Avs Get Their Guy in Olausson

As the 2021 NHL Draft snaked through the first round and the Colorado Avalanche's 28th overall pick grew closer, there was a rise in anxiety in the team's war room.
A player that the Avs had their eye on hadn't been selected yet, but would he still be available once it was their turn? It wasn't until after the Nashville Predators traded up to select Zachary L'Heureux at No. 27 that Colorado general manager Joe Sakic, director of amateur scouting Wade Klippenstein and the rest of the staff could enjoy a sigh of relief. They knew they got their guy in Oskar Olausson.

"He was a lot higher (on the Avs list) than where we ended up picking him," said Klippenstein on Friday night from the team's official 2021 draft party and headquarters at the Breckenridge Brewery Farm House in Littleton. "It was a little nerve-racking as our list was shrinking quickly. It was a night where we expected a little more chaos with our list, and it was actually pretty tight. We were fortunate to get him, and again, he was a lot higher on our list than where we took him."

Olausson, 18, played for three teams in Sweden during the 2020-21 campaign, splitting time with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League, HV71's junior club and Sodertalje in the Allsvenskan league, the second-tier pro circuit in the country. The right wing is the third player that competed in a Swedish league during their draft year that the Avs have chosen in the first round and the first since forward Jonas Johansson also at No. 28 in 2002 (not to be confused with current goalie Jonas Johansson).
Picking Olausson made sense for the squad as his style of game matches how the Avalanche plays at the NHL level.
"He fits our identity," Klippenstein said. "We're a team where obviously speed and skating is a big piece for us. Very good skater, big body, can score, can shoot the puck. Just a lot of check marks with Oskar."
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound forward proved his offensive prowess this past season.
While playing for the HV71 junior team, an under-20 club he had skated with since he was 16 years old, he finished second with 14 goals and 27 points in just 16 games. He continued to make an impact when he made his professional debut, as he had three goals and an assist in 16 contests with HV71's senior squad and then produced six points (three goals, three assists) in 11 outings with Sodertalje.
Olausson also played above his age group on the international stage as he was one of the youngest players to participate at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, appearing in four games for Team Sweden. He is currently in Plymouth, Michigan, with Sweden for the World Junior Summer Showcase in preparation for the 2022 tournament.
"I think to play against men is very good for me. Playing with men is a good step," Olausson said. "In the World Juniors, it was good because I learned more how to play on the [NHL-size] rink that I'm going to play in soon."

Olausson said he is set to return to Sweden to play pro hockey with HV71 next season in the Allsvenskan league (the team was relegated for 2021-22), but his end goal is to get to the NHL with the Avalanche.
"It's a really good city and a really good team that I want to play with," Olausson said of joining Colorado. "I think my game will fit in with the team, so it's going to be very fun to play. I can't wait."
Olausson's character and maturity could be some of the reasons why he might get there.
"We have really good scouts in that area that are really dialed into the culture of what happens in Sweden with hockey," Klippenstein said. "So we're very confident that we're getting a good hockey player but a great young man that wants to get better and wants to play in the National Hockey League someday."