A currently unsigned 22 year old defense-first blueliner that’s playing overseas, isn’t usually the star of the show when it comes to prospect rankings, but Minnesota Wild youngster Simon Johansson has just simply broken out of his shell enough this season to get the bottom spot on the 2021 Hockey Wilderness Top 25 Under 25 ranking.
One of the Wild’s fifth-round selections in the 2018 NHL Draft—forward Damien Giroux was the other one, seven spots after—Johansson has taken a typical and somewhat quick evolution through the Swedish system. Graduating out of his junior league immediately after he was drafted, he was able to play a full season in the Hockey Allsvenskan (the Swedish second division) and the year following he made his SHL debut for Djurgårdens IF.