Rankings
Oscar Holmertz is all about untapped potential. Some of his attributes, such as his skating, offensive skills, and defensive mentality, would make him an easy first-rounder, but he has a lot of raw aspects of his game that push him down the rankings.
The Hockey Writers 2026 NHL Draft Guide
For starters, his skating is already excellent. He does well in his edge work, and he makes it look effortless. I’d argue that part of his game is already NHL-caliber.
He also has good offensive abilities. His offensive skill is solid, especially his playmaking. He had 10 goals and 20 assists last season with the J20 Linköping team, and this season he had 13 goals and 23 assists with the U20 team. He has great playmaking skills and hockey IQ.
The biggest improvement he could make is his intensity. While his skating is excellent, sometimes it’s too casual. There are legitimately times during his tape where it looked like he was taking a morning skate.
His physicality could also use some work. He plays a ton on the perimeter, but if he wants to play center in the NHL, he’ll need to win more puck battles in the slot and on the boards, along with not being afraid to be the main guy down the middle on defense.
Holmertz has a little to work on to transition from a good SHLer to a good NHLer. However, if he lives up to his potential, I could see him turning into a player like Derek Stepan. Stepan had great hockey IQ, which made him a good driver of the New York Rangers’ second line during his prime.
Stepan, similar to Holmertz, didn’t play with a ton of physicality either. Stepan’s two-way game was more pronounced than Holmertz looked on tape, but Holmertz has the skating and IQ to get to that level defensively.
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NHL Draft Projection
Holmertz has first-round talent, but the flaws in his game could prevent him from being a first-round selection. However, a second-round pick, especially with his ceiling, is more than enough value to select him. A team like the Calgary Flames would be a good landing spot, considering they’re in a deep rebuild and in need of center depth.
Quotables
“He put up good numbers with Linköping’s U-20 squad and has been a reliable two-way threat internationally. I think he’s most impactful as a support guy you can rely on to kill plays in the D-zone, but I’m not sure he’s skilled enough to have a profound role at the next level. There’s third-line center potential here, though.” — Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
“Holmertz is a standout skater through his edges and in and out of cuts, but also has natural pull-away speed. He’s not explosive in the powerful skater way, but he makes guys miss. He’s more of a playmaker than a play finisher, but he’s talented and very noticeable on the puck for how smooth he is as both a skater and stickhandler.” — Scott Wheeler, The Athletic (From ‘2026 NHL Draft ranking: Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg top Wheeler’s March top 64 list’ – The Athletic, 3/17/2026)
Strengths
Great skating ability, which allows him to be really creative with the puck in his hands
Great hockey IQ, which allows him to make highlight-reel assists
Already has a good ability to go through edges, break away, and catch up
Shows solid two-way abilities at times
Able to drive his own line
Under Construction/Improvements
Needs to improve his physicality to an NHL level
Can often be too casual with his skating
Defensive game probably profiles more as a winger than a center
NHL Potential
Holmertz has the potential to be a middle-six forward. If he doesn’t work as a center, he could be a winger who is occasionally asked to line up at the faceoff circle.
However, Holmertz has a long way to go. He needs to add physicality to his game, and with his size, that’s not impossible, but he’ll need to ramp up his intensity to be an NHL-caliber forward.
Risk/Reward Analysis
Risk: 2/5, Reward: 4/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense: 8/10, Defense: 7/10
Awards/Achievements
2024-25 U17 WHC Bronze Medal
2025-26 Hlinski Gretzky Cup Silver Medal
2025-26 WJAC-19 Bronze Medal
Statistics
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