Nils Lundkvist ready to take the next step in his hockey career

Three years ago, the New York Rangers selected defenceman Nils Lundkvist from Lulea HF (SHL) in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Rather than coming over to North America, Lundkvist opted to stay in Sweden and play for Lulea HF until this year.

The 21-year-old signed his three-year entry-level contract with the Rangers and is now ready to take the next step in his career, to play in the NHL.

"It's a big opportunity to be here," Lundkvist said. "It's a big step just coming here and move overseas too. With the COVID situation last year, I think it was a good decision to play back home again."

His general manager, Chris Drury, believes Lundkvist could crack the Rangers' roster at the end of training camp, which will get underway this week.

"We're having exhibition games, we're having a tryout, and it wouldn't surprise me if at the end of it he's standing there on our team," Drury said. "We're certainly excited."

Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer has been impressed with how far Lundkvist has come in the three years that have passed since he was drafted.

"He is smart and he has a great stick like Adam," Ortmeyer said of Lundkvist. "He reads the play well. He knows when to jump in offensively. He's got a heavy shot and an accurate shot. He scored a lot of goals for his team in Sweden from the point. He can generate offense for his team but he can also play against other team's top lines and shut them down. I think the overall game that Adam Fox has, the way he thinks, there could be some similarities there for sure, but we'll see when the puck drops."

Lundkvist could see his first game action in a Rangers uniform when they take on the New York Islanders next Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Nils Lundkvist said he's prepared to play for the Rangers after being talked about as part of their future for three years. He is the favorite to be their third right-handed defenseman behind Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba when they begin the season Oct. 13. https://t.co/upXUVIAB9J— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) September 19, 2021

Source: NHL.com

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