Hermansson continued to raise his draft stock during the second half of the 2025-26 season, showcasing the offensive skill and creativity that made him one of Sweden’s more intriguing 2026 draft prospects. The forward displayed strong puck skills, impressive offensive instincts, and a willingness to attack defenders one-on-one. His ability to create space, make plays in tight areas, and generate scoring chances against older competition highlighted his offensive upside.

Hermansson was selected 19th overall by the Kings as the team has to stock the cupboards somewhere. He becomes the teams top prospect already and has a nice top six upside.

Sweden Defeats Canada in First Win At Summer Showcase

Elton Hermansson scored his first of the tournament on the power play, sniping it top shelf over the glove of Samuel Meloche.

The Swedes didn’t let up. Theo Stockselius fired one from distance, tipping off of Jackson Smith’s stick and past Meloche in net.

Stockselius later scored on the empty net to give Sweden their first win of the Showcase.

Extra Time:

Both teams agreed to play overtime and a shootout given the Showcase style of this tournament.

After a back-and-forth frame, Braeden Cootes scored the overtime-winning goal to give Canada some satisfaction.

In the shootout frame, Sweden won 2-0 with goals from Elton Hermansson and Viktor Klingsell. Isak Sorqvist for Sweden was tremendous in the shootout, stopping all 4 shooters he faced.

2026 World Juniors Summer Showcase: Ultimate Preview

Elton Hermansson (F): Hermansson brings dynamic offensive talent which is only elevated when representing the Tre Kronor. At the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he finished with 11 points over 5 games played, plus he is fresh off a strong U18 campaign where he racked up 12 points over 7 games. He will look to continue his international success into this year’s WJSS.

2026 NHL Draft Prospect Report – Elton Hermansson (RW)

Elton Hermansson:Projection: Second-line wingerStrengths: Excellent anticipation and play reading, 200-foot game,Hockey IQ, Power playWeaknesses: Physical game, top speed, wrist shot release Analysis:Elton Hermansson is an excellent pass-first, defensive-minded winger.He understands the intricacies of the game very well, often being onestep ahead of the play and dictating how the play should develop withthe puck on his stick. He uses above-average footwork to open up lanesto or from his stick, sliding passes through seams, or looking for theopen man back door. He’s also excellent on the defensive side of thepuck, defending off the rush well through a strong back check and goodstick work. He also has a slapshot he can let rip on the power play ifhe’s found wide open with time to let it fly. My biggest absence in his game is his physicality. He often is smartenough to get ahead of the play, so he doesn’t have to use his body,but when the time comes to use his body to defend the puck or push offan opponent, he struggles to generate enough strength to win the puckback frequently. I find he doesn’t have the highest top speed either,which is a minor setback. Lastly, I wouldn’t consider his wrist shotto be a major asset of his either.

Weekly 2026 Draft Eligible Three Stars: U18 World Championship Edition

Elton Hermansson | RW/LW | Sweden U18

Swedish winger Elton Hermansson continues to excel against his age group, building on a strong international season in which he recorded 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) in 10 games. The 6-foot-1, 174-pound forward has carried that momentum into the U18 World Championship, where he has been a consistent offensive driver for Sweden.

The Örnsköldsvik native spent much of his draft year playing in HockeyAllsvenskan with Modo, where he led all draft-eligible players in both points (21) and games played (38). He saw limited action during the playoffs before Modo was eliminated in the semifinals.

Hermansson opened the tournament with an assist and four shots on goal in a 7-2 win over Germany. He followed that up with another four-shot performance in a 2-1 loss to Czechia and again led Sweden with four shots in a 9-1 defeat against the United States.

He broke through in a big way in Sweden’s final group stage game against Denmark. Hermansson opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the contest and later added a secondary assist in the first period. He took over in the third, scoring Sweden’s seventh goal before adding three assists as the team closed out the round-robin with a 10-1 victory.

Tynan Lawrence | C | Canada U18

Tynan Lawrence’s draft year has been marked by adversity, beginning with an injury in the USHL preseason that delayed his debut. Despite that, the Fredericton, New Brunswick native produced 17 points in 13 games with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, serving as team captain and reinforcing his standing as one of the top centers in the 2026 class behind Caleb Malhotra.

The 2025 USHL playoff MVP transitioned to Boston University in January, stepping into the NCAA midseason. While offense was slow to come initially — he recorded his first point in his sixth game — Lawrence gradually found his footing, finishing with seven points in 18 games. Head coach Jay Pandolfo noted his strong play down the stretch, identifying him as the team’s best forward over its final games.

At the U18 World Championship, Lawrence has continued to contribute in key moments. He picked up an assist on Canada’s lone goal in its opening loss to Slovakia. He followed that with a goal against Latvia, retrieving a puck along the boards before driving play and sending a pass to the front that deflected through the goaltender.

His most impactful performance came in a dominant win over Norway. On the power play, Lawrence found space in the slot and wired home a one-timer to extend the lead. He added two assists in the second period as Canada rolled to an 8-0 victory.

Alexander Command | C | Sweden U18

Alexander Command entered the tournament following a highly productive season at the junior level, leading all draft-eligible players in Sweden’s U20 Nationell with 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 30 games. He added 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 14 playoff contests and contributed 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 13 international games. The Danderyd native also gained pro experience, appearing in six SHL games with Örebro HK.

