Getting to know NY Islanders unsigned prospect Alexander Ljungkrantz

The Islanders have a handful of prospects who lit up the scoreboard outside the NHL and AHL, including William Dufour and Matthew Maggio, putting up eye-popping numbers in their respective junior leagues. In these lower leagues, having a strong shot alone allows you to rake in the goals, but at the top level, much more is needed to create opportunities for yourself and your teammates, with skating being near the top of the list.

"In general, Ljungkrantz’s development has seen his skating become more well-rounded and even elegant at times," said Landvogt. "He moves with a lot of steam as a hustler featuring strong lateral movement to hop around opponents. "

The NHL and AHL are much more physical leagues than those in Europe. Former Islander Shane Prince told Arthur Staple of The Athletic that this is one of the reasons he believes Maxim Tsyplakokv will succeed in the NHL, as there aren't many power forwards or players willing to get to the dirty areas in Europe. According to Landvogt, this style of play suits Ljungkrantz.

"He’ll play in traffic and go where it hurts," explains Landvogt. "This season certainly gave reason to believe that a couple of years in the AHL might just be what the doctor ordered for his development, especially with a coaching staff eager and ready to mold him into an opportunistic puck-hound in a lower-line role emphasizing a hard forecheck."

Ljungkrantz is coming off his best season as a pro

Towards the end of the Swedish regular season, things became a bit odd surrounding Ljungkrantz. It was revealed that Ljungkrantz signed a contract to play with Färjestad of the SHL for the 2024-25 season. He was called on loan to Färjestad twice during the season, with the second being as Almtuna prepared for their best-of-three playoff series.

In the first game of this loan spell, Ljungkrantz played 10:54 and recorded five shots on goal. He was subsequently benched the next two games, and then in his final two games, he played only 54 seconds and 7:29, respectively, failing to record a single shot. When his loan was over, Almtuna was eliminated from the playoffs, robbing Ljungkrantz of any postseason play.

After this past season, it appears Ljungktantz is ready to become an everyday player at Färjestad. The SHL is a much more challenging league, but Ljungkrantz and the Islanders must have some reservations following his loan spells.

"Naturally, a regular shift in the SHL next season would still be a fairly optimal step in his career projection," says Landvogt. "But if this past season was any indication, Ljungkrantz and the Islanders organization have got to wonder if a regular shift is in the cards with Färjestad."

There's no saying whether the NHL is in the cards for Ljunkrantz, but it's assumed Lamoriello will do all he can to get the 22-year-old under contract before the June 1st deadline.