EURO CURVE

Euro Curve takes a look at the latest international hockey headlines.

Writers Note: My apologies for not posting the Morning Papers yesterday. I just couldn't find time to peel myself away from my Advertising textbook. By the way, I aced the exam! Alas, here is a Euro Curve post to wet your appetite. Morning Papers will be back Wednesday, with yours truly, while Richy P will be back in his regular role starting next Monday.

- Everyone must pick up The Hockey News this week (December 18, 2007 issue with a handsome Nicklas Lidstrom on the cover). The entire issue is dedicated to the Euro game, and explores the all-time best European players, profiles the major leagues, and discusses the future of the international game.

- There is an interesting article about Fabian Brunnstrom, a 22-year-old Swede who is tearing up the Swedish Elite League for Farjestad. He is drawing comparisons to fellow countrymen Henrik Zetterberg and Mikael Samuelsson. Writer Ken Campbell also mentions these four players as showstoppers overseas:

• Defenseman Victor Hedman (Kyle Kosior was on top of this weeks ago)
• Right Winger Alexei Morozov (used to love scoring goals for the Penguins)
• Rearguard Danny Markov (how is he not in the NHL?)
• LW Nikolai Kulemin (The Next One, as in Next Ponikarovsky)

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

Prospect Pulse: Victor Hedman

Following up on the esteemed Ezra Ginsburg's Euro Curve post, Prospect Pulse will look ahead to the 2009 draft at a defenseman that some feel will be a close second to consensus #1 John Tavares.

Hedman burst onto the scene by dominating the Swedish under-20 circuit at the ripe old age of 16. He put up 10 points (12th amongst rearguards) in the defense first league and was a +10. Already standing 6'5, 212, the 1990 born Hedman plays an edgy bordering on dirty game and has sublime offensive skills. Currently playing for Modo in the Swedish Elite League, he also boasts a very heavy slapshot to go along with his solid positioning.

Described as "the best Swedish hockey prospect in years", this superstar in the making was considering coming to the CHL before he signed a 2-year deal with Modo. Another product of the hockey hotbed of Ornskoldvik (The Sedins, Naslund, Forsberg et al), Hedman also has an older brother who has been drafted by the Washington Capitals.

Aside from the usual platitudes about Hedman's skills, the most interesting aspect about this prospect may be that he is a product of Modo Hockey's program of individual and small group practices (3-5 players). Modo's braintrust stands behind this program, which has produced solid results for all of Modo's teams, and states that this program is one factor as to why Hedman is so far ahead of his peers.