Anton Lundell

Born: 2001-10-03

Team: HIFK (Liiga)

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Height / Weight: 6-1 / 183

REPORT: WORLD JUNIORS, DECEMBER 26-31, 2020

Lundell has been just as good as advertised in his first three games at the World Juniors. He has scored Finland’s first goal in each game, setting the tone for his team. His chemistry with wingers Roni Hirvonen and Kasper Simontaival has been seamless and they have created lots of scoring chances. Lundell’s skating keeps improving, especially first two-step acceleration. What ultimately makes him such an effective center is his ability to read and react to the play. He can also anticipate and take advantage of it. He is not a speedster, but he thinks the game fast and gets to the right spots. He has been excellent at face-offs, winning more than 70 percentage of his draws. Strong on the puck and protects it well after gaining the offensive zone. He’s a real competitor and plays the entire 200 feet.

REPORT: PITSITURNAUS, AUGUST 7, 2020

Lundell put together a very strong tournament. He logged the most ice-time among HIFK forwards in all three games and was one of the bright spots on the team. They had a lot of young players on the roster and Lundell showed leadership as he took charge. He scored HIFK’s first goal of the day against Tappara as he redirected a point shot. He played a mature, dependable game and his situational awareness really stood out. He was proactive rather than reactive. Although not the fastest or most agile skater, he did a good job of moving into space and getting open. He went to the net with regularity and with his stick on the ice. His passing was crisp and precise and his stickhandling looked good. He will be relied upon as one of the key players for HIFK this season.

REPORT: FINLAND @ CANADA U18, APRIL 18, 2019

Lundell centered the second line in Finland’s opening game of the U18 World Championship tournament. He was a force during first 30 minutes or so of the game and scored a 3-0 goal in the second period, beating Canadian goalie Taylor Gauthier with a quick top corner finish. He showed great awareness on this sequence to move into an open area. He made another strong play in the second period, powering his way to the net and drawing a penalty to Canada. On the downside, several times Lundell tried to create too much on his own, instead of giving the puck up to his teammates. While he needs to continue to work on his skating, I thought his first few strides looked quicker than earlier this season. I think he could be one of the top players in the tournament with his high hockey IQ, puck protection skills and dependable defensive game.