Philadelphia Flyers‘ 7th round pick in the 2009 draft (#196 overall) Danish defenseman Oliver Lauridsen(7) made his NHL debut over the weekend, a 3-1 upset victory over Boston.
The XL 6’6″ 220 lbs. blue liner skated 22 shifts for 17:12 total ice time, had 1 shot on net, 3 hits, 3 blocked shots, 2 giveaways, 2 penalty minutes and was an even plus/minus in what was a very solid, active game for his debut.
In 126 AHL games with affiliate Adirondack Phantoms he has 4 goals, 9 assists and a healthy amount of pims.
At his size, he’s obviously unafraid to drop the mitts.
His 2-year entry level deal expires at the end of the current campaign.
He’s set to become a restricted free agent but it’s almost a no-brainer to re-up for at least another season with the 24-year old European prospect.
With a bit more grit in his game, he could become a diamond-in-the-rough, tough to play against, punishing d-man.