When Lucas Raymond, a highly regarded prospect for the 2020 NHL Draft, started the season with Frölunda HC of the SHL, the then 17-year-old knew this would be his most challenging season to date. And, it was.

At the start of the season, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound playmaker struggled to win one-on-one battles, find his place on an offensively stacked roster, and trust his shot more. In October, he went back to Frölunda’s junior team in the J20 SuperElit for a few weeks, spent some time with the Swedish national junior team in early November, helped them earn bronze at the world junior championship, gained some confidence, started earning more ice time and played more important minutes once he returned to Frölunda and was really starting to hit his stride at the men’s level when the playoffs w