Draft Riser: Hot DANE!

Lars Eller
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Country: Denmark
Position: Center
League: J20 SuperElit
Team: Vastra Frolunda HC Indians
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 198
Shoots: Left
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The Skinny: The best Danish prospect available for this year's draft has really skyrocketed up many scouts lists the second half of the season and has all but solidifed himself a spot in the top 20. Eller is a player who is technically very sound; he is a quick skater, owns both a hard and accurate slapshot and wristshot, and is a great stickhandler equipped with the above average vision needed to be a playmaker. Above all, he is a mature, two-way player. He has progressed on a steep development curve, one that started as soon as he came into this season with added size and strength. The most impressive feat in Eller's meteoric rise, according to DraftBuzz, is the quality of the competition he had to first prove he could hang with and then later surpass. Aside from Mikael Backlund, Eller seemingly had to deal with the rest of Sweden's notable draft eligible's stealing the spotlight, having outstanding teammates such as Simon Hjalmarsson, Joakim Andersson, and Jens Hellgren. To go from afterthought in scouts eyes to hot prospect in such a short period of time is remarkable. Although Eller's main weakness is his unselfishness as he often passes up open shots, the second year player for the HC Indians went on to be the team's biggest threat on the powerplay leading the team with 6 goals. Lars Eller is most definately on the prospect fast track, as he is widely considered one of the few young J20 candidates to move up to the Swedish Elites next year. With Denmark earning a promotion in the WJC for 2007-2008, Eller will also be given a chance to match his talent up against other junior stars on the biggest international stage.
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2006/2007 Regular Season Stats:
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39 games 18 goals 37 assists 55 points +22 58 PIM
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WJC18 d1 '07 - Team Denmark
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5 games 3 goals 7 assists 10 points +5 6 PIM
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WJC d1 '07 - Team Denmark
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5 games 2 goals 5 assists 7 points +6 16 PIM
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Draft Day Status/Projection: Top 20 is a conservative prediction based on the hype, but it's not farfetched to believe a team in the 8-14 range may gamble on Eller's unique upside and select the rising Dane after the draft's first tier of talent's.

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(photo courtesy of www.ishockey.dk)