Lian Bichsel is a physical freak with his impressive stature, and is already and playing meaningful minutes in a men’s league in Sweden. His strength is arguably his best asset, as he has no issue boxing out older, stronger, more mature professionals in Sweden’s top circuit. He makes it seem effortless at times. He is not one to just camp in front of the net, as he engages in board battles any chance he gets. Showing good defensive awareness, he scans the ice well and is ensuring no one gets behind him. With such a long reach, he is very good at challenging attackers and taking away space from them, forcing turnovers in the process. His gap control helps aid in his ability to defend the rush. He is not afraid to jump into the rush on the other end of things, and has shown some offensive instincts that haven’t necessarily shown up on the scoresheet for him. There’s some skating issues in his game that limit his overall upside. Lacking flex in his ankles, he struggles to generate full power and speed, especially while going backwards. This impacts his ability to prevent skaters from beating him wide with speed as his lateral mobility is also affected by this lack of speed. He could really benefit from working with a skating coach and changing his stance and stride. This would allow him to better leverage that length in his legs that are already very strong. There’s definitely a ton of upside with him, as he looks every bit to be an NHL level defender. Slight improvements to his skating will only make him a more effective player who can drive positive impacts on possession and offensive zone shot attempts. At his peak, Bichsel will be a top-four blueliner who plays in every situation at the NHL level.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide