Out of the 29 players selected 219th overall in NHL history, only five have made it to the NHL and out of the 29 seventh-round picks the Carolina Hurricanes have made over the years, again, only five have made it to the league in some capacity.
Rookie defenseman Joel Nystrom, who was drafted 219th overall in the 2021 draft — Carolina's final of 13 picks that year — is one of those five in each category.
And on top of it being a rarity for a seventh-round pick to make it to the NHL, Nystrom's case is one that's even stranger, as the 23-year-old blueliner only had seven games of North American experience under his belt before he got the callup to the NHL.
Obviously a plethora of injuries opened up a spot, but what made Nystrom not only capable of such a jump, but more deserving than some of the other guys of getting a shot?
Developing In Sweden
The first thing that jumps off the page for Nystrom is his hockey sense.
The rookie blueliner has a really good feel for the game and he's seemingly picked up the Hurricanes' system almost immediately.
His positioning, his reads and his ability to make "the right" play in all three zones is what the Hurricanes were betting on when they took the late flier on him and it's a big reason he's in the NHL today.
"We talk about trying to find and identify areas that are going to be the reason that a player can make it and with Joel, he slipped in the draft, but he was playing against men and you were able to see the hockey sense," said Hurricanes associate general manager Darren Yorke. "Maybe there were questions about the size or the skating, but at that point in the draft, there are always going to be areas that players need more development on. But we saw somebody that had really high-end hockey sense and that was something that we wanted to bet on. Fast forward almost four years now and we’re seeing that hockey sense shine in the NHL and he’s been a big part of the team’s success lately when other guys have been hurt. He’s been able to step up.”
Seeing that potential is one thing, but it's another to develop that alongside all of the other skills a player needs such as skating, puck handling, etc., and you could really see the progression from Nystrom in how he was playing in Sweden and how he was handling big minutes in key roles.
“Going back the last couple of years, he was used in priority minutes in high-stress situations playing in the SHL in a top-four role," Yorke said. "How he was defending in Sweden, we thought that it was best for him to get over to North America and get closer to the NHL. The way he was able to kill plays in all three zones is exactly how we want to play and it would only be enhanced playing in a system where everyone else is doing the exact same thing that he does and it comes natural to him.”
Both Yorke and Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour also really credited development coach Kevin McCarthy for his work with Nystrom.
“I didn’t see him play, but I heard a lot about him," Brind'Amour said. "Our scouts and particularly Kevin McCarthy really watched him and was raving about this kid."
"When Kevin stepped away from coaching, we were lucky enough to bring him back into the organization and get him to work with our players and he spent a lot of time watching Joel and meeting with him and sort of going through his game on the defensive side and enhancing his reads to how it could be in North America," Yorke said.
Nystrom said he would talk with the the organization weekly, going over his games and working on both things to improve as well things he was doing well, and it's clear that that work paid off.
“The hockey sense was always there," Yorke said. "That was really the concurrent thing. But the skating has gotten better as it does with most players when you get a little bit stronger, the body control and body positioning on retrievals has improved to allow him to handle the bigger, faster players in the NHL and that's all really only enhanced his game now that he can go back for the puck, make those reads with his vision and transition the puck into the offensive zone.”
Nystrom's case is one where it's clear that no matter where you are drafted or what your path may be, if you can play, you can play.
“I just tried to keep working," Nystrom said. "Tried to do my best back in Sweden and I feel like my game has developed pretty good."
The Big Leagues
Nystrom's NHL debut wasn't necessarily one for the memory book.
After K'Andre Miller was ruled out last minute with the team on the road, the Swedish blueliner had to scramble to make it to Denver.
He ended up arriving just 15 minutes before puck drop, missing the entirety of warmups, but Nystrom did manage to still get his rookie laps in right before team took the ice for the start of the game.
Things moved pretty quickly afterwards, as the rookie was thrown right into the fire, staring down a team with players like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
“It was stressful, but I was very happy to get the call," Nystrom said. "Just tried to do my best out there. It was a tough game to play, but it was real fun."
