New LA Kings Prospect Helge Grans in Good Hands with Andreas Lilja
- Updated: October 19, 2020
(Image credit: Christian Örnberg/BILDBYRÅN)
Entering the 2020 Draft, the biggest question surrounding the Los Angeles Kings was who they’d take at No. 2 overall.
2020 may have been the first time in years that Kings fans were genuinely excited for their team entering the Draft. After all, not since 2008 had the Kings had a first-round pick so high — and they didn’t do too badly with whom they chose that year. This time, the Kings chose consensus No. 2 pick, Quinton Byfield, marking an auspicious start for the club.
Andreas Lilja (Frederik Karlsson)
As exciting as selecting Byfield may have been, though, the Kings were just getting started.
With their next pick, 35th overall, the Kings selected Helge Grans, a Swedish defenseman with plenty of size and offensive upside — not unlike what Los Angeles GM Rob Blake brought to the table during his playing career. Grans also has similarities to another former Kings blueliner, his current assistant coach, Andreas Lilja.
At just 18 years of age, though, Grans, like most players who were drafted earlier this month, has time on his side. So, until he is ready to cross the Atlantic full-time, the Malmo Redhawks blueliner has room to grow, building on his already impressive skill set.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with the Malmo assistant coach, and 12-year NHL veteran, the aforementioned Andreas Lilja, about Grans’ game, what’s been working and what steps need to be taken to make the youngster more NHL ready.
Exceptional Vision
One of the main areas where Lilja has been most impressed with Grans thus far has been the young blueliner’s vision.
Helge Grans (Malmo Redhawks)
Taking time to scan the ice for openings, to see who and what are where has certainly been an advantage for the Redhawks since Grans joined the team in 2018-19. More than that, though, the Malmo assistant sees comparisons in Grans’ game to that of a two-time Norris Trophy winner.
“I can compare him to Erik Karlsson,” Lilja said. “[Grans’] ability to see the ice– he sees the ice in a different way. He has an ability to skate better with the puck than without the puck, which is something you don’t see often.”
Before the current season began, Lilja took some time to recap Grans’ game from last season, to see what improvements the youngster had made on the ice.
“I’ve been looking at him on video from last year and I can see that he’s grown as a player,” the former blueliner noted. “He’s taken steps, especially in his own end, in getting better and better. His ability with the puck, his eyesight and his ability to see other players on the ice as well as his ability in the offensive end is not an issue. That’s something that he has in his bone marrow.”
Areas to Improve Upon
Grans may be vying for a roster spot with the Kings in the future but again, with his time on his side, there is no dire urgency for the Ljunby, Sweden, native to become an NHL stalwart just yet. As of now, Grans has a few holes to fill. So, for the foreseeable future, the changes coming to the youngster’s game will be happening in Europe.
“For him to develop more, he has to get better defensively,” Lilja said. “You can’t just play offense anymore; you have to play defense, too. That’s the main area for him to develop, to be a complete player. So, that’s what he’s been working on and what we work on almost every day.”
There are more areas for Grans to address but they are nothing that a bit of natural maturation can’t fix.
“This year and next year, he’s going to have to develop his strengths,” continued Lilja. “He still has a young boy’s body. He is big and he is tall and is very strong but still has that, what I like to call, baby fat. He hasn’t developed muscles all over the place but as soon as his body begins to remodel and develop muscle in a grown man’s way, he’s going to take off even more. Then, he can really use his size and strength in a different way, especially in his own end, like with protecting the puck and getting guys pinned at the boards. So, that’s what I see and it’s just a matter of time before he can get that going.”
His Own Worst Critic
As far as attitude goes, Lilja and the rest of the Malmo coaching staff like what they see from Grans. From being an approachable teammate to being a student willing to learn, there isn’t much in Grans’ overall attitude that can be seen as a detriment.
“Overall, I would say that he’s pretty calm,” Lilja noted. “He’s a little bit of a quiet kid. He doesn’t say much like you’re not supposed to do when you’re young; you’re supposed to listen and learn, which I find good. But, he’s really confident.”
