Rinkside Roundup: Anton Frondell’s surging form for Djurgårdens IF

With January come and gone, players at every level of hockey are beginning to gear up for playoff runs and hitting their strides. All five of this week’s standout performers are European prospects at various stages in their development.

Two of these players have been performing at a high level professionally in North America. Marco Kasper has played an integral top-six role for the Detroit Red Wings on their win streak, and Ville Koivunen continued his quest toward point-per-game production in the AHL with a four-goal game against the Hershey Bears.

On attack, Ivan Demidov keeps producing consistent offence at an elite level with top-six KHL deployment. Meanwhile, on the blueline, Victor Söderström has blossomed offensively in top-pairing SHL minutes. 

To start us off, however, Anton Frondell had his first big offensive display at the professional level last week, gaining comfort and confidence in a bottom-six role in HockeyAllsvenskan.

Anton Frondell, C, Djurgårdens IF (2025 Draft)

Season Stats: 6G, 5A, 11PTS (HockeyAllsvenskan)

Last Week Stats: 3G, 2A, 5PTS

It hasn’t been the easiest of seasons for Anton Frondell, starting off the campaign with an injury, and seeing fewer opportunites than had been expected heading into the year, with Djurgårdens and internationally alike. While Victor Eklund has seen extended minutes with the men’s team and Sweden’s U20 Team at the World Junior Championships, Frondell was primarily restricted to the J20 and World Junior A Championships (WJAC).

No longer.

Since returning from the WJAC on December 27, Frondell has been a bottom-six mainstay in HockeyAllsvenskan, eclipsing 13 minutes of ice time in eight of his 14 contests. Through reliable defensive engagement, mature physicality, and a potent array of releases as a goalscorer, Frondell is gaining his coaches’ trust. 

A two-goal, four-point performance against IF Björklöven on Monday exemplified his strengths. Scoring from a one-timer to make it 1-0 and curling his release between the hashmarks to bypass two defenders and a linemate to make it 2-1, Frondell’s shot and goalscoring habits set the tone for his team. The pivot’s emphatic celebrations on both tallies brought energy to his line, which persisted for much of the game.

According to Lead Scout David St. Louis, “[t]his was one of the best games of Frondell's season, in terms of showing his shot, finishing chances, and finding openings.”

While his reliance on teammates to carry the bulk of the transition workload remains a limiting factor, his combination of defensive solidity and offensive potency came to the fore in an emotional home victory amidst an away winning streak for Djurgårdens. He’s showing why he’s a top prospect in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Ivan Demidov, RW, SKA St. Petersburg (Montréal Canadiens)

Season Stats: 19G, 23A, 42PTS

Last Week Stats: 3G, 2A, 5PTS

Ever since the Montréal Canadiens brass visited Ivan Demidov and SKA St. Petersburg in December, his production and ice time have exploded. Playing exclusively in the top six, the 2024 fifth-overall selection has been scoring at nearly a goal-per-game pace. 

On Tuesday, he netted a hat-trick in 21 minutes of ice time.

His first goal exemplified what makes him special. Demidov is among the most intelligent creators outside the NHL and brims with creativity and dynamic flair. Still, it’s his reading of space and ability to time his routes into space which has enabled KHL domination at 19 years of age. 

Demidov’s ability to take over entire shifts and manipulate experienced defenders bodes well for his transition to the NHL; he has the makings of a prospect who adapts quickly to scoring at the NHL level. Comfortably playing through contact with a consistently engaged motor, Demidov is no typical dynamic winger. 

It may not be long before the Habs have another Calder trophy candidate.

Marco Kasper, C, Detroit Red Wings

Season Stats: 9G, 10A, 19PTS

Last Week Stats: 2G, 2A, 4PTS

7-2-1 in their last 10 and riding a six-game win streak, the Detroit Red Wings have had an electric start to 2025. Marco Kasper has averaged over 16 minutes of ice time on the streak, providing incessant energy in all three zones. The Austrian forward seeks out the dangerous areas, flashing impressive one-touch playmaking in tight and resisting contact very well for a 20-year-old rookie. 

He was rewarded for his efforts on Monday night, hosting the LA Kings, logging a pair of goals and an assist in a 5-2 victory. He never gives up on a play, scoring off his own rebound on a 2-on-1 while crashing across the goalmouth. 

Plays like this one, leveraging his speed, engine, and middle-driven focus, have led to Kasper playing on the left of Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond on Detroit’s top-line and earning some stints on the top power-play unit on the half-wall. The 2022 eighth-overall selection has brought versatility and checking reliability to the Red Wings. 

Kasper has made the most of his top-six opportunities so far. With sustained performances like those he delivered in the past week, he will play a key role in his team’s playoff dreams.

Ville Koivunen, LW, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Season Stats: 15G, 21A, 36PTS

Last Week Stats: 5G, 0A, 5PTS

The most projectable prospect the Pittsburgh Penguins received in the Jake Guentzel trade, Ville Koivunen has looked even better in the AHL than he had in Liiga last season. A pacy playmaking winger with significant checking upside, Koivunen has excelled in the North American game.

The Finn is at his best at speed, pouncing on loose pucks and driving the puck up the ice with dynamic footwork. His hands keep up with – but don’t exceed – his feet, and Koivunen’s deceptive habits with the puck have become a strength in the past year. Opportunistic and energetic, his coaches know what to expect when they send him over the boards – something that could garner Koivunen a call-up before year’s end.

He fits the Penguins’ favoured mould of wingers to a tee: Intelligent enough to compliment elite talents, brings energy and checking skill, and presents a constant threat off the rush.

While his four-goal performance is an outlier and came in a 9-0 rout, Koivunen has been getting rewarded for his shift-to-shift commitment and growing on-puck dynamism all season, sitting second in team scoring behind Emil Bemström. On his current trajectory, the Oulu native could establish himself as a middle-six NHL option within a few years.

Victor Soderstrom, RD, Brynäs IF (Utah Hockey Club)

Season Stats: 7G, 18A, 25PTS

Last Week Stats: 1G, 2A, 3PTS

The 11th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, Victor Söderström, has always been a skilled blueliner. With 53 NHL games under his belt and nearly 0.50 points per game through 170 AHL contests, the Swedish defenceman showed flashes of skill in his four seasons in the Arizona Coyotes organization but struggled to gain a foothold in the NHL.

Since returning to Sweden last summer, Söderström’s creativity and skill have been increasingly apparent. His dynamic activations from the point are a constant threat, which was on full display on Saturday against Örebro, as he dissected their defensive structure, dangling through three opponents before setting up a golden opportunity.

Deceiving with his feet and hips, dragging defenders off balance before cutting across – or through – them, and keeping his head up scanning for playmaking opportunities at a high pace, Söderström showed off the full extent of his on-puck ability this past week.

While his game excels on European ice with the space and time to make the most of his mobility and puck skills, his off-puck and defensive habits have developed over the past couple of years. Söderström’s ability to control shifts offensively stands above most SHL defenders, which may get him another NHL look next season. Utah Hockey Club retain his signing rights.