Noel Fransen

ANALYSIS
Not as highly rated as some other draft-eligible defenders heading into the season, Fransen raised his stock in a major way after averaging nearly a point-per-game (20 goals, 44 points in 45 games) in the Swedish U-20 junior league. As those numbers would lead you to believe, Fransen has all sorts of offensive ability. Part of the reason he piles up big point totals is because he essentially plays a "rover" position, constantly joining the rush and trying to generate scoring chances whenever possible. Fransen needs to pick up the physicality and work on his play away from the puck, but he does have a skill set that is typically difficult to acquire at this stage of the draft