| STORIES |
- Sunday, June 26, 2005: Age isn’t everything
- Sunday, June 25, 2006: Wings fast forward at the draft
- Monday, December 3, 2007: Three prospects to smile about (or not)
- Monday, January 28, 2008: Helm making AHL impact
- Monday, February 25, 2008: Hat Trick Dick cools off
- Monday, April 14, 2008: Griffins’ season not a lose cause
- Monday, April 28, 2008: The European prospect conundrum
- Monday, May 5, 2008: Red Wings keep ‘getting lucky’
- Monday, May 26, 2008: Will 2006 draft class deliver?
- Monday, December 15, 2008: Axelsson ‘won’t make it’ without changes
- Tuesday, December 29, 2009: Mursak back in spotlight
- Tuesday, January 12, 2010: Larsson, next in line, learns ropes
- Wednesday, March 23, 2011: Memorial Cup chase begins
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011: Axelsson still on Red Wings’ radar
- Tuesday, November 8, 2011: Health matters as Cayer finds college stride
- Wednesday, November 30, 2011: Sheahan’s offensive touch emerges
- Wednesday, March 14, 2012: Prospect list Ax-factor
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| HISTORY |
2004-05:
- Did little in his NHL draft year (31-12-4-16) with Huddinge in Sweden’s top under-20 league.
- Went unranked by Central Scouting and was passed over at 2005 entry draft in Ottawa.
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2005-06:
- Lit up Sweden’s under-20 level with Huddinge (28-19-15-34, plus-14, 157 PIMs).
- Scored at incredible clip with Huddinge in Sweden’s third-tier men’s league (36-24-8-32).
- Strong play helped Huddinge’s men’s team qualify to play at Sweden’s second level in 2006-07.
- Unranked by most major scouting publications entering 2006 draft in Vancouver.
- Selected in the second round (62nd overall) by Detroit at the draft.
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2006-07:
- Tried out for Swedish Elite League’s Djurgardens and made the team.
- Already had a contract with second-level Huddinge, who wouldn’t release him to Djurgardens.
- Missed season’s first two months because of contract dispute between Huddinge and Djurgardens.
- Ended up with Huddinge and lit up second level (25-13-8-21).
- Also had 113 PIMs, 63 shots and a minus-1 on last-place team (7-29-9).
|
2007-08:
- Cracked Swedish Elite League for first time with Djurgarden.
- Started rookie season strong (12-5-4-9) before trailing off (going 14-1-2-3 in January and December).
- Finished sixth in scoring on Djurgarden, finishing with 65 shots, six power-play goals, and a minus-3.
- Made career debut on Swedish national team early in season.
- Held to just a goal in five playoff games in first-round loss to Linkoping.
- Spent night in jail for “drunk and disorderly conduct” in April after argument with police.
- Left off Swedish team for world championship because of off-ice conduct.
- Signed three-year contract with Red Wings at season’s end.
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2008-09:
- Attended prospects tournament and training camp with Red Wings in Travsere City, Mich.
- Returned to Swedish Elite League’s Djurgarden before appearing in NHL pre-season.
- Suffered collarbone injury in just second game of season.
- Missed a few weeks and returned to start season at a decent pace (18-5-7-12).
- Djurgarden kicked him off the team in December for poor on- and off-ice work ethic.
- Picked up by Farjestad, where he responded well (21-6-12-18).
- Suffered a hand injury and missed some games during the playoffs (9-1-3-4).
- Played hurt in final two games of Swedish Elite League final as Farjestad won championship.
- Signed an amateur tryout with Grand Rapids but didn’t play because of hand injury.
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2009-10:
- Started season in AHL with Grand Rapids (17-2-3-5).
- Put himself in the Red Wings’ doghouse when he quit Grand Rapids and returned to Sweden.
- Joined Farjestad of Swedish Elite League for rest of year (15-6-4-10).
- Made minimal impact in Swedish post-season (7-1-2-3).
- Signed in May a two-year deal (with an out-clause after one year) to stay with Farjestad.
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2010-11:
- Returned to Farjestad and finished fourth in team scoring (47-15-15-30).
- Piled up 126 penalty minutes, third in the Swedish Elite League.
- Also had a plus-4, 90 shots, 28 hits, and averaged 14:34 of ice time.
- Saw regular duty on national team and led LG Hockey Games in scoring (3-2-4-6).
- Won second Swedish Elite League title in three seasons (14-4-6-10, fourth on team).
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2011-12:
- Joined MoDo of Swedish Elite League and finished sixth in team scoring (36-9-11-20, 79 shots).
- Plus-minus of minus-7 ranked as worst on MoDo’s roster. Also averaged 16:42 TOI and had 37 hits.
