Connect with us

Capitals Takes

Capitals Prospect Magnusson Looking To Make Mark At 2022 World Juniors

Published

2 years ago

on

Capitals prospect Oskar Magnusson was skating for Sweden at the 2022 World Junior Championships

The Washington Capitals had quite a few prospects vying for spots on their respective nations’ teams for the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships. In the end, though, there’s just one who will be lacing ’em up at the WJC for the next couple of weeks: Oskar Magnusson.

Magnusson earned an invite to Team Sweden’s selection camp and secured a spot on the team. Hendrix Lapierre and Vincent Iorio didn’t make a deep Team Canada roster after solid showings at camp, and Bogdan Trineyev was ultimately cut from Team Russia.

Washington took Magnusson in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft (211th overall). The unsigned prospect will not only be seeking a gold medal but will look to continue building on his post-draft resume and has a big chance to put himself on the Capitals radar.

Known for his drive to the net, quickness and strong wrist shot, Magnusson is a speedy, high-energy left winger who can make creative plays and win 1-on-1 battles. The 5-10, 165-pound forward also plays a strong two-way game and has great vision and awareness that helps him at both ends of the ice. He also makes smart decisions and has a plethora of experience in the European leagues, and also works hard every single shift.

Over the last few seasons, he has skated in the J20 SuperElit, HockeyEttan and SHL, and also played for Sweden’s U18 team. He played with the Malmö Redhawks organization for a while. However, he couldn’t get much going at that level, and after recording 13 points in 24 games on loan with the Tyringe SoSS to end his post-draft year, he decided to ultimately move on.

READ MORE ON WHN: How Lapierre, Iorio Stacked Up At Canada’s WJC Selection Camp

Prior to the 2021-22 campaign, the 19-year-old skated in the Capitals’ rookie camp in September before heading back home to play with the AIK IF men’s team in the HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest hockey tier in Sweden. Through 21 games with AIK IF, he has two goals, four assists and six PIM so far. He also got to play for Sweden’s U20 squad in the Four Nations Tournament in November, where he picked up a rather impressive breakaway goal.

Sweden dominated in its pretournament matchup with Austria, winning 7-0 and dominating 50-7 in shots on goal. Magnusson didn’t find the scoresheet. However, he’ll look to change that as he joins Alexander Holtz, William Eklund and more promising fellow NHL prospects for a chance at a gold medal — and an even bigger chance to impress Washington as the only prospect representing the Capitals at the tournament.

The World Juniors officially kicks off Sunday, Dec. 26. Sweden is part of Group B and will open their tournament run against Russia at the WP Centrium at 4:30 p.m. ET in Red Deer.

Related Topics: