"It was really fun," Lundkvist told NYRangers.com. "It was my first time with the U20 national team. It was fun to meet new teammates and meet a lot of new guys. It's really fun to play against and challenge myself against a lot of the best players in my age group."
Lundkvist, whom the Rangers took 28th overall in the NHL Draft in June, had one assist in five games for Sweden at the Summer Showcase event out west.
Lundkvist said he felt his game got better as the games progressed, culminating in two good games against the United States and Canada.
"It got better and better throughout the tournament," he said. "The first game is always tough, but I think it went better and better. My games against the USA and Canada were pretty good."
Nick Bobrov, the Rangers' Director of European Scouting, agreed with Lundkvist's self-assessment, and added that the 18-year-old was "steady" throughout, and found his offensive grove as time went on.
"Nils played a very steady, puck-moving defensive game early in the tournament and began adding his offensive rushing game in big games against the U.S. and Canada," Bobrov said. "His ability to find outlets under heavy pressure was very good. Once he begins taking more control offensively, his ability to generate offensive chances for himself and others was at a high level of hockey IQ."
Like all Europeans playing in North America, Lundkvist had to adjust on the fly to the smaller ice surface out in Kamloops. But, he said, it wasn't a problem for him. In fact, he prefers it as it allows his offensive abilities to shine through more than on the larger ice surface back home in Sweden.
"Things are happening all the time" on the smaller surface, Lundkvist said. "It can also be difficult. You need to think a lot faster because you don't have that much time like you do at home, but offensively, if you have the puck in the offensive zone, you always have a chance to score."
With five right-handed defensemen on Sweden's roster for the Summer Showcase, Lundkvist - who was the second-youngest of the D corps - was moved to the left side for stretches of the event. And while Lundkvist is more comfortable on his natural side, he was able to adjust quickly enough to be effective, a credit to that hockey IQ, according to Bobrov.
"There are many right Ds on this Swedish team," Bobrov said, "so Nils had to play his off side and his hockey sense enable him to do so seamlessly."
Jed Ortmeyer, the Rangers' Director of Player Development, said Lundkvist had "success" on both sides of the ice thanks in large part to his ability to "slow the game down and make it look easier than it is."
