Rangers Select Nils Lundkvist

With the third of three first round selections in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers selected defenseman Nils Lundkvist with the 28th overall pick.
Lundkvist, 17 (turns 18 years old on July 27), split this past season between Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and Lulea's junior team in SuperElit. He skated in 28 SHL games with Lulea, registering two goals and three assists for five points, along with a plus-two rating. He ranked third among SHL players younger than 18 years old in goals and points in 2017-18, trailing only Rasmus Dahlin and David Gustafsson, and he also tied for third among SHL players younger than 18 years old in assists. Lundkvist was one of only 10 defensemen younger than 18 years old who skated in at least one SHL game during the past season, and his 28 games played were tied for the second-most among SHL defensemen younger than 18 years old in 2017-18 (Dahlin - 41). He averaged 16:00 of ice time in his 28 SHL games and posted a plus/minus rating of even or better in 22 of the 28 contests. Lundkvist made his SHL debut on Oct. 26, 2017 against Malmo, and he tallied his first career SHL goal/point on Dec. 30, 2017 against Skelleftea. In addition, he skated in two SHL playoff contests with Lulea.

The 5-11, 172-pounder also skated in 26 games with Lulea's junior team in SuperElit in 2017-18, registering three goals and 11 assists for 14 points, along with a plus-two rating and 18 penalty minutes. Lundkvist was selected as the Best Defenseman in SuperElit in 2017-18. In addition, he registered five assists and posted a plus-five rating in six playoff games during the season.
Lundkvist played with Lulea's U18 team during the 2016-17 season, and he served as the team's captain. In 34 games with the U18 team, he registered nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points, along with a plus-20 rating and 18 penalty minutes. In addition, he tallied 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 21 contests which were part of the U18 Elit Norra (North) schedule; he led all defensemen in assists and tied for first among all defensemen in points while averaging 24:11 of ice time in those 21 games. During the 2015-16 season, Lundkvist represented his district of Norrbotten in the annual TV-pucken tournament, which is a Swedish national ice hockey tournament for district teams of boys under 15 years old.
Internationally, the Pitea, Sweden native has represented his country in several tournaments. Most recently, Lundkvist participated in the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, registering two assists and a plus-one rating in seven games while helping Sweden earn a bronze medal. He tied for third among Sweden defensemen in assists and points in the tournament. In addition, Lundkvist has represented Sweden in the U18 Five Nations Tournament.
Entering the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Lundkvist was ranked No. 14 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters eligible for this year's Draft. He moved up 27 slots from Central Scouting's midterm ranking to their final ranking (41 to 14), which was the highest increase for any player who was among the top 30 International skaters in NHL Central Scouting's final ranking. At the 2018 NHL Scouting Combine, Lundkvist ranked second in the Vertical Jump (26.7 inches), finished third in the Standing Long Jump (114.5 inches), and finished fourth in the No Arm Jump (20.69 inches).