Dallas Stars Draft Albin Eriksson, Oskar Back In Rounds Two And Three

The Dallas Stars remained active in the early portion of day two of the 2018 NHL Draft. They drafted winger Albin Eriksson in the second round and

It’s day two of the draft and the Dallas Stars are still rolling. They made one pick each in both the second and third rounds, drafting two solid forwards to add to the system.

Albin Eriksson, RW/LW

With the 44th pick in the second round, Dallas selected winger Albin Eriksson.

“It couldn’t be better to get picked by Dallas in Dallas,” said Eriksson. “It’s just amazing.”

The Stars landed themselves a big, right-handed winger with plenty of potential at the age of 17. Eriksson has played the last few seasons for Skelleftea, a team in Sweden. Though he’s been playing there since 2015-16, he really took a new step in 2017-18.

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In the SuperElit league with Skelleftea AIK 20, Eriksson skated in 38 games, tallying 22 goals and 40 points along with a +18 rating. His penalty minutes were on the high side with 86 on the season, but his play earned him 17 games in the SHL (the highest league in Sweden). He only finished with one assist, but was able to get a taste of competing in the top league.

“It’s a great experience to be there with the big guys,” said Eriksson. “Some of them have played in the NHL. To kind of see them every day is a good experience. When you get up there you see that you have to hit the gym a little more. But it’s a good experience. It’s a big thing to play with the A-team back at home.”

Eriksson described himself as a big-bodied player that uses his shot and size well on offense and defense. He’s 6’7 and weighs in at 207 pounds, so he’s definitely one of the bigger forwards in the Dallas system.

“I’m a big player,” he said. “I use my reach a lot when I handle the puck and I have a good shot. I have a good wrist shot, too. That’s pretty much it.”

The Dallas Stars picked themselves up a player that still has room to grow but is showing promise in his game. He said that he likes to model his game after Patrik Laine because he wants to get better at scoring goals and Laine is “the right guy to watch.” And with the Swedish contingency that the Stars already possess in their system, there is definitely a connection with the organization for the second-round pick.

“Yeah of course,” he said. “I like Dallas because I like [John] Klingberg very much. He’s a D but it doesn’t matter. I think he’s a good player. It’s fun to see.”

Oskar Back, C/RW

In the third round, the Dallas Stars selected forward Oskar Back at 75th overall. Back spent the past few years playing for Farjestad BK in Sweden. He plays center and right wing and is also a big body to stick on the offense.

At 6’3, 205 pounds, he rings in right around Eriksson’s size. But unlike Eriksson, his stats show him as less of a scorer and more of a playmaker. The prospect ranking sites had him ranked anywhere from 59-102, so the Stars got him right around where he was expected to go.

In the SuperElit league this past year, Back finished with 10 goals and 32 points in 28 games along with a +13 rating. He knows how to protect the puck using his size like Eriksson and has a great hockey IQ. He did not attend the draft so there were no quotes from him. But the potential is there for the third-round choice.

Next: Stars Select Ty Dellandrea At 13th Overall

Stay tuned for more updates.