The Prince George Cougars have added a dash of Swedish flair to their lineup.
In Tuesday's Canadian Hockey League import draft, the Cougars selected forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, an 18-year-old product of Stockholm. During last weekend's NHL draft, Jonsson-Fjallby was picked in the fifth round (147th overall) by the Washington Capitals.
Cougars general manager Todd Harkins described Jonsson-Fjallby as "a skilled forward that plays with a lot of energy and can absolutely fly."
Added Harkins: "He will be very disruptive to other teams thanks to his intensity and his ability to get onto loose pucks. He's an NHL-drafted prospect who is excited to come to Canada to play and I feel that his type of skill-set will translate very well to the Western Hockey League."
This past season, Jonsson-Fjallby skated for Djurgardens IF J20 in the SuperElit League, the highest-level junior league in Sweden. In 39 games, he had 13 goals and 29 points. Then, in the playoffs, he added four goals and eight points in seven games.
Jonsson-Fjallby also has international experience, as he represented Sweden at the 2016 World Under-18 championship in Grand Forks, N.D. During the tournament, he scored twice and had two assists in seven games. Sweden advanced to the final but lost 6-1 to Finland.
Each CHL team is allowed to carry two imports on its active roster. The Cougars now have Jonsson-Fjallby and forward Bartek Bison, who is from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
To clear room for Jonsson-Fjallby, the Cats have released Slovenian defenceman Luka Zorko, who played in 26 games last season.
