- May 21, 2026
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The Anaheim Ducks have bet on the undeniable upside of Swedish winger Marcus Nordmark by selecting the mercurial forward with the No. 29 selection of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The Ducks traded the No. 29 and No. 117 picks to the Vegas Golden Knights to move up one spot in the first round.
Nordmark has consistently carved up opposing defenses in his own age bracket throughout his young career, culminating in a huge season for the U-20 outfit of his parent club, Djurgardens IF, that saw him pile up 14 goals and 38 points in 25 regular-season contests before posting another 23 points in just 11 playoff games.
That’s blistering stuff and was enough to earn Nordmark an eight-game audition with Djurgardens’ big boys in the Swedish top division, where he logged his first pro assist. Despite his explosive offensive potential, though, Nordmark polarized critics with everything he did (or didn’t do) when he wasn’t busy stuffing the scoring column.
In his final draft ranking, which ranked Nordmark 52nd in the class, Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis did not pull punches over the Swede’s work rate away from the puck. “Scouts are worried that he’s a ghost defensively and that if he doesn’t control play offensively, [Nordmark] won’t be good enough to crack the NHL,” Ellis wrote. “He has lazy habits that get him into trouble under pressure and it doesn’t feel like he’s taken enough steps forward to fix that throughout the year.”
Lazy is indeed a four-letter word in prospect evaluation, and if Nordmark were a puck hound, he might have climbed into the mid-first given his tantalizing offensive instincts and the big package they come in; Nordmark, who only turned 18 last month, is 6’2 and weighs 187 lbs.
If his Swedish and, later, North American coaches can drill some discipline into Nordmark’s game, he could end up being a steal in this spot. If they can’t, it will be difficult for him to make all that high-end skill matter.
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The Ducks traded the No. 29 and No. 117 picks to the Vegas Golden Knights to move up one spot in the first round.
Nordmark has consistently carved up opposing defenses in his own age bracket throughout his young career, culminating in a huge season for the U-20 outfit of his parent club, Djurgardens IF, that saw him pile up 14 goals and 38 points in 25 regular-season contests before posting another 23 points in just 11 playoff games.
That’s blistering stuff and was enough to earn Nordmark an eight-game audition with Djurgardens’ big boys in the Swedish top division, where he logged his first pro assist. Despite his explosive offensive potential, though, Nordmark polarized critics with everything he did (or didn’t do) when he wasn’t busy stuffing the scoring column.
In his final draft ranking, which ranked Nordmark 52nd in the class, Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis did not pull punches over the Swede’s work rate away from the puck. “Scouts are worried that he’s a ghost defensively and that if he doesn’t control play offensively, [Nordmark] won’t be good enough to crack the NHL,” Ellis wrote. “He has lazy habits that get him into trouble under pressure and it doesn’t feel like he’s taken enough steps forward to fix that throughout the year.”
Lazy is indeed a four-letter word in prospect evaluation, and if Nordmark were a puck hound, he might have climbed into the mid-first given his tantalizing offensive instincts and the big package they come in; Nordmark, who only turned 18 last month, is 6’2 and weighs 187 lbs.
If his Swedish and, later, North American coaches can drill some discipline into Nordmark’s game, he could end up being a steal in this spot. If they can’t, it will be difficult for him to make all that high-end skill matter.
Continue reading...