2026 Draft Mixtape 13: Nils Bartholdsson
Let's meet the 2026 version of "Jesse's Draft Son"
If you’ve been following my draft work for any number of years, you know that almost every year, I become enamored with a player that I jokingly refer to as “My Adult Son” for the duration of my draft coverage, and sometimes beyond.
Last year, it was Viktor Eklund. Adopted sons in prior years include Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Konsta Helenius, and Nils Hoglander. If one so desired, they could go as far back as Beau Bennett.
The 2026 version of “My Adult Son” comes to us from J20 Nationell in Sweden’s lower division. A right-wing out of Rogel BK: Nils Bartholdsson.
I started watching Bartholdsson early this season and immediately fell in love with his skill set, hockey IQ, and the way he can impact the game. I consistently hear that his size is a detriment to his future success, but I’d also remind those folks that Elite Prospects lists him as an inch taller and seven pounds heavier than Viggo Bjorck. Now, obviously, Bjorck is the superior player in a number of ways, but if you don’t have a concern over Bjorck’s size, I don’t think you should have one over Bartholdsson’s. Furthermore, I don’t think Bartholdsson is so small that he should be sliding down to the 50-80 range in some draft rankings.
I grade Bartholdsson solidly in the early part of the second round. When I look at his peers in that range, I do not see many of them having an impact on a hockey game at Bartholdsson's level, nor do they possess the array of puck skills he boasts.
Bartholdsson has a high hockey IQ, which he uses to fool defenders in a variety of ways and to pre-read developing plays, allowing him to steal pucks and hit lanes with speed. Bartholdsson’s skating has pop; he’s light on his feet and generates an absurd amount of drive from minimal motion. He has a discernible burst and can use his first three to four strides to create a gap that his opponents cannot close.
Bartholdsson is engaged between the bluelines and does a good job of hunting pucks in that area, directly turning defense into offense, and odd-man rushes. He can outright embarrass defenders in one-on-one situations and did a lot of things this year that drew an audible “oooh” from the crowd and his teammates. Between his speed, dangle-ability, and lane recognition, he is a nightmare on zone entries.
Bartholdsson can handle physicality. He has found ways to use his feet as the primary means of dispossessing an opponent. I would like to see him get more regular with his body use. Bartholdsson is strong, has a low base, and fights through contact very well. Noting that, I think there’s a real opportunity to make it a part of his arsenal offensively and become more proactive with it.
I love Bartholdsson’s release. It is lightning fast and comes off the stick at extreme, volatile angles. This is especially handy in situations where he’s in tight to a goalie, but he serves as a trigger-man from the half-wall of the power-play and did a very fine job there. His shot was the star of the show, but he was an effective puck distributor from this spot as well.
Bartholdsson is lethal in situations that are 4-on-4 or 3-on-3, using the extra space to hit his high gear and force opponents to chase him around the ice before striking. He can kill penalties as well, and finished the year with four goals in seven international games.
Overall, I like the package as a whole here. Bartholdsson is creative and innovative, using his skills to work around his physical limitations. I’ve had people tell me his game is too junior-tuned or not translatable to future levels, but I don’t see that, given his results this year or the way he was able to directly impact the outcomes of his shifts through his specific actions.
Bartholdsson can make defensemen uncomfortable with both his speed and hands, has an above-average shot, is active defensively, and makes the right decisions when pressing for offense. None of that is enough to make me concerned about his size or weight. I think he has proven that these areas are not affecting his overall outputs or his ability to play at a higher level.