Position: Center
Age: 18
Date of Birth: March 1, 1993
Place of Birth: Leksand, Sweden
Ht: 6-02 Wt: 194
Shoots: Left
Victor Rask is one of those guys who has the skills to be a top-rated player in this draft. His biggest issue has been the inconsistency with which he’s played. Central Scouting has him ranked as the 12th European skater heading into the draft, which was a drop from 9th at the midterm point. Why the fall? It certainly isn’t his puck skills, which as are good as anyone in the draft. He doesn’t skate tremendously well. He makes solid plays with the puck to set up teammates, but he too often holds on to the puck for himself. His defense won’t win him any awards, and though he has size he will have to work very hard once he comes to North America if he wants to become a solid NHL two-way guy, and part of that will be answering questions about his attitude.
2010/2011 Regular Season Stats:
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| 37 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 8 |
Scouting Report (The Scouting Report):
“What was previously a year under the radar quickly developed into a year to forget for this former ‘can’t-miss’ prospect. Rask had issues with ice-time, attitude, and on-ice performance; factors that have certainly changed a once favourable opinion of him. While there are a lot of negatives about Rask, he does still have an intriguing skill-set which should be enough to secure him a spot in the Top 50. Rask’s great shot and combination of size and vision indicate a lot of potential, but he’s going to need to show more drive and passion if he ever wants to realize any of it.”
Why he’d be a good fit in Columbus:
I will go on record as saying I don’t think he’d be a good fit in Columbus. To my eyes, his ceiling is a slightly bigger Kristian Huselius with the addition of attitude questions. I can’t see a scenario in which that’s something that the Jackets need, or that would be a good fit. Certainly, Rask has puck skills, which is something the team and organization is lacking. But attitude questions? Drops in the scouting ranks because of questions about his commitment and work ethic? A non-willingness to play defense? No thanks.