After joining the Brampton Steelheads, Alriksson suffered an upper-body injury and did not play after February 12. He missed the Steelheads’ playoff run, as the team was knocked out in the first round of the OHL playoffs. However, Alriksson was recalled by Abbotsford and joined the team for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. The expectation is that Alriksson will stick in the pro ranks for the foreseeable future.

After a nice first half of the year with Guelph, the Brampton Steelheads traded for Alriksson in December. So far, with Brampton, he’s found a bit of success. In 17 games, he’s accumulated 11 points, including four goals. However, much of this production came in Alriksson’s first nine games in Brampton. Since then, he’s had a bit of a quiet stretch. He scored twice against the Sudbury Wolves, so the team hopes this can spark a good offensive stretch. That being said, he is still physically imposing on the ice and is great along the boards. The Steelheads need him to continue to play well for the rest of the year.

After a solid 2023-24 season, Alriksson exploded onto the scene in training camp. The 6-6 winger used every bit of his size to stand out amongst other NHLers. Alriksson, surprisingly, was one of the final cuts of Canucks training camp. He was sent to the Guelph Storm, where he has continued to play well. Already, he’s up to 23 points in just 26 games and is consistently one of the best players on the ice. He uses his frame well and wins battles along the boards. Alriksson is primed to finish the year out strong, and the conversation has quickly changed from if he will get a shot at the NHL to when.

After spending his entire young career in his home country of Sweden, Alriksson has finally decided, this season following his draft, that it was time to move to North America. Unsurprisingly, the big winger has struggled to elevate his game in the OHL this season. In 45 games with Guelph, Alriksson has scored nine goals and provided 15 assists for 24 points. While this performance isn’t catastrophic considering his situation, there is room for improvement, especially in even-strength goals, where he scored only three.

Alriksson has been drafted 107th overall by the Vancouver Canucks. One thing jumps off the page immediately – his size. You read that right; the 18-year-old Swede comes in at a towering 6-foot-6 and can bring a pinch of offense to the table, at least at the J20 level. He should be considered a long-term European project for now, so check back before assuming fantasy relevance.