Saturday, June 28, 2014

#61: Sabres tab G Jonas Johansson

Jonas Johansson - G, Brynas IF J20 (Sweden), 6'4", 198 lbs.
 
I got a brief glimpse of Johansson over the summer at the USA National Junior Evaluation Camp, and was particularly impressed with his great size and simple positioning. He's s big, wide goalie with excellent athleticism and a great glove who forces you to pick corners by taking away the bottom shelf. His size and butterfly style are similar to Robin Lehner, whose Murray's Sens picked at a similar spot (46th overall) back at the 2009 draft, and he plays deep in his crease like fellow countryman Henrik Lundqvist. If Johansson sees it, he stops it. Much like Demko before him, Johansson can marinate for a few more years in a strong program and gain some valuable international experience before advancing up a level.