Montreal Canadiens: Top 31 Prospects – #26 Filip Eriksson

Montreal Canadiens fans don’t get a lot of breaking news in the month of August, so here at A Winning Habit, we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 31 prospects currently in the Habs organization. Each player was carefully deliberated by our writers and ranked accordingly. Today, we continue with our 26th-ranked prospect, Filip Eriksson.

Eriksson entered the year with high hopes of being picked in the 2023 NHL Draft, and while that did happen, things hardly went according to plan. Eriksson got injured early in the year and missed over five months of action before returning to his squad late in the year. The Swede, playing for the Växjö Lakers of the SHL (Sweden), played about two minutes a game upon his return to the lineup.

In other words, his draft year was a bit of a disaster, getting minimal opportunity to show what he is capable of. In 11 games with the Växjö U20 team, Eriksson did put up 10 points, but he got little to no opportunity with the big club. So it’s unsurprising that Eriksson was ultimately a sixth-round pick at the draft. Still, the Canadiens might see something there worth taking a flyer on.

Unlike many other 2023 Canadiens draft picks, Eriksson is 18 years old and won’t be 19 until November. So, there is a lot of runway in his development, which will likely happen in Sweden as opposed to Laval. The SHL has proven to be a pretty good league at developing players, making for an easier — although not seamless– transition to the NHL.

Eriksson has been described as a smart, solid IQ type of player in that he sees the game well. That’s a good trait for a player looking to carve out an NHL career, and he may have the skill to go along with it. We’ll have to see what he can do in the SHL this season, with perhaps a more significant opportunity now that he’s healthy again.

I wouldn’t expect him to show up on the Habs radar for a couple of years, but for a sixth-round pick, if he can show any development, that’s a win. His draft position could just be a product of his injury more so than a lack of talent, so a good showing in the SHL this year will help us understand who he is as a player much better.

He’s ranked 26th for a reason, in that I’d still consider it a long shot that he becomes a solid NHL contributor, but there may be potential there. His solid IQ could help him carve out a bottom-six role, and a big year could have him shoot up the rankings, but for now, he falls at 26.