As we continue to digest the monumental change that is the Quinn Hughes trade, attention must now shift toward the future.

Looking over the deal, the conversation immediately revolved around the centrepiece coming back: Zeev Buium. But in a trade this substantial, the surrounding pieces matter just as much, and Liam Öhgren is far too inexperienced to be viewed as an accessory.

At just 21 years old, Öhgren arrives in Vancouver with the pedigree of a first-round pick, a pro-ready profile, and a style that tends to translate at the NHL level. Not in a star-driven way, but as a reliable middle-six winger with room to grow. He may not headline the deal, but he represents an important layer of the organization’s reset, the type of player who adds substance to a young forward group and helps stabilize the early years of a rebuild.

Öhgren has long been identified as a north-south winger with a mature, responsible approach. Even in his draft year, his game revolved around pro habits. He protected pucks, played in the guts of the ice, understood structure, and supported play in all three zones. Even though the production hasn’t followed at the NHL level, none of those traits have faded.

Born in Stockholm, Öhgren came up through the Djurgårdens system and was selected 19th overall in 2022 by the Minnesota Wild. Spending two additional seasons overseas, he earned a loan to Färjestad in the SHL, where he posted 19 points in 26 games alongside former Canucks prospect Lucas Forsell.

If the club name Djurgårdens rings a bell, it’s because he grew up playing alongside current Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki. The two formed a highly productive junior duo — a trio, if you consider Buffalo Sabres’ Noah Östlund — in their 2021–22 J20 season, with Öhgren leading the league with 33 goals. Öhgren finished that season as the league’s Best Forward with the most goals (34), most points (58) and best plus/minus (plus-41) as an 18-year-old.

The pair, along with Canucks defenceman Elias Pettersson, also shared a silver medal run at the 2024 World Juniors in their home country. Öhgren would end up being selected just four picks after Lekkerimäki at the draft podium. Their familiarity won’t hurt as both step into the next phase of their North American careers.

Öhgren’s move to the NHL hasn’t come without bumps. Initially making the Minnesota Wild out of camp in the early stages of his transition, he struggled to secure consistent minutes. Eventually, he was loaned to Iowa, where he finally found traction. He finished the season with 37 points in 41 games — his 0.91 points-per-game finishing third among U21 skaters with 40 or more games — on an AHL team that struggled to find offensive chemistry at the bottom of the league standings.

Despite various promotional stints, his integration into the NHL has remained limited. In 24 games with Minnesota, he broke the 15-minute mark just once and averaged just over 11 minutes per game.

Fast-forwarding to 2025-26, he has remained relatively productive at the AHL level with five points in nine games, despite playing on one of the league’s lowest-scoring teams in Iowa. Yet, glued to a Minnesota fourth line primarily with Tyler Pitlick and Ben Jones, his statistical ledger – both production and advanced metrics – shows very little progress.

“It’s been tough, going up and down, for sure, but I think that’s a big part of it now in the beginning, but yeah, obviously, I want to be in the NHL, and I think this is a good place for me and a good fit,” said Öhgren in his first media appearance with the Canucks.

At such a young age and without a game-changing profile, securing deployment on a playoff-bound team comes with its share of challenges. With that in mind, you can read his numbers two ways. The pessimistic view is that a young player is unable to make an impact in limited NHL minutes. The optimistic view sees a winger who delivers when given minutes but has yet to receive a meaningful opportunity at the top level.

For that reason, evaluating a 21-year-old solely on sheltered minutes can be misleading.

Despite growing up alongside Lekkerimäki, their games could not be more different. Öhgren does carry a potent release, evidenced by his matching 19 goals in the AHL last year. While that shot stands as his true offensive calling card, his game is defined by power traits that rarely hit the late-night highlight reel, rather than finesse.

According to NHL Edge, his shot ranks among the 68th percentile, with his hardest shot clocking in at 85.80 mph.

Offensively, his goals will come from inserting himself directly into the play and utilizing his heavy release. He’s comfortable around the paint and isn’t shy about arriving in traffic — something this Vancouver group will welcome with open arms. Although he hasn’t yet been handed an opportunity in the NHL, his quick release offers intrigue as a potential power-play option down the road. Perhaps a new bumper option?

He is a pressure-first winger who leans on his forechecking and interior play to formulate his game. Listed at around 183 pounds, he spent the offseason in the gym, adding strength to better handle NHL pace and physicality. The results are noticeable. He wins board battles, shields pucks effectively, and plays a direct, simple style that coaches typically trust within their middle-six. He leaves the Minnesota Wild sitting sixth on the team in hits/60 with 10.1.

Without the puck, his game is just as structured and has displayed pro-habits from a young age. He reads plays cleanly and supports below with consistency, rarely drifting or losing his assignment. His effort level is steady, and his detail-oriented approach gives him a projectable NHL floor.

The question now becomes opportunity. In Minnesota, he never truly saw it. In Vancouver, with a thinner depth chart and a potential developmental focus, there’s room for him to earn more meaningful minutes and prove he can be more than a depth winger.

Öhgren plays a style that complements skilled centres, understands the rhythm of NHL hockey, and offers a maturity that few 21-year-olds can match.

With players like Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Aleksei Medvedev forming Vancouver’s next wave, Öhgren becomes a promising piece to the puzzle. Perhaps not an instrumental piece. But an important one that rounds out the forward group.

He won’t be the one driving the highlight packages, but he’ll often be the one retrieving the puck, extending the shift, or making the subtle play that keeps an offensive sequence alive.

Now, it’s time for him to put up his end of the bargain and take advantage of any minutes handed to him in his new home with the Vancouver Canucks.