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Hello everyone and welcome to another AATJ Rookie Profile! Today we feature Simon Zether, a tall, skinny Swedish center who plays for Rögle BK in Sweden. He played one full season of SHL hockey with Rögle BK, and while he didn’t achieve much, his draft status has greatly improved over the past few months by playing in one of the top professional leagues in the world. However, despite this, Zether is not projected to be a first-round draft talent, but rather a late second/early third round pick. Let’s take a look at his game and why he is projected to be where he is now.
Who is Simon Zether?
– Link to elite prospect statistics –
Zeisser was born in Helsingborg, in the far southwestern part of Sweden, close to the coast and the closest part of the country to Denmark. He played ice hockey throughout his teenage years in Sweden, mostly for Rögle BK, which played in the city of Ängelholm, close to his hometown. Playing for the local club must have been nice for Zeisser, but that would quickly change once he came to the United States to join a future NHL team. According to Elite Prospects, Zeisser is 6-foot-3 and 187 pounds, so if he can improve in the next few years, he has the size to make it to the NHL level.
Over the past few seasons, Zether has been a prolific scorer for Rögle BK’s J18 and J20 teams. In the 2021-22 season, the 16-year-old had 30 points in 21 games at the J18 regional level and 12 points in 12 games at the J18 national level. The following season, the 17-year-old had 38 points in 37 games at the J20 national level, though it’s worth noting that 30 of those 38 points were assists. Last season, he continued his PPG+ streak at the J20 level, scoring 27 points in 18 games at that level, this time with 11 goals. However, he spent the majority of his draft-eligibility season playing in Sweden’s top professional league, the SHL. He struggled to score against the professional men, registering just 4 assists and 0 goals in 42 games. It’s normal for teenagers to have a hard time scoring goals and performing at a high level in European professional leagues before being drafted into the NHL, but even by those standards, 0 goals and 4 assists in 42 games is still a low number. Still, that experience was almost definitely invaluable to him and will help him transition to the NHL in the future.
Zether also has international experience playing for Sweden, with a total of 29 international games over the past two seasons. He scored 11 points in those games, which isn’t amazing, but isn’t too bad either, showing that even if he can’t dominate them, he can at least hang with the best in the world at his age. This should help his draft stock as it will allow scouts and teams to see more footage of him playing against his peers around the world.
What is Zether’s ranking?
– Central Scouting – is ranked 18th among European skaters. That’s a big improvement from his 42nd ranking at the midterms, so they clearly like the experience he’s getting in the SHL.
– Elite prospects – No. 83 overall, mid-to-late third round pick
-Bob McKenzie/TSN – Ranked 76th in the midterm exam
-Craig Button/TSN – Ranked 60th in the midterm exam
–McKean Hockey – Overall ranking 49th (rankings after the first round require payment)
-FC Ice Hockey – 69th overall
-Dobber Outlook – Ranked 55th overall in April
– Intelligent reconnaissance – Spring overall ranking 62nd
What others are saying about Zether
First, let’s look at Smaht Scout Zether rankings by SpokedZ:
“I’m surprised Simon Zeisser didn’t get more love in this draft. He’s a 6’3″ two-way center who earned a full-time spot on Rogle BK’s SHL team this season. He’s a very smart player who has already excelled on the defensive side of the ice. He knows how to use his big frame to be a physical force and is strong enough to win battles against much older opponents. He does have some legitimate skills as well and has proven to be a goal threat against guys his own age. Over time, he’s also shown to be more willing to use his size and strength to his advantage offensively, getting the puck at the blue line and driving to the net on his own without defensemen being able to get the puck out of his hands. Lack of foot speed could hinder offensive upside, but his BroadCast Unitedligence, reliability, and defensive ability should make him a valuable NHL center long term.”
Next, let’s look at Dober Prospect In their rankings, this is what Swedish scout Seth Ditchfield said:
“Simon Zeisser is a calm and mature forward in the SHL who has shown solid defensive BroadCast Unitedligence, excels in puck contact, and possesses positional awareness. Although his intensity needs to be greatly improved, Zeisser has shown unexpected offensive tools, especially in transition. His composure under pressure stands out; however, a more aggressive, risk-taking approach could take his potential to new heights. If Zeisser can improve his foot speed and agility, he could potentially transition from defensive specialist to third-line player.”
Finally, here are his comments Lines.com Bill Placzek:
“A tall, smooth-moving Swiss center who has exploded onto the scene this year in Sweden’s top junior league. He is a tall, long-limbed right center who plays rough against the wall and uses his body effectively when needed. He is a very good skater with excellent acceleration and a smooth footwork. He displays good vision and is a creative first passer who sets up good chances for his teammates with soft passes. He sees the ice well and holds onto the puck for a few extra seconds, giving wingers time to open up gaps in the defense. He doesn’t shoot enough but occasionally scores with a wicked release from the faceoff spot.”
A short video
It’s hard to find Zether’s game reels because all the game-related content on YouTube is written and spoken in Swedish, which I don’t understand. And none of the reels clearly highlight the highlights, so I can’t link to any of the game reels. However, if you want to listen to a podcast episode about him, here’s one from Locked on Senators:
My point of view
I was surprised to see Zether ranked so low considering the 42 games of SHL experience he got this season. I know SHL playing time doesn’t automatically make someone a first-round pick, but he’s also been a regular at the U18 and U20 levels over the past few seasons, so he can hold his own against his peers. Add in his extensive experience in what is generally considered the third-largest hockey league in the world after the NHL and KHL, and you have all the traits of a player who is at least a second-round pick. Oh, and don’t forget his size, which you can’t teach. Even if his offensive skills never fully come to fruition, his size allows him to be effective as a checking line center at any level. Yes, this isn’t worthy of a high pick if you have a negative view of his overall game, but it gives him a higher floor than most.
Based on all of this alone, I agree with taking him in the second round instead of the third. His Swedish team clearly thought highly of him enough to let him play 42 games in the SHL even though he didn’t score as many points as he did at the U20 level, so they clearly saw his upside. And he’ll have to be at least somewhat good defensively to justify staying on the roster, so the discussion about his two-way game is legitimate. He definitely has areas for improvement. His shooting is a weakness since he doesn’t score a lot overall, and his overall speed is a concern due to his size, but these are areas he can work on with SHL and NHL coaches. He may never be a sniper or a speed demon, but he can improve those areas enough to compete at the NHL level.
The Devils don’t have a 2nd round pick this year, they gave it to San Jose in the Timo Meier trade, so their next pick after the 1st is 3rd round pick 75th overall. To me, if Zether does fall that low, this guy should be near the top of NJ’s draft board by then. I’m not sure if he’ll go as low as 75th, he could easily be picked 10-20 picks before then. But some people do have him ranked that low, and if he drops as low as 75th, I’d be happy with him being picked by NJ.
Your opinion
What are your thoughts on Simon Zether? What do you think of his size, SHL experience, and two-way game? Where do you think he should go in the draft given his SHL experience? When should his name start being called? If he’s still available, should the Devils take him with the 75th pick? Leave your comments below, and thanks for reading another prospect profile from AATJ!
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