Stjernborg isn’t the biggest, the fastest, or the most purely skilled prospect but you’d be hard-pressed to find another in this draft class who understands hockey as well as he does. The captain of his J20 Nationnell team, he logs a ton of ice time for his team, including in all situations and the toughest matchups. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time without the puck, taking time and space away from opponents and causing turnovers. He is incredibly cerebral and calculated, and can play at either a fast place or a slow pace, depending on what the situation calls for. He’s not the lightest on his feet and doesn’t have long strides, but he churns his feet with purpose and has the conditioning to scoot around the ice and apply pressure. When it comes to playing slow, he can navigate around until he finds the right time to strike, which happens often because of how well he reads the play. He has excellent precision with his stick and really stretches into his poke checks. Stjernborg shows a tremendous amount of poise with the puck and is able to pull defenders toward him before whipping perfect passes to his teammates. He can carry the puck from his own zone through traffic and all the way to the offensive zone if it’s his best option. In his defense, he skates fast and always wants to beat his opponent. He can make it difficult for them to make a play or do something creative with the puck. He works with his stick and body to cover areas and passing lines and shooting lines and is rarely outplayed in his own zone. When he has the puck on his stick, he often attacks the middle of the ice to create scoring chances. He has great vision and finds space on the ice to find teammates with hard, accurate passes. Stjernborg is an effective forechecker, good with his stick and has a high compete level. His forechecking is mostly good and he wins battles along the boards and does not just join the rush without thinking before. He takes responsibility and moves back when his defender moves forward. He isn’t very physically advanced, meaning that he doesn’t get a ton of power behind his shot or his skating.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide