A polished two-way defenseman who plays a steady game, Simon Forsmark is another one of the safer picks in this class. He defends against the rush very well and denies zone entries through his ability to control gaps and play angles to force opponents into the boards. He accomplishes this with his stick and body positioning as well, not allowing attackers to get to the middle of the ice. With a long reach, he disrupts plays well and intercepts pass attempts, turning them up ice quickly. From a skating perspective, he is very fluid and his strides are smooth, enabling him to generate good straight-line speed. He also has good edgework that allowed him to easily pivot his body, allowing him to easily deal with incoming forwards. When skating backwards, Forsmark uses this smooth stride to pivot his body and defend opponents coming at him with speed. There’s some offensive upside with him, and he has shown a willingness to jump up into the rush. When the play is in opponent territory, he will strategically wait for an opportunity to sneak down to the high slot for scoring chances. There’s not a ton of dynamism in his game as far as generating offense goes, but he does seem to have a good head on his shoulders to contribute in this aspect of the game. He projects to be a steady defenseman who could play in a top-four role at the NHL level and even work his way onto special teams play. There are tons of two-way blueliners available in this year’s class, and while he might not be in the upper tiers in terms of talent, Forsmark is a worthy prospect of a late second, early third round pick. He has the potential to outplay his draft status and become a fixture at the NHL level.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide