European notebook: Gulyayev among defensemen contributing offense

Future NHL stars are developing in Europe this season. Every other week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects outside of North America. In this installment, a look at eight defensemen contributing offensively in European professional and junior leagues, listed in alphabetical order (statistics through games Thursday).

Axel Elofsson, Oskarshamn (Colorado Avalanche)

The 18-year-old continues to supply offense in his first full professional season with 17 assists in 16 games for Oskarshamn in Allsvenskan, Sweden's second division. He has seven assists in his past five games, pushing him above a point-per-game pace against older competition.

Elofsson is playing on loan from Orebro, where he had 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) in 32 games for its junior team last season, and 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 14 playoff games.

The Avalanche selected Elofsson in the fourth round (No. 128) of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Mikhail Gulyayev, Avangard Omsk (Avalanche)

An offensive rebound has brought the 21-year-old well beyond his production from last season. He has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 18 games for Avangard in the Kontinental Hockey League after finishing with three points (one goal, two assists) in 54 games in 2025-26.

Eight of his points have come in his past 10 games. Gulyayev is approaching the 15 points he had in 67 games in 2024-25, his highest total in a KHL season.

He was chosen by Colorado in the first round (No. 31) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Ludvig Johnson, Fribourg-Gotteron (Utah Mammoth)

The 20-year-old has nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 13 games in National League, Switzerland's top professional league.

Johnson also has two assists in five Champions Hockey League games with Fribourg-Gotteron, separate from his domestic production. The native of Zug, Switzerland, has represented his country internationally and is playing his second season with the club.

Utah took Johnson in the sixth round (No. 174) of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Aron Kiviharju, HIFK (Minnesota Wild)

The 20-year-old has seven assists in 11 games this season for HIFK in Liiga, Finland's top professional league. Four have come in his past five games.

Kiviharju also brings extensive leadership experience with Finland's junior national teams. He was team captain at the Under-18 World Championship and two IIHF World Junior Championships. He had five assists in six games at the 2026 World Juniors.

He was chosen by the Wild in the fourth round (No. 122) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Axel Landen, TPS (San Jose Sharks)

The 21-year-old is getting regular work in his second season for TPS in Liiga. He five points (one goal, four assists) in 18 games.

Landen had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 57 games for TPS last season. His development also has included time in Sweden's top two professional divisions and two games with San Jose of the American Hockey League in 2024-25.

The Sharks selected Landen in the fifth round (No. 130) of the 2023 draft.

Liam Pettersson, Djurgarden (Boston Bruins)

The 19-year-old has contributed at two levels since moving from Vaxjo to Djurgarden. He has seven points (two goals, five assists) in seven games with Djurgarden's junior team.

Pettersson also has one assist in 10 games in the Swedish Hockey League, Sweden's top professional league. He had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 19 junior games for Vaxjo last season.

He was picked by the Bruins in the second round (No. 61) of the 2025 draft.

Daniil Pylenkov, Dynamo Moscow (Tampa Bay Lightning)

The 26-year-old has remained a productive presence with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 23 KHL games, following a season when he had 54 points (nine goals, 45 assists) in 64 games. He is the oldest player in this group, with the Lightning retaining his NHL rights.

Tampa Bay selected Pylenkov in the seventh round (No. 196) of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Albert Wikman, Farjestad (Florida Panthers)

The 21-year-old already has matched his offensive totals from last season with five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 SHL games for Farjestad. He needed 46 games to reach those totals last season.

Wikman's three goals came earlier in the season, with one assist in his past five games. His season totals represent a substantial increase in scoring pace while he continues his development in Sweden's top division.

He was chosen by the Panthers in the fourth round (No. 127) of the 2023 draft.