Ottawa Senators Top 25 Under 25, #12: Jonathan Dahlen

Coming in at No. 12 on Silver Seven's top 25 players in the Senators' organization under 25-years-old is Swedish forward Jonathan Dahlen.

No. 12: Jonathan Dahlen (Reader rank: 16, last year: N/A)

It's becoming more and more likely that the Senators got a steal in the second round when they drafted Jonathan Dahlen 42nd overall this summer.

At the time, it was apparent that the son of long-time NHLer (966 games, to be correct) Ulf Dahlen was a quick player, oozing with skill. He looked a bit shorter and a tad skinnier than your average top 50 prospect, but he could also play without the puck and wasn't afraid to battle with much bigger opponents.

And again, that skill.

That's just one season of highlights.

Last year, Dahlen played his first full season of professional hockey in Sweden's second-best hockey league, Allsvenskan, for the Timra Red Eagles. Unless Dahlen makes the NHL club out of camp in October, which is highly unlikely, he'll be back in his home country playing pro hockey.

Playing half the season as a 17-year-old with the Red Eagles, Dahlen recorded an impressive 29 (15, 14) points in 51 games. He continued that success this summer when he travelled to Michigan to compete in the World Junior Summer Showcase for Sweden. The now 18-year-old tallied 4 (2, 2) points in 5 games and was the talk of the tournament at times. It seemed that every time Dahlen was on the ice, he was creating a chance in the offensive zone.

His size doesn't really have a negative effect on his play in any way. Though only 176 pounds at draft time, the Östersund native has made large strides with his defensive game. Once criticized for his play in his own end, Dahlen is continuing to learn how to be effective in all three zones. And though his playmaking ability is at an elite level, he doesn't use it as a crutch. Dahlen has one of the quickest releases you'll see and never hesitates to wire a slap, snap or wrist shot when he has a clear path to the net.

There's still much work to be done - for God's sake, he was only drafted two months ago - but it's not out of the question that he would be ready for the NHL in two year's time.

Get excited about Jonathan Dahlen, Sens fans.

Okay, one last video. Here's his 2016 postseason highlights.


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