Oskar Vuollet is flying under the radar | 2024 NHL Draft
Throughout the 2023-2024 NHL season, TSLH Prospects shares observation reports and prospect profiles on young players eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft. Similar to the past four seasons, the columnists produce texts on a significant number of prospects to provide a comprehensive overview of the cohort and its progress. Today, the focus is on Oskar Vuollet, a forward playing in Sweden.
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Since the beginning of the season, I’ve been closely following Oskar Vuollet’s performances with keen interest. The 5 feet 11 inches, 172-pound Swedish prospect started the campaign primarily in the SHL (0 points in 15 games), in addition to participating in the Champions Hockey League tournament in Europe (2 points in 7 games). He was then sent down to J20 Nationell to finish the season (59 points in 39 games). I must say, I’ve enjoyed every aspect of his regular season as we’ve seen him tested in various contexts.
In the professional leagues, early in the season, the young player’s intensity was evident, especially in transition. It’s crucial to understand that he’s an excellent skater in every sense of the word. Whether it’s acceleration, top speed, or agility, the left-hander demonstrates no difficulty navigating the ice with or without the puck. His mobility allows him to cover a significant area.
Due to his limited role because of his age, this ability primarily translated into smart, quick puck touches to aid in transitions. We might have wished for a bit more puck carrying, but the youngster kept it conservative, probably to avoid mistakes. So, even though Oskar Vuollet didn’t often have the puck on his stick, he was actively involved in play development on the ice. The same applied in the offensive zone, where he constantly moved to get into dangerous positions or to provide options to keep the attack alive.
Defensively, there were no issues in this context given his involvement and proper positioning. It’s true that the prospect avoided unnecessary physical contact along the boards, but I wouldn’t say Oskar Vuollet played passively. He’s a forward unafraid of traffic or involvement in puck retrieval, and this became even more apparent in J20 Nationell after his demotion, even if his game there isn’t as professional.
Indeed, I’m not sure what directives the prospect received in the J20 Nationell, but it’s clear he’s much careless there than against men. Personally, although I don’t appreciate a young player altering their style of play based on the competition, I don’t hold it against him too much since he’s proven he can be pro in a higher league. In short, Oskar Vuollet does pretty much as he pleases against players of his age group, and it pays off, as his stats are impressive.
He’s literally all over the ice every game. He utilizes every inch of space to create offense, either with his teammates or by himself against multiple opponents. It’s often ridiculous how the puck seems glued to his stick, even when obvious passing options are available. One might attribute this to a lack of hockey IQ since he doesn’t always choose the optimal routes, but I’ll chalk it up to immaturity. As I mentioned, he’s already shown impeccable on-ice attitude. If that’s not the case in juniors, it bothers me a little less, especially considering he’s dominating the competition quite convincingly.
In terms of talent, I find him very versatile offensively. He can manipulate opponents quite easily while controlling the puck. It’s done with speed and agility, often changing directions to open up the play or at least allow teammates to free themselves. If he’s without the puck, Oskar Vuollet adopts a similar philosophy to be difficult to cover. His ability to find open areas is noteworthy and allows him to unleash powerful and precise shots upon receiving the puck.
He may not necessarily be the top scorer in the draft, but his arsenal and power enable him to be placed in the top third of the 2024 NHL draft. Additionally, his hand-eye coordination is quite interesting. Sometimes, passes coming to him are nearly impossible to grasp, but the prospect more often than not manages to do so while maintaining his speed or skillfully redirecting the puck to a teammate.
Physically, he’s certainly not a big frame. Nonetheless, there’s intensity within him, and it’s not uncommon to see him throw elbows along the boards. He has a knack for timing hits in European hockey, but I don’t think it will be as easy in North America. That remains to be seen in the coming years.
With time, I believe Oskar Vuollet will manage to stabilize his game to demonstrate more consistency in the professional aspect of hockey. Either way, he should have no trouble playing in the SHL next year, and I expect good progression. In the draft, I see him going in the second or third round. His profile is intriguing for an NHL team as he’s played without much difficulty in the SHL, in addition to dominating in J20 Nationell. This eliminates some of the question marks one might have if he had only played in one of the two leagues.
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