If there is anything that needs adjusting in Grans’ attitude, however, it’s the amount of pressure the defenseman puts on himself. While this can certainly be advantageous to a degree, Lilja admitted that the 18-year-old has a knack for being too hard on himself.
Helge Grans (Malmo Redhawks)
“One of his main issues, I would say, is that he has a hard time relaxing on the bench,” the 45-year-old shared. “He gets worked up because he maybe makes a mistake or something, instead of letting it go and taking the next shift.”
Fortunately, Lilja, a former Kings draft pick himself, has countered Grans’ self-criticism with some techniques to ease the blueliner’s tension.
“Between shifts, try relaxing, get your breathing in order, get your heart rate down so you can be ready for your next shift,” Lilja added. “That’s a common thing when you’re young because you’re so worked up in the game that your heart rate never goes down. Even on the bench because you’re watching your teammates play and you’re caught up in the game.”
In principle, getting one’s breathing in order may sound simple, but for many, especially during the heat of the battle, it is much easier said than done. Additionally, Lilja has another method that he’s been working on with Grans to help the youngster improve.
“Try to find some peace and nice and quiet when you’re not playing,” the former NHLer continued. “Get ready for your next shift. Don’t get caught up in the game you’re watching instead of trying to get your team back in the game and be calm. That’s something else that we work on every day.”
Royally Common Ground
As mentioned, Lilja is a former Kings draft pick himself. Like Grans, Lilja was even taken in the second round before playing parts of his first three seasons with the club.
While he went on to play in Florida, Detroit, Anaheim and Philadelphia, Lilja has an advantage in terms of preparing the younger blueliner for Los Angeles.
“I can obviously give him great pointers about L.A,” the Malmo assistant beamed. “I loved L.A. It was a great spot to play in. I’m happy that the draft is over because now we can say, ‘He got drafted in the second round by L.A. That’s great.’
Andreas Lilja (Robert Laberge/Getty Images).
“We haven’t talked about L.A. specifically yet. But, we were talking about the NHL and I’ve been coming with pointers with what he has to work on to be a better player to fit in.”
First and foremost, though, is focusing on Grans’ career in Malmo.
“Right now, we’re trying to get him to be as good as possible to play in the Swedish League first and the next step will come,” Lilja said.
A sizable blueliner himself as a player, Lilja, who stood at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, knows just what it takes to make it at the NHL level. Grans, also 6-foot-3 but a bit lighter at 192 pounds, has been the beneficiary recipient of some sound advice from a coach who he shares a lot in common with as a competitor.
“Like I told him, ‘You will get drafted,” Lilja stressed. “It doesn’t matter if you get drafted in the first round, second, third or fourth. It doesn’t matter as long as you develop into a really good player, you will be at your best. So, don’t worry.’ But you could see that early in the season. Obviously, you’re young — 18 years old — you think about what people in the stands think about you when you play, the scouts watching your every move, and when you get back to the bench, you think about it. You say, ‘Ah [damn], I [screwed] up this shift,’ and what people are going to think about that.”
Lilja wasn’t done there on advice for the new Kings draft pick.
“Also, and I told him this, that I hope he’d get one year in the minors first because then he’ll really learn how to play the game [in North America] and you can appreciate more when you do play in the big show,” Lilja emphasized. “That is something that I have in mind, almost, for every player that gets drafted: to send them over and play in the minors first because they can appreciate the show more when you make that spot. It’s really good for your education overall as a hockey player to be in the minors because everyone’s in the minors for a reason. Everybody also wants to get out of the minors for a reason but you also have fun. You learn the hard way to be a player and it’s good for you.”
Andreas Lilja spent some time in the minors himself as a player , including a short stint with the Kings’ then-AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.
When many first heard his name upon being drafted by the Kings, they may have thought what a great name ‘Helge Grans’ was. Fortunately for the young blueliner, his promise as a future NHLer goes far beyond his name.
We may not be holding our collective breath for him to don the silver-and-black soon but with a veteran player-turned-coach in Andrea Lilja and a team as historically successful as the Malmo Redhawks are — not to mention the Kings’ exceptional development staff — you can make a safe bet that Helge Grans will be a name to remember for years to come.
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