The 16th-ranked skater on Draft Prospects Hockey’s 2026 NHL Draft Rankings had a quieter start to the U18 tournament, recording one assist and four shots on goal in the opener against Germany. He followed that with another four-shot effort in Game 2 but was held off the scoresheet and added a lone assist in Sweden’s loss to the United States.

A late adjustment to Sweden’s forward lines proved to be a turning point. Slotted alongside Hermansson and Marcus Nordmark on the top unit, Command broke through in the final group stage game against Denmark.

DRAFTPRO – 2024 U17 World Challenge Review

After losing to Canada White in the semifinals, in a game that showcased a Swedish team with no quit, scoring a goal with one second remaining to make the final 6-4, they went into the bronze medal game versus the USA with a chip on their shoulders. They were on their heels, with the Americans in control of the pace of play for the first 40 minutes of play. Yet, they exchanged scoring chances and goals with the US squad. In the third, however, Sweden began to push the Americans back, and took control of the pace, taking a one-goal lead late into the period. With less than four minutes remaining, team USA seemed to find new life, attacking Sweden relentlessly. With under two minutes left, and the goaltender pulled, Casey Mutryn was able to tie the game for the USA, taking it into overtime. Despite the late push by the Americans, Sweden made short work of them in overtime, as Elton Hermansson played the hero scoring the bronze medal-winning goal 16 seconds into the extra frame.

Notable Prospects:

Marcus Nordmark, RW (2026):

Nordmark was one of the biggest standouts for Sweden, he finished the tournament with two points per game pace with 5 goals, and 8 points in 4 games. It was his controlled puck movement on the power play that allowed Sweden to be one of the most dangerous offensive teams. The 6’0’’ winger is a shoot-first type of player, while his puck distribution abilities are on par with most of his peers, his strongest asset is his shot, and ability to get to the high danger areas of the ice to employ that weapon. He boasts a powerful and accurate snapshot, but he relies heavily, almost exclusively on his slap shot. He is strong on his skates and has an explosive first few strides. He maintains a wide base, making him hard to push off of the puck and allowing for more control, and he uses hip movements to maintain glide speed while keeping his head up looking for a shooting lane or to make a short pass, especially in a give-and-go scenario. His wide base is just one aspect of his puck protection abilities, he uses body position and reach to protect the puck. He is also highly capable of corralling passes, even in stride. When a pass is off the target he can adjust his feet and stick placement to receive the errant pass on his backhand or off his skates then quickly reset to take a shot in one fluid motion.

Axel Elofsson, RD (2026)

Elofsson fits the mould of a prototypical Swedish puck-moving defenseman. He is a defenseman blessed with excellent hockey sense and confidence. He never looks pressured when he has the puck, he looks like he is in his natural habitat. His shot isn’t overpowering, but he does get it on net through traffic regularly. His ability to lead the transition and his playmaking is what he excels in. He can make a no-look pass through tight seams, and use his skillful skating techniques, such as tight turns and pivots, to generate the openings he needs to get the puck to a teammate in motion with an accurate pass. He can take over a game in the offensive zone. The knock on Elofsson is his defensive game and size. He gets caught up ice at times and works hard to get back to his position as quickly as possible. He does well in one-on-ones as he uses his feet and stick positioning to maintain a good gap and angle forwards to the outside where he isn’t usually beat with speed. But his size is an issue as he does get knocked off pucks by larger opponents and he has difficulty defending the net front as well, two areas of his game that will need improvement.

Elton Hermansson, RW (2026):

The 6’1’’ 176lbs Elton Hermansson is one of the top scorers in Sweden in his age group. His skating lacks an explosive pop in the first few steps, but his top speed is excellent once he gets going. He is strong on his skates, making it difficult on defenders to knock him off the puck, he also has good edgework, and he can make direction changes, or stop-ups quickly to create space for himself. He is an exceptional puck handler, as he makes plays at top speed, is a threat in any one-on-one and can deftly corral any pass that comes within reach. He is creative with the puck as well, using deceptive body language and no-look passes to place an accurate pass through tight seems. But it is his shot that is his biggest weapon. He has a heavy and accurate shot. His shot toolkit is well stocked with catch and release, one-timers and a deceptively quick release on his snap and wrist shots. His hockey IQ is on display with an entrenched ability to separate from his checker, and then reappear in an open space in a high-danger area ready to accept a pass. Defensively he can position himself well and does backcheck, but there is room to develop this aspect of his overall game.

The biggest area of focus for Hermansson moving forward will be adding consistency away from the puck and continuing to round out his overall game. While his offensive tools are his calling card, improving his defensive awareness and finding ways to impact games when he is not producing will be important. Still, his skill level, hockey sense, and scoring ability give him legitimate top-six potential as he continues his development in Sweden.

December Rankings – Hermansson shows high-end creativity with the puck, strong puck protection ability and smart shooting instincts. He has the ability to put two or three defenders on his back while shifting his angles and protecting the puck long enough to identify the best option. Hermansson doesn’t shy away from contact and will play through it, though he still leaves a bit to be desired with his 6-1 frame. He also shows effort and intensity defensively, though his hockey sense seems average. Hermansson needs to improve his shift-to-shift consistency and continue to develop his ability to play through his teammates on a more regular basis.