- Missed 19 games due to a variety of injuries.
- Didn’t produce much in MoDo’s brief playoff appearance (6-2-1-3, minus-1, 13 shots).
- Failed to crack Swedish roster for IIHF world championship in May.
|
| SCOUT COMMENTS |
| “With his skill, he’s got to learn to play every shift. Some games, when he was going, he was unstoppable. Then we’d see shifts when he wouldn’t do much.” — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (June 2006) … “He’s a natural scorer. He has a great feel inside the blue line. Put him with a good center, he can be a real finisher.” — Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson (January 2007) … “He’s a young kid who’s been living off his skill level. Trouble is, every level you go up, everybody has the same skill level or better. If you’re gonna make it, it comes down to work ethic. That’s how you separate yourself.” — Nill (December 2008) … “He’s gotta mature and want to become an NHL player. He’s got the skill to do it. If he doesn’t want to change his ways, then he won’t play.” — Nill (May 2010) … “He is an improved player this year. When he played his best hockey this year, he’s NHL level. There’s no doubt about it. He’s stronger, he’s more mature and he’s been dominating on the national team. When he’s playing his best, he’s NHL good … Now, the problem is, when he plays his worst, he’s American League bad.” — Andersson (March 2011) … “We still own his rights, but he needs to play really big in those (international) tournaments and at the world championship for us to have some interest in him.” — Andersson (March 2012). |
| STRENGTHS |
| Offers sought after combination of size, skating and skill … Fast skater with great agility … Soft hands and a great scoring touch … Drives to the net … Intelligent offensive player with good hockey sense … Good one-on-one ability … Hard shot … Good playmaker … Occasionally delivers a big hit. |
| WEAKNESSES |
|
Inconsistent … Great one shift invisible the next … Not defensively-conscious … Undisciplined, piling up penalties with roughing infractions and misconducts … Still thin and needs to add strength … Needs to show better commitment to becoming an NHL player.
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| PROJECTION |
|
Axelsson is an enigma blessed with tremendous pure skill but plagued by inconsistent work ethic. He put himself in the Red Wings’ doghouse when he bolted from their AHL farm club in Grand Rapids to return to Sweden. The Red Wings hold his rights indefinitely as a defected player, but he is expected to remain in the Swedish Elite League. Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill told MLive.com in May 2012 it is highly unlikely Axelsson will ever return to North American in their system.
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Player statistics powered by www.eliteprospects.com
| Season |
Team |
League |
GP |
G |
A |
TP |
PIM |
|
Playoffs |
GP |
G |
A |
TP |
PIM |
| 2002-2003 |
Huddinge IK U16 |
U16 SM |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2003-2004 |
Huddinge IK J18 |
J18 Allsvenskan |
13 |
3 |
1 |
4 |
38 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2004-2005 |
Huddinge IK J18 |
J18 Allsvenskan |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Huddinge IK J20 |
SuperElit |
31 |
12 |
4 |
16 |
34 |
| |
Playoffs |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| 2005-2006 |
Huddinge IK J20 |
SuperElit |
28 |
19 |
15 |
34 |
157 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Huddinge IK |
Division 1 |
23 |
17 |
2 |
19 |
10 |
| |
Kvalserien AS |
8 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
4 |
| 2006-2007 |
Huddinge IK |
Allsvenskan |
25 |
13 |
8 |
21 |
113 |
| |
Kvalserien AS |
8 |
3 |
7 |
10 |
32 |
| |
Sweden U20 (all) |
International-Jr |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
16 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2007-2008 |
Djurgården |
Elitserien |
47 |
12 |
13 |
25 |
44 |
| |
Playoffs |
5 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| |
Sweden (all) |
International |
6 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2008-2009 |
Djurgården |
Elitserien |
18 |
5 |
7 |
12 |
10 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Färjestad |
Elitserien |
21 |
6 |
12 |
18 |
32 |
| |
Playoffs |
9 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
| |
Sweden (all) |
International |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2009-2010 |
Grand Rapids Griffins |
AHL |
17 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Färjestad |
Elitserien |
15 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
24 |
| |
Playoffs |
7 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
| 2010-2011 |
Färjestad |
Elitserien |
47 |
15 |
15 |
30 |
126 |
| |
Playoffs |
14 |
4 |
6 |
10 |
24 |
| |
Färjestad |
ET |
8 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
22 |
| |
Playoffs |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
| |
Sweden EHT |
EHT |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden (all) |
International |
10 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2011-2012 |
MODO |
Elitserien |
36 |
9 |
11 |
20 |
59 |
| |
Playoffs |
6 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
18 |
| |
Sweden EHT |
EHT |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden (all) |
International |
7 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player statistics © www.eliteprospects.com
