The 2024 draft is often viewed as a heist for the San Jose Sharks, walking away with a generational star in Macklin Celebrini, along with Sam Dickinson and Igor Chernyshov with their next two picks. The Sharks' 4th pick in that draft, however, also deserves some recognition, in 2nd round pick Leo Sahlin Wallenius.
The Swedish defender was drafted with the pick received for taking on Jake Walman’s contract from the Red Wings, after a solid season for Vaxjo’s J20 team. This season, Wallenius was bounced all over the place, playing across four different leagues, spending time in the SHL, Allsvenskan, Liiga, and J20 Nationell. Playing solid at every stop, putting up 14 points in 8 J20 games, and 14 points across 37 pro games in the various leagues.
Looking at Wallenius’s game, his biggest asset is his skating, and he is known for his strong defensive play. He is a smooth skater, and he can leverage that skating in both his defensive and offensive game. Wallenius, at his core, is more of a defensive defenseman despite standing at 6 feet and lacking physicality; he can make up for it with his skating and smarts, making it easier to project him to the NHL level in the future. He will need to add some more strength in the coming seasons, however. Looking towards the future, I see Wallenius as a potential 2nd-pair modern-day defensive defenseman. This is what Elite Prospects said about Wallenius in his draft season.
“Leo Sahlin Wallenius is a sound puck distributor and in-zone defender. His defensive skating allows him to match speed in space with ease, contain opponents, and get stops along the wall. Constant scanning allows him to disrupt potential scoring plays as they develop. With the puck, Sahlin Wallenius can easily avoid forechecking pressure and generate exits and entries at pace.”
Next season, Wallenius will be looking to stick the entire year in the SHL with Vaxjo, as the lack of stability this season is not ideal for a young prospect. He is also slated to play a role for Sweden at the World Juniors, with Daily Faceoff’s Stevan Ellis listing him as a player to watch in the coming tournament.
You never know with prospects, but the 2024 class looks like it could be a game-changer for the Sharks, not just because of Celebrini, Dickinson, and Cheryshov, but Leo Sahlin Wallenius as well, and could be a big reason for future success down the road.