When San Jose Sharks General Manager Mike Grier used his first-ever pick as the team’s GM to trade back in the 2022 draft, fans wondered what in the world Grier was thinking. Grier traded the 11th overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes and received the 27th, 34th and 45th picks in return. He then used the 27th overall pick to select Filip Bystedt.
At the time, the pick seemed like a reach. Bystedt hadn’t performed spectacularly in his draft year. He was considered a good forward but likely better suited for a second-round selection. Still, he proved Grier right in his first year post-draft.
Bystedt turned heads at the 2023 World Junior Championship, putting up 10 points in 7 games as an 18-year-old playing for Team Sweden. He also had 20 points in 45 games on a mediocre Linköping team.
Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 187 lbs.
Age: 20
Date of Birth: February 4, 2004
Draft Year: 2022 (27th overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Left
2024-25 Team: San Jose Barracuda
However, in 2023-24, his second season post-draft, it felt like Bystedt took a step back. The forward didn’t produce at the same level, scoring just 17 points in 47 games with Linköping. He also didn’t produce as well at the World Junior Championship, only registering four points in seven games.
Still, he was dynamic when he joined the Barracuda in the spring. Bystedt had seven points in eight games, allowing him to become immediately impactful in the waning weeks of the season.
What we like
Bystedt has all the tools to become an NHL regular. He skates well and he has good hands. He is a player with NHL-average skills in all key categories, according to The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, and in this case, average isn’t bad.
“He’s a highly appealing athletic package, as a huge center who can skate quite well and power his way to pucks when he wants to,” wrote Pronman. “He has good hands, vision and finishing touch and can create quite a bit of offense from the perimeter. Bystedt isn’t overly physical and getting his energy level high will be a minor challenge for coaches.”
Areas of improvement
Honing those skills on North American ice has gone well for Bystedt so far. His seven points in eight games to close out last season with the Barracuda is a good start. But this is a new season and a clean slate. He’ll have quality players around him, such as Brandon Coe, Danil Gushchin and Tristen Robins, as well as a blueline that can move the puck in Luca Cagnoni and Jake Furlong. Now it’s a question if he can put it all together for a full season of professional hockey.
For Bystedt, this season is about taking that next step and maintaining it through the entirety of the season. The San Jose Barracuda have a real shot at making the AHL playoffs and Bystedt could be a big part of that.
What’s next for Bystedt?
Bystedt was sent down to the Barracuda earlier this week, where he’s had a chance to form some chemistry with other players on the team. This truly feels like a season where management wants the Barracuda to compete in the AHL playoffs. Some of that will hinge on how Bystedt performs this season. At this point, it looks like he can be a part of a team that plays those “meaningful” games.
Overall, that’s a good thing. It doesn’t feel like now is his time to move up to the Sharks. It’s coming, but not to start this season.
Highlights
Let’s start things off with Bystedt’s shot. He finds some space on the ice and then fires it before anyone has a chance to get set.
Filip Bystedt with the ROCKET 🚀 pic.twitter.com/XvevW9XvmV
— SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) April 13, 2024
Then there’s his ability to make things happen, like this helper on a Danil Gushchin goal.
🚨GUSHCHIN🚨
— SJ Barracuda (@sjbarracuda) April 13, 2024
🍎Filip Bystedt pic.twitter.com/RqUB61exbg
It wasn’t pretty but the quick hands and quick thinking are what made that play happen.
Top 25 Under 25 so far
9. Thomas Bordeleau
10. Henry Thrun
11. Kasper Halttunen
12. Igor Chernyshov
13. Luca Cagnoni
14. Danil Gushchin
15. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
16. Collin Graf
17. Jack Thompson
18. Ethan Cardwell
19. Cameron Lund
20. Eric Pohlkamp
21. Ty Dellandrea
22. Mattias Havelid
23. Jake Furlong
24. Georgi Romanov
25. Tristen Robins
Honorable Mention: Brandon Svoboda, Gannon Laroque, Brandon Coe, Carson Wetsch and Valtteri Pulli