Top 25 Under 25, #17: Andreas Englund
Swedish defenseman Andreas Englund comes in at No. 17 on Silver Seven's Top 25 Under 25.
No. 17: Andreas Englund (Reader rank: 14, Last year: 20)
Praised for his North American style of play, but also his offensive awareness, Andreas Englund has a little bit of everything.
At 6'3", the 20-year-old is known for an aggressive defensive stance, taking the body more often than not and never missing a beat when protecting his crease. And for a big man, he's never criticized for his offensive play. Englund is cited as having good hockey sense, a solid first pass and being swift on his feet, making him more than capable on both sides of the puck.
He is one of Sweden's better defenders at the junior level. In back-to-back fourth place finishes, Englund donned an "A" in the 2015 World Junior Championships for his home country, and captained the team the following year.
Set to join the Binghamton Senators this season, the Stockholm native has spent the last four seasons with Swedish professional club Djurgårdens - a team Sens fans are very familiar with, seeing as it was home to Fredrik Claesson and former Senator Mika Zibanejad for several of years, as well.
Englund is one of the more promising defense prospects in a pool lacking depth. He and Thomas Chabot seem to be the only young defenseman with a realistic shot at becoming regular NHLers. Englund, no doubt, has a longer way to go if he's going to play in the nation's capital, but nonetheless, he is one of the better blueliners when it comes to overall potential.
On his current contract, Enlgund will have the next three seasons to show the organization what he's got.