Who is Helge Grans? Scouting the Flyers’ newest defensive prospect

After the Flyers finalized their three-way deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings last week, they had six new pieces, including veterans goaltender Cal Petersen and defenseman Sean Walker. But to new general manager Danny Brière, the Ivan Provorov trade was primarily about three pieces, “the prospect and the draft capital.”

The worth of a first-round pick and two second-round picks is pretty clear — but who is the prospect?

Brière himself didn’t know much about Helge Grans, relying on his scouts to give him their feedback. So The Inquirer spoke to the guy who helped draft him to Los Angeles. Here’s what Kings director of scouting Mark Yannetti had to say about the 21-year-old defenseman:

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With one look, one aspect of Grans’ game is apparent — size. He’s 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds.

Entering his draft year in 2020, the young Swede was raw but showed good hockey IQ in the offensive zone. In fact, one of his bigger weaknesses, his skating, improved when he was there.

“His feet were actually pretty good on the blue line,” Yannetti said. “It was weird. Some of the defensive areas, it affected him, but there it didn’t.”

Grans was a below-average skater a year earlier, but by his draft year he had reached almost what Yannetti would consider the NHL average. That impressed Yannetti because it’s hard for guys Grans’ size to improve their skating that rapidly. Eventually, he also showed improvement in his defensive game, going from a primarily offensive defenseman to a two-way player.

Yannetti explained that the Kings drafted Grans “in concert” with the development team because of the defensive deficiencies he showed early on. The Kings wanted to make sure the development team thought there were things the team could address and develop.

“He was very aggressive, but all the good hockey sense he showed on the offensive side was not there on the defensive side,” Yannetti said.

After the Kings drafted Grans No. 35 overall in 2020, he set off on a roller coaster of a journey with the organization. He started in the Swedish Hockey League but “stagnated” during his 43 games there. The Kings decided to move him to their AHL team, the Ontario Reign.

“And he exploded,” Yannetti said. “He was like the development darling for our team.”

He went from being a guy with legitimate defensive concerns to a strong defensive player by the midway point of his first AHL season (2020-21). He was aggressive and competitive defensively without making poor or risky decisions. However, he maintained his offensive capabilities (seven goals, 24 points in 56 games) and contributed on the second power play. The Reign set an AHL power-play percentage record at 27.5%.

Sometimes, European players need an adjustment period to the North American game, but Yannetti said he thinks Grans thrived in the AHL because of the format of the league. While the European leagues are focused on winning, the AHL is a learning ground for the NHL, and people were more focused on his development.

However, the upward trend stalled, and Grans actually regressed this past season with the Reign. While he started to get back to his game again by the end of the season, the setback meant he didn’t fulfill the Kings’ expectations of him reaching the NHL. Offensively, Grans managed just two goals and nine points in 59 games last season.

“I think he had a little too much success and got a little bit confident, maybe a little bit content, a little too lax, and it took him about half the season to kind of find that work ethic and find that again,” Yannetti said.

At his best, the Kings projected Grans to develop into a two-way, second-pair defenseman. They believed he could partner with either an offensive defenseman or a defense-first player because of his ability to adapt his game. Optimally, he would contribute on the second power play, and if he fell short of their projection, his backup special teams contribution would be on the top penalty kill unit.

» READ MORE: ‘Oh, the game’s about to start’: Behind the scenes of the Ivan Provorov trade

While not a “move the chess pieces” defenseman like San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, Grans moves the puck smartly and quickly at the blue line. If everything goes well, Yannetti expects Grans to compete for an NHL spot in the 2024-2025 season.

The Kings’ record of drafting and developing young players speaks for itself, implying that Grans has real potential. However, with the trade, it’s now on the Flyers to continue to develop him and help him reach it.

While the Kings expected Grans to be in the NHL already, that doesn’t mean he can’t get back on track. However, several things need to happen, starting with him.

“If he can find that mindset that he had the first year with us … he’s got so much upside, but he has to realize it,” Yannetti said.

This offseason is key. However, Grans is back home in Sweden, which means the Flyers will have to put in some extra effort to make sure he’s doing the right things.

Grans has been a player who does what he’s supposed to, but sometimes it takes someone else to show him how much harder he can work. Yannetti said the Flyers’ development program, which is being revamped with Brière’s new promotions, needs to invest in him. If the Flyers do, they’d get “payback and then some.”

Yannetti made clear he is not a coach but a scout. However, based on past experience, he would think Grans should be given a year in the AHL, preferably with a lot of support from his defensive partner. Grans has found success when paired with a balanced player. If he can’t be paired with someone like that, Yannetti said he’d benefit from a more defensive partner.

After a strong season of play, Yannetti doesn’t think it would be unrealistic to see Grans given a taste of the NHL at the end of the season, like Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard got last year.

Now that Grans is on the other coast, Yannetti is hoping the Flyers can unlock his potential.

“It’s easy to root for an Eastern team now,” Yannetti said with a smile. “I want to root for Helge anyways. Selfishly, I drafted him and it looks good if he makes it — and I really like the kid, too.”

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