Gabriel Eliasson is the Ottawa Senators’ newest tower of terror
This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.
Gabriel Eliasson is easy to spot.
Stepping into the hotel lobby of the majestic Fountainbleau in Las Vegas, it takes no more than a few seconds to notice the 6-foot-7 Swede with his blonde hair and booming voice.
He’s just as easy to locate on the ice, not only due to his size but also because of his un-Swedish playing style. He has what North Americans refer to as a “mean streak.” He is uncompromising, tough, and physical. The question is whether Sweden has produced a similar player since Douglas Murray’s days.
“Off the ice, I’m just a calm guy who likes to be social, hang out with people, and be a nice guy. Then I might appear a bit tougher on the ice,” the 17-year-old saidm who grew up outside of Gothenburg. “In terms of hockey, (the aggressiveness) has come naturally because I have a size that stands out. I play to my strengths, which is my physical game. I have a good competitive level, I like to compete on the ice. That, combined with my physical play, has taken me here. That’s the game I play and it comes naturally to me because I do it every day in practice and games.”
His aggressiveness made him the most penalized player in J20 Nationell, the top Swedish junior league, with 103 minutes in 36 games for HV71 last season. With the U-18 national team, he had an even higher average with 77 penalty minutes in 22 games.
“There have always been some penalty minutes, but maybe it has increased a bit since I became known to the referees, and then there have been some extra penalties here and there. It’s not like I want to harm the team, but I’ve been told that with my size and playing style, I’ll get the minutes I get,” Eliasson said.
It might seem outdated to discuss physicality and violence in an era when offensive play has taken precedence in the NHL. However, looking at the trends in recent NHL drafts, size and toughness have begun to be valued in a way they weren’t five to ten years ago.
This year’s NHL draft was no exception, especially regarding defensemen.
Of the 24 defensemen chosen in the first two rounds in Las Vegas, 20 were 6-foot-1 or taller, and most of them were 6-foot-3 or taller.
Eliasson, chosen 39th overall by the Ottawa Senators, was one of the tallest, sitting tied alongside Russian Anton Silayev, who was drafted in the first round by New Jersey.
“I’ve heard from both my agents and some NHL clubs that what I have is in demand,” said Eliasson, who lists Nicolas Hague, Erik Cernak and Nikita Zadorov as role models. “Some clubs say that not having any toughness on the team has been a problem. Maybe that’s why it’s becoming more popular. That’s how I play and that’s how I will play, so I hope it goes well.”
The fact that the Swede was chosen so early surprised many analysts and experts.
After the U-18 World Championship, where Eliasson was Sweden’s most penalized player with 20 minutes in seven games, he received a lot of criticism. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler wrote that he was unsure if he had “seen a more undisciplined player,” while EP Rinkside’s Cam Robinson stated that Eliasson took “roughing and interference penalties as frequent as you or I may take bathroom breaks in a day.” Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis dubbed him “the draft’s most violent player.”
“I got quite a few penalties that didn’t result in power plays against us, where I actually took someone with me to the box,” Eliasson said. “Maybe there was one too many as well, I don’t know. That’s the explanation I’ve been given by the coaches too, that I will get some extra penalties. But overall, I’m satisfied with my performance at the World Championship.”
The criticism doesn’t bother him much.
“I’m very confident in myself, know what I want, and stick to my path,” he said firmly. “What others think and say is up to them. Of course, I can take criticism as well, but I would say I’m pretty good at it.”
He hasn’t minded being scrutinized and evaluated in the way he was before the NHL draft.
“It’s been fun. This season I have shown how I play and how I will play in the future. It’s clear what kind of player I want to be, and that’s what I will strive for.”
Where his career will take him next season is unknown. He has one year left on his contract with HV71 in Sweden and could very well stay in the club’s J20 team. But North America has come calling, having been drafted by both the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders in the USHL and the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL.
Eliasson has verbally committed to the University of Michigan for the 2025/26 season after he finishes high school. This means he wouldn’t be able to play SHL hockey with HV, or in the OHL with the IceDogs. Players with professional hockey experience can face suspensions of up to a year in the NCAA because they require athletes entering college sports to be “amateurs.” Thus, leagues like the SHL and OHL aren’t an option.
“If I stay home, it will be J20 next year, and then maybe I can’t play to my physical ability either since it didn’t go so well doing that this year,” he says, referring to how his play is judged in Sweden. “But next year J20 will be an even younger league for me, and then I have the chance to develop my play with the puck too.”
Could it be an advantage for Eliasson to move to North America, where physical play is more accepted than at home in Sweden?
“I think so,” Eliasson said. “Then you play on a smaller rink, and the tough game is quite optimal there. I’ve heard from both scouts and agents that my game should work better there, and I have dreams of playing over there, so I really believe that.”
College hockey in 2025/26 isn’t set in stone – the Senators will have their say in his path – but Eliasson sees a big upside to moving to Michigan.
“I’ve heard that the University of Michigan is a good place for development, with good facilities and everything. Then there are some who would rather see me play in another league. At the same time, I know I get good development with HV71 too. We’ll see what happens.”