Calgary Flames Pick Rasmus Andersson 53rd Overall

The Calgary Flames made a huge splash on day one of the NHL Draft when they traded the 15th overall pick as well as the 45th and 52nd picks in the second round to the Boston Bruins in exchange for huge defenseman Dougie Hamilton.

Calgary still held another second round pick thanks to the Sven Baertshci trade that landed them the 53rd overall selection, and with it they added another defenseman to the roster. The Flames selected Rasmus Andersson with their first pick of the 2015 NHL Draft.

Andersson is a 6’0″ 210 pound right shooting defender who played for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League this season. From Sweden, Andersson played the last two years in Sweden’s second best league, with Malmo before coming to North America for the first time this season.

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In his first year with the Colts, Andersson proved himself to be a very valuable member of the power play, scoring 12 goals and 52 assists for 64 points in 67 games. He finished third in the OHL in scoring among defesemen, coming in behind recent first round pick Anthony DeAngelo of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche second round selection Chris Bigras.

Andersson, as his near point per game totals suggest, is known for his offensive abilities, and not so much for his work in his own end. He falls to the second round due to questions about his defensive play, and will need some polishing in that area of his game before he will become a Calgary Flame.

Having said that, Andersson fils a huge need on the Flames as they have plenty of young forwards to build around such as Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Calgary also has a handful of potential goaltenders of the future in Mason McDonald, Jon Gilles and Joni Ortio, but they don’t have many young defenders in the pipeline.

Andersson will surely play in the OHL next season, but due to his early birth date for this year’s draft, he will be eligible to play in the American Hockey League in the 2016-17 season. Expect him to play at least a year or two there, refining his defensive skills and flourishing on the power play before he becomes a full time member of the Calgary Flames.

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