<p>For many high-end draft prospects, the season starts with the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in August and closes out with the U-18 World Championship in April and May.</p>



<p>If you watched Swedish defenseman Sascha Boumedienne at both, you’d be shocked to know it was the same guy each time.</p>



<p>His Hlinka Gretzky performance fell short of expectations. Between unforced mistakes with the puck and some defensive miscues, Boumedienne never looked comfortable. It was surprising, given that his play in the USHL in 2023-24 helped elevate him high up draft boards heading into this season.</p>



<p>But Boumedienne’s performance at the U-18s was truly stunning – perhaps one of the most dominant we’ve seen from a defenseman at that tournament ever. Boumedienne kicked the tournament off with a six-point night and finished with 14 in seven games. It broke a record shared by Ryan Murphy and Cole Hutson (13 points) for the most in a single tournament by a blueliner, helping Boumedienne earn top defenseman honors in the process. Sweden missed out on gold in Texas, but Boumedienne wasn’t to blame.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="178"></div>



<p>Boumedienne comes from good hockey bloodlines. His father, Josef, played 47 games in the NHL and currently serves as Sweden’s senior men’s general manager. Sascha’s brother, Wilson, is already a highly regarded prospect for the 2028 draft. </p>



<p>Boumedienne followed in a similar route to that of countrymen Tom Willander and Alex Zetterberg by going to Boston University this past season. It was a big move up from the USHL, but one Boumedienne felt would be best for his development.</p>



<p>“When I went (to BU) for my visit, it seemed like I was gonna be a part of the really tight group right away,” Boumedienne said at the Hlinka. “Boston’s obviously a really cool city, too.”</p>



<p>Publicly, we’ve seen Boumedienne bounce between the first and second round of the NHL Draft. <a href="https://publish.dailyfaceoff.com/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-top-80-steven-ellis-misa-hagens-schaefer-martone-desnoyers/">Daily Faceoff has him 28th in the most recent rankings</a> –&nbsp;not just because of the U-18s, but his second half, as a whole. The Finnish-born Swede started off with some decent performances at BU. You could tell he was still trying to adjust to the pace, but the former Ohio Blue Jacket star eventually became more comfortable as the season wore on. He went from playing around 18-19 minutes a night to more than 23 minutes per game in the college playoffs and was one of BU’s top players during the Frozen Four, too.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="225"></div>



<p>“College hockey isn’t easy for any NHL prospect, but Boumedienne started to show what he was capable when it mattered most,” said one scout. “His hockey IQ and puck-moving abilities came alive in a way that unfortunately didn’t reflect on the scoresheet.”</p>



<p>Boumedienne didn’t have explosive numbers in college, but most expect him to take a big step forward next year. Just based on his play from late February and onward, Boumedienne seems to have really honed in on his puck skills. You match that with his speed and his penchant for making high-risk, high-reward plays and there’s a ton to love. </p>



<p>But it’s those risky plays that prevent him from being a slam-dunk pick early in the draft. He’s prone to making mistakes under pressure, rushing his decision-making when he could afford to take a step back and slow things down. Boumedienne also needs to use his shot more – he’s got as hard of a release as you’ll find in this draft, especially on one-timers. Defensively, Boumedienne looked more at home at the U-18s, but he can be a mixed bag around his own net.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="188"></div>



<p>“It was a trying year for him, but he really showed his promise at the end of the season,” another scout said. “He made teams think differently – better – about him.”</p>



<p>No prospect is perfect –&nbsp;they all need time with pro coaches to iron things out. So while it was easy to be disappointed in his first half of the year, it’s just as easy to fall back in love with his game. Boumedienne has high-end atrributes that teams love, but he just needs to calm down and play at his own pace. Many young prospects will try and outplay their own games and it can be lethal.</p>



<p>Boumedienne is a work in progress – but one a team picking in the latter stages of the first round could fall in love with. There’s a ton of high-end potential, and he could be a team’s power-play quarterback in just a few years. Boumedienne likely settles as a second-pairing defenseman at best, but that’s fine – you still need guys like that. </p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="173"></div>



<p>And as always, bet high on skill – Boumedienne has plenty of it.</p>



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