Prospect Profile: Oliver Wahlstrom

A big and strong power forward that has an NHL release is what stands out about Oliver Wahlstrom. A natural goal-scorer who is a threat whenever he takes the ice, Wahlstrom is someone that teams can envision potting 30 goals a year in the NHL.

Despite being known for his scoring prowess, Wahlstrom is a well-rounded offensive player that can also dish the puck for chances. Mixed with a physical edge to his game and fans are rightfully excited about what his ceiling may be.

SEASON STATS

| GP | G | A | P | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 62 | 48 | 46 | 94 |
Growing up in the Boston area, Wahlstrom went through the youth programs in Massachusetts before making the leap to the prestigious Shattuck St Mary's Prep School in Minnesota in 2014-15. He tore up their Bantam and High School prep programs before joining the USNDTP in 2016-17.
The U17 program with the USNTDP is less about results and more about the development of their programs in the U18 year. Wahlstrom made an impact offensively for the U17 team in 2016-17 that culminated in him making the U18 World Juniors roster as an underager. He had four goals and one assist in seven games and ended the tournament with a Gold Medal.
This season, he moved to the U18 program and exploded offensively. Combining all games under that program, he had 48 goals and 46 assists in 62 games. He followed that up seven goals and two assists in seven games during his second appearance at the U18 World Juniors.
Those 48 goals were the third most in the program's history, trailing only New York Islanders prospect Kieffer Bellows (50 in 2015-16) and Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews (55 in 2014-15). Not just a goal scorer, Wahlstrom's 94 points ranked fourth in single season point totals behind Matthews, Clayton Keller, and Matthew Tkachuk.
Needless to say that the year he spent developing his game in 2016-17 paid off for his draft season.
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The first part of Wahlstrom's game that stands out is his shot. It's quick and heavy in release with deception upon its exit from his stick. He can shoot from anywhere with any type of shot and do it while not perfectly set. Averaging 4.92 shots per game in games against USHL competition, Wahlstrom also goes for volume with his shots.
The old hockey adage of 'get the puck to the net and good things happen' is still very true and shows itself with Wahlstrom. If his shot doesn't beat the goalie, it is hard to contain and creates second chances for his teammates.
With a frame already comparable to most NHL players, the winger uses his body to effectively protect the puck and drive out of containment. He seems to just keep the puck on his stick, waiting for the open space, and then springs himself loose to get another shot off. Willing to take a hit to make a play, there should be little concern about his ability to muck it up to make things happen.
Wahlstrom has a strong and fluid stride that allows him to pick up speed while maintaining a strong base over top of the puck. He gets up to a good top speed and is hard to push off the puck because of how strong he is on his feet. Ideally, he will improve his two step quickness to separate himself from opponents but he does compliment those strong strides with good edge work and agility.
He is creative with the puck in his movements using his long reach to keep the puck at a distance and then pulling it around a reaching defender. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound forward isn't a dynamic puck handler, but does have a wide range of moves that he uses to elude defenders. Even if he can't shake the defender, he will just shoot from a less than ideal position and beat goalies clean.
Entering the season, there were some concerns about his defensive play and compete levels, but both improved throughout the season to the point where they should no longer be of concern. That improvement is showcased in the underlying numbers as Wahlstrom posted a goals for percentage of 74.1% in games against USHL teams and a goals for percentage relative to teammates of 12.2%.
Whenever he was on the ice, his line was driving the offence, but making sure that they were tidy in their own zone.
Wahlstrom is a complete offensive player who can score goals, set-up teammates, be reliable in his zone, and battle through whatever comes his way.
Wahlstrom was committed to attend Harvard this fall, but has recently changed his commitment to Boston College. Joining the Eagles will allow him to continue to round out his game in one of the best hockey programs in collegiate hockey.
Teams looking for a goal-scorer who isn't limited to just shooting the puck, should look no further than Wahlstrom as he presents the highest ceiling of any of the forwards in this draft class after Andrei Svechnikov and Filip Zadina.