Islanders select Defenseman Calle Odelius in the second round, 65th overall

The New York Islanders made their first selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. With the last pick in the second round on day two of the draft, the Islanders selected defense prospect Calle Odelius. Odelius joins a thin pool of Islanders blue line prospects that consists of Robin Salo, Samuel Bolduc, and somewhat Bode Wilde.

Odelis skated for Sweden's Djurgårdens IF at the J20 national level. He tallied seven goals and 30 points in 43 contests alongside fellow top prospects Liam Öhgren and Noah Östlund. Odelius was the top defenseman for the J20 squad and played an important role in Sweden's U18 team as well this past season.

Corey Pronman of The Athletic projects Odelius to play NHL games:

"Odelius’ skating pops out to you when you watch him. He has a powerful, fluid stride that can explode up the ice and the strong edge work to escape pressure. I wouldn’t call his puck play as exceptional as his feet, but he shows good instances of puck skill and can make plays in the O-zone to create chances. He’s talented, and the skating excites scouts, but as a 5-foot-11 defenseman who is average defensively and isn’t dynamic offensively, I’m not sure where he fits on an NHL team."

- Corey Pronman

The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy is a bit more optimistic than Pronman's claiming Odelius likely should have been selected sooner than 65th overall:

"New York Islanders get defenseman Calle Odelius with the final pick of the second round. I'm surprised he was still on the board because some teams really liked him. Needs to round out his game, but he's one of the best skaters in the draft"

- Ryan Kennedy

Similarly to Aatu Räty last season, the consensus appears to be Odelius dropped in the draft further than he should have.