NHL European notebook spotlights eight offensively minded defensemen developing in Europe

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

NHL’s European notebook highlighted eight defensemen who are contributing offensively in Europe, with the league’s prospects spread across Sweden’s Allsvenskan and SHL, Finland’s Liiga, the Kontinental Hockey League, Switzerland’s National League, and the Swedish and Swiss junior/professional systems. The roundup uses statistics through games on Thursday and frames the group as NHL-affiliated prospects continuing to develop outside North America during the current season.

One player in the group is an 18-year-old already producing heavily in his first full professional season, tallying 17 assists in 16 games for Oskarshamn in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, the country’s second division. The same NHL notebook notes the player has seven assists in his past five games, moving above a point-per-game pace, but it does not include the player’s name in the supplied text, which is a research gap that prevents identifying which prospect is associated with the Oskarshamn line.

The notebook then identifies defenseman Elofsson, who is playing on loan from Orebro. NHL-affiliated totals cited show Elofsson recorded 41 points (nine goals, 32 assists) in 32 games for Orebro’s junior team last season, along with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 14 playoff games. It also states that the Colorado Avalanche selected Elofsson in the fourth round (No. 128) of the 2026 NHL Draft, linking his European development directly to Colorado’s future plans.

In the KHL, the update points to Gulyayev as a 21-year-old who is beyond his previous output. NHL’s notebook reports Gulyayev has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 18 games for Avangard after finishing 2025-26 with three points (one goal, two assists) in 54 games. It adds that eight of his points have come in his past 10 games and notes he is approaching the 15 points he posted in 67 games in 2024-25, his highest total in a KHL season, with Colorado identifying him as a first-round pick of the franchise in the first round (No. 31) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Switzerland’s top league figures prominently with Johnson, a 20-year-old with nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 13 games in National League. The notebook also says Johnson has two assists in five Champions Hockey League games with Fribourg-Gotteron, separate from his domestic production, and notes he is a native of Zug who has represented his country internationally while playing his second season with the club. It attributes his draft status to Utah, which took Johnson in the sixth round (No. 174) of the 2025 NHL Draft.

Finland’s Liiga is represented by Kiviharju and Landen, both framed by the notebook as players increasing their offensive involvement while continuing their pro development. Kiviharju, also 20, has seven assists in 11 games this season for HIFK in Liiga, with four assists in his past five games, and the update highlights leadership credentials at the junior international level, including captaincy at the Under-18 World Championship and two IIHF World Junior Championships and five assists in six games at the 2026 World Juniors. The NHL notebook ties Kiviharju to Minnesota as it states the Wild selected him in the fourth round (No. 122) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Landen is described as 21 and in a regular role with TPS in Liiga, where he has five points (one goal, four assists) in 18 games in his second season. The notebook adds that he had eight points (two goals, six assists) in 57 games for TPS last season, and that his development has included time in Sweden’s top two professional divisions as well as two games with San Jose of the American Hockey League in 2024-25. It also identifies the Sharks as his NHL draft club, stating San Jose selected Landen in the fifth round (No. 130) of the 2023 draft.

Rounding out the group, the notebook traces two more Sweden-based defensemen with NHL ties and one from the Czech/Swedish club pipeline and one from the KHL pipeline. For Pettersson, the update says he has contributed at two levels since moving from Vaxjo to Djurgarden, with seven points (two goals, five assists) in seven games for Djurgarden’s junior team. It also states Pettersson has one assist in 10 games in the Swedish Hockey League, Sweden’s top professional league, after recording 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 19 junior games for Vaxjo last season, and it attributes his NHL rights to Boston after noting the Bruins selected him in the second round (No. 61) of the 2025 draft.

Finally, the NHL notebook highlights Pylenkov and Wikman as the older and more established scorers in the group’s mix. It describes Pylenkov as 26 and productive in the KHL, reporting 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 23 games, following a prior season when he had 54 points (nine goals, 45 assists) in 64 games; it adds that he is the oldest player in the group and notes Tampa Bay retains his NHL rights. The update says Tampa Bay selected Pylenkov in the seventh round (No. 196) of the 2021 NHL Draft. Wikman, also 21, is reported to have matched last season’s offensive totals with five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 SHL games for Farjestad, needing 46 games to reach those totals last season, and the notebook adds that Wikman had three goals earlier this season and one assist in his past five games. It attributes his NHL draft status to Florida, stating the Panthers selected Wikman in the fourth round (No. 127) of the 2023 draft.

Taken together, the roundup illustrates how NHL teams’ drafted defensemen are building roles across European systems where expanded ice time and top-league schedules can translate into measured scoring contributions. For readers following team prospects, the notebook’s key through-line is that multiple players are described as improving production rates this season—whether in the KHL with Gulyayev and Pylenkov, in SHL with Wikman, or in Liiga and National League with Kiviharju, Landen and Johnson—while their draft affiliations connect the performances to specific NHL organizations.