18-year-old Penguins Prospect catching Fire Since Joining Pittsburgh's system
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18-year-old Penguins prospect Melvin Fernstrom has been on another level since he was traded to the team by the Vancouver Canucks.
Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired prospect forward Melvin Fernstrom earlier this month, as part of the trade that saw Marcus Pettersson and Drew O'Connor go to Vancouver.
Fernstrom was a 3rd round draft pick of the Canucks, taken 93rd overall in the 2024 draft.
The 6'2" winger put up 63 points in 45 games playing in the Swedish junior league in his draft season, but failed to record any points in 6 SHL apperances.
However, this season he has started to pick things up, especially since he was traded to the Penguins.
Not only has he secured an every-day role in the SHL, but he has started to score at a good rate, putting up 14 points in 40 games so far.
The impressive part if that six of those points have come in his last five games, going back to the day he was traded.
Fernstrom has also made three appearances in international play since the trade,, recording two goals for Team Sweden in U20 play.
At the time of the trade, Fernstrom was not really considered to be that big of a deal.
If anything, he was a throw in by the Canucks, as he wasn't particularly high in their prospect pool ratings.
However, this recent uptick in play shows that he has real NHL upside and could very well develop into a regular player for Dubas's Penguins in the near future.
This is what Elite Prospects had to say about him in their guide for the 2024 draft.
"Fernström reads the play away from the puck, anticipates where the next pass will come, and he gets there just as his puck-carrying teammates turn to execute the play. His shot may not be the most powerful, but he gets it off from the right positions and angles to score."
It will still be some time before we know if Fernstrom will succeed in the NHL, but this recent hot stretch certainly has Kyle Dubas looking good.
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