Top 25 Under 25, no. 13: Fredrik Claesson
Climbing six spots from last year to hold the 13th spot on the Silver Seven's Top 25 Under 25 is Swedish defenseman Freddy Claesson.
Defenseman Fredrik "Freddy" Claesson was drafted 126th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. When he was drafted, Pierre Dorion said that Claesson was a "competitive defenceman who" could "outlet the puck and battles defensively." The next year, in 2011-2012, he finished his last year with Djurgarden (alongside Mika Zibanejad) of the Swedish Elite League and won gold playing for Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Calgary.
The following year, Claesson wanted to adapt his skills to the North American game. He was signed to a three-year entry level contract in May of 2012 and has since been playing in Binghamton. Last season, the 6'0", 205 pound Claesson had a bit of a breakout year for the B-Sens, playing in 75 games and tallying 29 points and a team leading +37. His point totals were certainly respectable considering he's generally labelled as a defensive defenseman without a lot of offensive bravado.
Binghamton's coaches have praised Claesson for his strong defensive play and leadership skills, while assistant coach Steve Stirling says he's definitely the team's best defenceman after Mark Borowiecki. Claesson was relied upon heavily last season by Bingo and flourished, becoming one of the team's go-to men on the penalty kill.
Claesson has certainly been working his way up the ranks quickly in terms of Senators defense prospects. However, the problem Claesson faces is that he has eight defensemen ahead of him fighting for a spot on the big club's roster. This will undoubtedly make it difficult for Claesson to suit up for the Ottawa Senators this season unless a couple of defensemen get injured or he surpasses Ceci and Borowiecki. Nonetheless, it would be nice to see him play in a couple of games for the Senators this year to see a) how he fits in the NHL and b) how he compares to the other defenseman on the team. He's been making great strides to improve his game and if/when he makes the jump to Ottawa, he could provide at least some stability to the team's shaky defense.
