Scout's Notebook: underrated European forwards Viggo Nordlund, Bruno Osmanis, and Alexander Zharovsky

The 2025 draft class has proven to be a historically bleak for Europe. 

It has only gotten weaker as the season has progressed, with region's top talents like Radim Mrtka, Ivan Ryabkin and Luka Radivojevic making the jump to North America in the middle of the season.

However, even in the middle of such gloominess, a few less-hyped players have managed to stand out in their own ways while not getting the praise that they deserve.

Of course, it's impossible to know how the NHL teams are valuing these players. For the purposes of this article, I'm labelling these three forwards as underrated based on NHL Central Scouting's recent mid-season ranking and the general public consensus.

Let's start with the player who can be regarded as the most well-known out of the bunch.

Viggo Nordlund, LW, Skellefteå AIK J20 (J20 Nationell)

Viggo Nordlund entered the season on the back of a great draft-plus-one campaign that we broke down in detail in last summer. He had already been among the most dynamic offensive creators at the J20 level and put together good international showings, too. 

Many were expecting that he'd already get significant SHL time in his draft year, but once the season started, he found himself back at the J20 level and only managed four points in the first seven games. 

Fast forward a few months and while Nordlund is now leading Skellefteå's J20 team with 32 points in 28 games, many would've expected more from him given his age and previous output. A big portion of that production also came during a hot stretch from late October to mid November when Nordlund added 15 points in just seven games. It's not a coincidence that he got to play with Valter Lindberg – who has already spent more time in the SHL ranks this year – during that timeframe; the two formed an unbeatable line with Oskar Vuollet in 2023–2024.

As such, it's not hard to see why Nordlund is being overshadowed by many of his peers; he was recently ranked 28th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting, with eight Swedish forwards ranked above him alone. Also working against Nordlund are his 5-foot-9 frame and the fact that he was just a few days shy from being eligible in last year's draft.

However, I still maintain that very few European prospects in this class possess Nordlund's skill set and upside, even if he's not been able to showcase it in full capacity this year. Environment plays a big factor, with his team has gone from winning the championship to being one of the weakest in the league, and while the raw totals haven't taken a huge leap, he's still leading the team in scoring among its regular skaters with a 10-point margin.

Nordlund's underlying results are still really strong for a draft year forward at the J20 level. He's generating elite levels of offence at 5-on-5, creating advantages and driving results in transition, too.

It's true that the way he's played at the J20 level this year isn’t translatable to the professional ranks. He’s playing highly individualistic hockey, trying to take on entire defensive structures by himself. And while he also commits plenty of turnovers, most of the time he’s just so elusive and skilled that he can make that style work, as evidenced by the results above. The unfortunate thing is that hanging onto the puck is often the best play in his current environment, and his team feeds into it, too; it’s hard to see that he’d be playing in such a manner without getting the green light from the coaching staff.

Over the past month, Nordlund has finally gotten some action in the SHL. And while his ice time has been limited and he’s yet to register a point, he’s been playing in a more projectable manner while still showcasing his vision and shiftiness in the offensive end.

In this class of European forwards, there are very few who you could say possess legitimate top-six NHL upside, and I think Nordlund fits that label. And given that upside is what we believe teams should primarily consider in the draft, Nordlund should be ranked ahead of many of his peers who are currently getting more attention than him.

Bruno Osmanis, RW, IF Björklöven (HockeyAllsvenskan)

While I consider Nordlund underrated, he's still a well-known prospect due to his pedigree. Meanwhile, Bruno Osmanis can be considered a true sleeper, with not having generated much attention and having been ranked 72nd among European skaters on NHL Central Scouting's recent list.

When you watch him play, though, it’s hard to see why he isn’t being talked about more. Playing for a smaller Swedish program in IF Björklöven, Osmanis already got to see HockeyAllsvenskan action last season. This year, he’s been a main driver of their J20 team while also putting together intriguing performances against men. In addition, he looked good and added four points in three games for Latvia at the World Juniors before an unfortunate tournament-ending injury.

Osmanis’ calling card is his playmaking. He doesn’t just find the best play—he often creates it. He recognizes opportunities in an instant and shows a lot of finesse in his passing, threading pucks to his linemates through opponents’ sticks and skates. His passing skill also shows regularly in transition, with Osmanis able to find a teammate in the middle with clever one- and two-touch passes from the boards.

He has to be efficient, too, with his team being one of the lowest-scoring at the J20 level and rarely having possession of the puck. I’d be willing to bet a lot of money his raw point totals would look significantly better if he were playing on a powerhouse like Djurgårdens.

The tracking results are insanely impressive, too; it's possible that I've been catching his best games of the season, but even a decent drop in his results would still position him as a high-end 5-on-5 creator. His HockeyAllsvenskan and World Juniors play would also suggest that he's actually just legit and currently being highly overlooked by the industry.

While Osmanis is on the older side for this draft and doesn't have the most overpowering physical tools, his play and data between every level he's played this season suggests plenty of upside. 

Alexander Zharovsky, LW, Tolpar Ufa (MHL)

It's a very weak class for Russian talent, especially with top prospect Ivan Ryabkin having made the mid-season move to the USHL. There just aren't many truly exciting options, but recently Alexander Zharovsky has appeared on our radar as a prospect to watch (thanks to our Russian scout Dylan Griffing for pointing me towards him). 

Zharovsky has a lot going for him as a skilled forward who could really break out in the next few years. He’s playing in his first season in the MHL and didn’t have a particularly glamorous start, recording only six points in his first 16 games. Since then, he’s been an extremely consistent producer, adding 25 points and being held off the scoresheet just once in his last 17 games.

In many ways, he’s the prototypical Russian junior scorer, often playing hero hockey and trying to take on two or three defenders in succession. To his credit, he has the handling skill to pull it off more often than you’d expect, moving the puck through the defender’s triangle with ease and making deceptive micro-adjustments that bait opponents into reaching. He also regularly flashes playmaking skill in tight spaces and has a solid release from mid-range. There should be plenty of room for further physical development (he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 163 pounds), which could help correct some of the mechanical quirks in his skating stride.

In our view, it's criminal that Zharovsky wasn't ranked at all in NHL Central Scouting's mid-season list; it's simply impossible to find 122 better draft-eligible skaters from Europe. If he keeps up his current production, it's only a matter of time before he starts to generate more interest in the industry.