Felix Sandstrom
| Birthday: 1997-01-12 | Position: G |
| Eligible for draft: 2015 | Catches: Left |
| Drafted: 2015 | Height: 6-2 |
| Acquired: 3rd round (70th overall), 2015 | Weight: 192 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- D
History
2011-12: Felix Sandstrom appeared in his first game with the Brynas U18 team in Sweden, allowing one goal in his only start, and played for the Sweden U16 team. He played for the Brynas U16 team that won a bronze medal and was in goal for Gastrikland in the TV-Pucken tournament for high school players. In five games at the TV-Pucken tournament he had a 4.39 goals against and .881 save percentage.
2012-13: Sandstrom split the season between the Brynas U18 and U16 teams in Sweden and played for the gold medal-winning Sweden U17 team at the 2013 World Hockey Challenge. He was named the TV-Pucken tournament’s best goalie as Gastrikland captured a silver medal. Sandstrom had a 1.97 goals against and .930 save percentage in 28 regular season games for the Brynas U18 team. Backing up Jonas Johansson in the playoffs, Sandstrom stopped 24 of 28 shots in a 5-1 loss to Timra in his only start. He had a 1.84 goals against and .943 save percentage in six games with the Brynas U16 team. Sandstrom appeared in two games as a backup to Jesper Eriksson at the WHC and was 2-0 with a 3.50 goals against and .885 save percentage. Sweden defeated Russia, 7-5, in the gold medal game. In six games for Gastrikland during the TV-Pucken tournament he posted a 1.73 goals against and .922 save percentage.
2013-14: Sandstrom appeared in six SuperElit league games with the Brynas U20 team and handled the bulk of the goaltending for the club’s U18 team. He was with the Sweden U18 team at the 2014 World Juniors but did not see any action and was the starting goalie for the Sweden U17 team at the 2014 World Hockey Challenge. Sandstrom was 2-4 with a 3.34 goals against and .870 save percentage in SuperElit play. After posting a 1.69 goals against and .921 in 13 games during the qualifying portion of the U18 schedule he was 7-6 with 1 shutout and had a 2.21 goals against and .914 save percentage in U18 South Division play. Brynas finished fourth and reached the quarterfinals in the playoffs. Sandstrom was 3-2 with 1 shutout in five playoff games, posting a 1.94 goals against and .932 save percentage. In four games at the WHC he was 2-2 with a 2.95 goals against and .928 save percentage. Sweden finished sixth, falling to Canada Ontario, 6-3, in the fifth-place game. Sandstrom was selected by Nedvescak Zagreb in the fifth round (191st overall) in the 2014 KHL Draft.
2014-15: Sandstrom made his pro hockey debut — appearing in two regular season SHL games and one playoff contest with the Brynas men’s team — and shared the goaltending duties for the Brynas U20 team with fellow 18-year-old John Morelius. Sandstrom played for the Sweden U18 team at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and World Junior Championship tournaments. He was 1-0 and stopped 26 of 27 shots with a 1.09 goals against in two regular season SHL games and stopped five of six shots in one period of action in his only playoff appearance. Sandstrom had a 2.63 goals against and .907 save percentage in 14 games for the Brynas U20 team, which finished eight in the North Division. In his only playoff appearance Sandstrom stopped 24 of 28 shots in a 4-3 shootout loss to HV71. He had a 3.35 goals against and .894 save percentage in three games for Sweden at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. In four games at the World Juniors he was 1-3 with a 3.31 goals against and .909 save percentage. Sweden finished eighth, falling to Canada, 5-3, in the quarterfinals. Sandstrom was ranked third amongst international goaltenders in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by Philadelphia in the third round (70th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft.
2015-16: Sandstrom played in the SHL as an 18-year-old — sharing the goaltending duties for Brynas with veteran Austrian goalie Bernhard Starkbaum — and played for the Sweden U20 team at the 2016 World Junior Championship. In 25 SHL regular season games he was 10-14-0 and had a 2.61 goals against and .903 save percentage. Brynas finished 10th, falling to Djurgardens in a best-of-three preliminary series. Sandstrom played in two of the three playoff games and was 1-1 with a 3.60 goals against and .892 save percentage. He played in three games for Sweden at the WJC and was 1-1 with one shutout, posting a 3.88 goals against and .794 save percentage.
Talent Analysis
One of the top goaltending prospects in the 2015 NHL Draft, Sandstrom is a technical goalie who appears to favor the butterfly technique. He spent most of his time in his draft year with Brynas U20, but missed much playing time due to injuries.
Future
Sandstrom played in Sweden's SHL as an 18-year-old in 2015-16, splitting the goaltending duties for Brynas. He also skated for Sweden in the 2016 World Junior Championship. Sandstrom made steady progress in his first pro season and his physical tools and technical skills suggest he has the potential to be an NHL starter.
