Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson – Center – 45th Overall 2015
Year-to-Date: 14 Games – 3 Goals – 10 Assists – 13 Points – 14 PIMs – Plus-3
Since being drafted, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, or JFK, has been a great player for the Boston University Terriers. He’s also been unable to escape comparisons from a certain top-line center in Boston who has made a name for himself as an elite two-way forward.
The comparisons have been everywhere, but Forsbacka Karlsson, simply put, looks like a Patrice Bergeron-type player. Both are centers, both play a great two-way game, both have the ability to produce offensively, and the comparisons don’t end there. Bergeron and JFK were both drafted by the Bruins, both taken with the 45th overall selection, and are both 6-foot-1 and roughly 195 pounds with right-handed shots.
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Looking past just the obvious comparisons, Forsbacka Karlsson actually plays a very similar game to Bergeron. When watching JFK play with the Terriers, or at the World Junior Championships with his native country of Sweden, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between the two.
Impressive Consistency for JFK
In the USHL with the Omaha Lancers in 2013-14, Forsbacka Karlsson scored 11 goals and 33 points in 60 games and totaled 26 penalty minutes and a plus-11 rating. His second season is what earned him appeal from scouts when eh scored 15 goals and 53 points in just 50 games with 28 penalty minutes and a plus-10 rating.
JFK didn’t slow down after being drafted, however, scoring 10 goals and 30 points in 39 games with a plus-4 rating in his first year at Boston University. In his sophomore season, it’s been much of the same as the Swedish center has scored three goals and 13 points in 14 games with a plus-3 rating.
As mentioned, Forsbacka Karlsson plays a similar game to Bergeron. As a result, it’s impossible to truly appreciate everything that he does by simply looking at his stat line, despite how impressive it looks in its own right.