Penguins A to Z: Filip Hallander has promise as a top-six winger
While the NHL is on hold due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 55 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.
Player: Filip Hallander
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Age: 19
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 190 pounds
2019-20 Swedish Hockey League (SHL) statistics: 27 games, 14 points (five goals, nine assists)
Contract: First year of a three-year salary cap hit of $778,333. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2022
(Note: Because the Swedish-born Hallander spent this season in the SHL as a 19-year-old, he is a candidate to have his contract “slide” for the second consecutive season. In other words, his contract would be delayed another year and not begin until the 2020-21 season.)
Acquired: Second-round draft pick (No. 58 overall), 2018
This season: As a second-round pick by the Penguins — a designation that is somewhat cursed — Hallander’s 2019-20 season got off on the wrong foot, literally.
He missed the first three months of the season because of a broken foot he suffered in September. Hallander, listed as a center but regularly utilized as a winger, returned to the lineup in late December and averaged slightly more than a half-point per game as a teenager against men in a league where very few players score at a point-per-game pace.
By the time the SHL’s season was halted in mid-March, Hallander was averaging 15 minutes, 50 seconds of ice time and manning the left wing on the first line as well as the top power-play unit of a Lulea squad that was declared the league’s regular season champion with 106 points.
If the AHL season had continued as scheduled, Hallander was a candidate to play for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins once his SHL season was completed.
The future: Last month, Hallander signed a one-year contract extension with Lulea. The terms will allow him to join the Penguins should he make the NHL roster out of training camp, which, to be kind, is a long shot.
Barring that unlikely event, Hallander will presumably open the 2020-21 season with Lulea once again.
Whenever he finally makes the transition to North America, a considerable obstacle for him will be adjusting to the smaller North American rink as he has played exclusively on the larger international rink throughout his career.
In the long-term, Hallander has the skill to be a top-six winger in the NHL. While not blessed with great size, he is not afraid to go to to the net and collect goals or create second offensive chances near the crease. Additionally, he is a solid forechecker and has experience as a penalty killer.
If for no other reason than the Penguins’ have traded away so many high-end future assets over the past decade-plus, Hallander can be considered one of the organziation’s top prospects.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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