The 2024-25 season did not start off well for young Mattias Havelid, who has, so far, been slow to develop for the Sharks, especially as a second-round draft pick. Drafted in 2022, Havelid had a disappointing post-draft season, where he only found his way into 25 games with Linköping HC in the top tier of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). As an undersized, young defenseman, it was understandable that Havelid might need a little seasoning to play against experienced men. He did slightly better in the 2023-24 season, finding his way into 43 games and registering 12 points, but again, he was not getting/earning consistent ice time in the SHL’s highest tier.
The problems continued this past season, when Havelid floundered with Linköping. In 19 games, he had just one point, and his development stagnated. Midway through the season, he was loaned to Djurgårdens IF in the second tier, and things seemed to come together for the defenseman. Havelid was placed on a team that included players like Victor Eklund and Anton Frondell. Combined, Djurgårdens IF won the league and was promoted back into the SHL.
For Havelid, he scored 14 points in 18 games and found his confidence.
Havelid was 22nd on our list last season.
Position: Defense
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 176 pounds
Age: 21
Date of Birth: Jan. 1, 2004
Draft Year: 2022 (45th overall pick by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2025-26 Team: San Jose Barracuda
What we like
For Havelid, we don’t think that an off season in the SHL changed the kind of player that he is at his core. The key attributes that led the Sharks to draft Havelid at 45th overall in 2022 and that caused The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler to rank Havelid 11th in the Sharks’ prospect pool ranking in January 2024 remain.
Wheeler said Havelid is “proficient at everything” and complimented the defenseman on playing “tight gaps” and having “great poise on both sides of the puck.”
“He never looks like he’s scrambling or having to think out there. He’s comfortable atop the offensive zone blue line, adjusting his way across the line and feathering passes off of his forehand and backhand. He’s heady, constantly shoulder-checking and reading what’s in front of him. He can carry pucks or pass them through neutral ice. He’s a well-rounded, effective and ultimately impactful defenseman,” wrote Wheeler.
What Havelid lacked playing in the SHL was confidence, and it was pretty clear that when he wasn’t playing his best, he was losing ice time. That’s less likely to happen this season with the Barracuda, where the coaching staff will likely be more forgiving and allow him to work through some of those mistakes. Havelid will have the opportunity to make an error and know that he’ll still get 20 minutes of ice time the next game to show he’s learned from that error.
Plus, he’s a right-shot defenseman, something the Sharks are in desperate need of in the pipeline. Havelid will have a lot of leeway this season to show he belongs in the AHL.
Areas of improvement
As with most players moving over from Europe, the biggest thing for Havelid will be learning how to play on North American ice. The SHL uses international ice, which allows for a better flowing game. This is especially good for a smaller, more mobile defenseman like Havelid, who maneuvers well with the puck. Conversely, in North America and the NHL, ice rinks are smaller, and there’s less room to move. Opposing hockey players close in on you quickly, and they aren’t afraid to make you pay the price if you hold on to the puck too long, especially in the AHL.
Havelid’s body is going to be put to the test and we’ll have to see how he holds up to the North American game. While he has a similar frame to fellow Sharks’ prospect Luca Cagnoni, Cagnoni has had his entire life playing in North America to get used to how the game is played here, while Havelid has not. The adjustment for Havelid will be something to watch.
Adjusting to North American ice will be the biggest challenge for Havelid this season, and hopefully, it will not alter his overall approach to the game.
What’s next for Havelid?
For the past few seasons, the Sharks have allowed young Havelid and his family to dictate the course of his development. So far, that has included playing close to home in the SHL. However, this spring, the thought process within the Havelid family changed.
“About midway through the year, he got loaned to Djurgårdens IF in the Allsvenskan, one level down from the SHL, and his game just took off,” San Jose Sharks Director of Player Development Todd Marchant told the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast a few months ago. “They had a good team. They ended up winning the whole thing. He was with good players, obviously, with Eky’s [William Eklund’s] brother, [Anton] Frondell, some really good prospects and players. I think he found his game again. He found the confidence. They came to us after the season was over and said, ‘We think it’s time to come over.'”
Marchant confirmed that Havelid will play with the Barracuda this season, so we look forward to seeing him at Tech CU.
Highlight
Havelid’s ability to read a play and activate is emphasized in this highlight. You can see that he takes advantage of a mistake by the opposing team and jumps on the puck before it clears the zone. He makes a simple chip to a teammate and then immediately moves to the front of the net, where he’s able to chip the puck past the opposing netminder.
