general, Freij said that his biggest focus right now is working on his defending and his overall play without the puck.

Freij's positions on major ranking services might vary more than most other players. He's ranked as high as 17th (Smaht Scouting) all the way down to 58th (Flo Hockey). But he's also often ranked as an early- to mid-second round pick: 37th (Elite Prospects), 43rd (FC Hockey) are the more notable ones.

Freij met with 24 teams at the combine, including what he told me was a "good meeting" with the Penguins.

Freij comes off as one of the more boom-or-bust type prospects. He's got great potential as an offensive defenseman, and it's just now about rounding out those other parts of his game to ensure that he's able to compete at the pro level. What's hurting his draft stock and potentially dropping him into the second round is just that he's only played against other junior-age players, and hasn't had the opportunity to break into a pro league in his country. There's a bigger element of unknown with him. If he's able to do that and find success, his skating and agility could help him find success in North America when the rink surfaces get smaller and the game gets faster.