Nystrom finished that game having been outchanced 5-21 and seeing three goals against, but with the amount of injuries that the Hurricanes were dealing with at that time, he wasn't really put in a position to succeed.
"He hung in there," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour recalled on the debut. "Again, you're asking a lot. We had three rookies in there and against that team, any team in the NHL, but when you're playing against the top players in the league and the world, it makes it look the way it did the other night. But I thought he hung in there."
It might not have been a game to write home about, but his foot was now in the door.
However, not even he could escape the Hurricanes' cursed blueline as just two games later, he himself was seated right in the trainer's room getting stitched up after a shot from the blueline wound up catching him right in his face.
But the defenseman wasted no time in getting back out onto the ice to help his shorthanded team, something that stuck with his teammates and coach.
“Especially with it being how bad it was — filleted the whole chin, lip — that would have been a east one to say, ‘I’m good,’ especially with the way things had been going," Brind'Amour said. "But he knew we were down all these guys and he was like, ‘No, I need to get out there.’ I think that says a lot about the kid. And you talk about endearing yourself to the group, that's one thing, for sure.”
“Tough kid, obviously," said captain Jordan Staal. "Those aren't pretty, but he was good. Playing great for us and battling through a lot. We appreciate what he's done."
Nystrom was lucky to escape that injury scare with only a scar to show for it, and after that torrid start, he hasn't missed a second of action and his performances have significantly improved game after game.
“It’s a bit different, of course, from Sweden," Nystrom said. "Here it’s a smaller rink, so you have to adjust your game a little, but I feel the guys have helped me very well and I’m thankful for that.”
Watching him every game, you could tell that he was rapidly picking up the system and that really led to the coaching staff rewarding him in kind.
The Swede currently has some of the best possession numbers on the team, controlling 57% of both 5v5 scoring chances and high-danger chances, and he's been on the ice for 11 goals for and just seven against in nearly 250 minutes of even-strength ice time.
“Nysy’s really been a cornerstone," said defenseman Sean Walker. "He’s playing tons of minutes against top guys every night and he’s doing a great job with it.”
It isn't like Nystrom has been getting sheltered deployments either. The state of the blueline, with all the injuries, meant the rookie was forced into a top-four and a significant penalty-killing role most nights throughout the early parts of the season and he was dominating those minutes.
"He's been one of our best players some nights," said Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky.
Nystrom has played north of 18 minutes a night seven times this year and north of 20 minutes twice.
The rookie has been calm and cool in those deployments and he's even started to find a bit of offense too.
The defenseman has three points so far on the season and he hasn't been afraid to shoot the puck, with 65 shot attempts already.
"He's taken advantage of the opportunity," Brind'Amour said. "With all the injuries we've had on the backend, he's gotten an opportunity to play and he's done really well. He's a smart player. Picking up the system, being in the right places. He knows how to play. We always talk about defense and how it's hard when you first come to a new team with all the systems, but some guys pick it up right away and he's one of those guys. He always seems to be in the right place. Obviously he's not a big guy and he's still got a lot of room to grow as a player, both physically and mentally to better understand the game, but he's really done all we can ask."
Nystrom's game has perfectly fit the way the team wants to play, and that's also a testament to the team's draft strategy in finding players that can fit the team's style.
Carolina is a team that emphasizes killing plays at the blueline, holding strong gaps and being able to transition pucks through all three zones and Nystrom has shown a strong grasp of all the above.
It's been a perfect storm so far for the young blueliner and he's making the most of the golden opportunity.
“These young guys who’ve come up have really picked up the slack," said defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. "The transition for them has really been seamless. They’ve been playing like they’ve been around a while. It’s good to see. They’re playing in bigger roles than maybe they’d normally have, but it’s all about opportunity in this league."
“As he develops, we’re just going to get to see what he’s doing well more consistently," Yorke said. "We’re 16 games into his NHL career, 23 games into his North American professional career and obviously there’s been a lot of success in a very short period of time and Joel deserves all the credit in the world for playing as well as he is. We’re just looking forward to continuing to watch him grow and have more success as a Carolina Hurricane.”
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