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'He has all the tools' Andersson has high hopes for rangy 6-foot-5 winger ... 999 Sometimes, a scout has to get sneaky to uncover a late-round gem in the National Hockey League entry draft. Hakan Andersson pulled the cloak-and-dagger routine prior to last week’s draft, postponing an interview with Swedish forward Johan Ryno until after the rest of his NHL scouting brethren had boarded flights for Ottawa. “I moved my interview with him to Wednesday when I knew they were all leaving,” said Andersson, who had to remain behind in Sweden anyway because his wife is expecting. “I didn’t want any other scouts knowing that I was interested in him.” Andersson, the director of European scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, was hiding a 6-foot-5, 195-pound winger with terrific hockey sense, hands and a two-way game. He selected Ryno 137th overall at the draft. Most scouts didn’t know Ryno because he played at Sweden’s Division 1 level — the third-tier men’s league. Ryno played there because it was the highest level of hockey in his hometown. The league, which features 48 teams across the country, is difficult to scout thoroughly. It’s a men’s league, so it has advantages over the faster-paced under-20 league, but it’s not exactly a high-performance program for prospects. In other words, players are just as likely to crack open a beer as they are to hit the exercise bikes after a weekend game. “They’re not always the best athletes in the world,” said Andersson. But the now 19-year-old Ryno was one of the youngest players in the league, and one of the best. He led his team, Kumla, in scoring with 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points in 29 games, and was one of the top marksmen in the entire league. “He thinks the game very well, has very good hands, and a great playmaking feel,” said Andersson. “He is a great passer. He has all the tools — he works hard; speed is fine; hands are excellent; hockey sense is excellent; size is excellent ... needs to fill out.” Ryno’s only real high-level exposure this year came in April, when he reperesented Sweden at an under-19 tournament in Russia. Andersson, who rated Ryno’s skating between a three and a four out of five, was shocked to find out Ryno had never played center. “It’s hard to believe ... to me he is great center material,” said Andersson. “He’s a very smart player, and he works hard both ways. When he loses the puck, he really hustles to go get it back. He doesn’t go for big hits, but he really chases it.” Ryno is taking his game to the next level in the fall, when he will skate with Oskarshamn of the Swedish Allsvenskan — the country’s second level. Oskarshamn is one of the league’s top teams and is coached by a friend of Andersson. It should be a good change of scenery. “The team he was on, he was the only young kid and nobody cared,” said Andersson. “He said himself it’s going to be exciting to be in a very serious environment where the coach and all the guys are looking to get better.” Ryno has been practicing for a month with the team, and has been playing full-contact ball hockey on land in recent weeks. “The coach says the kid is doing some things out there that make the other players go, ‘Wow, how the hell did that happen?’” said Andersson. “Just looking at him so far, it’s very exciting.” Matthew Wuest is a freelance hockey writer. You can contact him by email at wuest@redwingscentral.com. |
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