Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In the days leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo, WGR will provide profiles on some players that could be available for the Sabres with the 27th overall pick in the first round.
A prospect with NHL bloodlines, Marcus Nordmark is looking to follow in his father's footsteps to the NHL.
Robert Nordmark was able to carve out a four-year career for himself in the NHL with the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks on the back end, putting up 83 points (13+70) in 236 career games. Robert was originally a 10th-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 1981 NHL Draft, but eventually re-entered the NHL Draft in 1987, where he was a third-round pick of the Blues as a 25-year-old.
As for Marcus, he's been projected to be one of the better offensive wingers of this draft class with a ton of skill and swagger to his game. It started with a dominant performance at the Ivan Hlinka Tournament before the season started with seven goals and five assists for 12 points in just five games. That was good enough to help Sweden to a silver medal, while also leading the tournament in overall scoring.
Nordmark took that performance at the Ivan Hlinka and dominated at the junior level in Sweden, registering 14 goals and 24 assists for 38 points in just 25 games played with Djurgårdens' J20 program. In the J20 playoffs, Nordmark upped his game even further with 23 points (6+17) in 11 games, and helping Djurgårdens IF to a second-straight junior gold.
His play at the junior level even earned Nordmark a brief stint at the Swedish Hockey League level with the parent club Djurgårdens IF, where he was able to pick up an assist in 11 games played.
Then at the IIHF U18 Championship, Nordmark continued to show off his offensive pizzaz with three goals and an assist in six games, helping the Swedes to a bronze medal finish in the tournament.
Perhaps what stands out most about Nordmark's game is the confidence he possesses in the offensive zone. He's one of the brighter minds when the ice is tilted, gifted to make life havoc for any opposing defenders.
Nordmark is tenacious on the forecheck and uses his speed and longer reach to close in on loose pucks and defenders quickly.
Once with the puck on his stick, Nordmark's got his head up to survey what's developing ahead of him, and gets the puck off his stick fast with either a snappy shot on goal, or a crisp pass to a teammate for a scoring chance.
Nordmark's confidence bleeds into his shot, as the puck comes off his stick with conviction and purpose each time he gets into it. He's also able to get as much of his 6-foot-2 and 193-pound frame into shots, generating power off the stick.
However, Nordmark is also gifted with some soft hands to dangle and control the puck like it's on a string. His touch on the puck can be seen in close on goal, or when needing to float a pass over a defender on an odd-man rush.
Nordmark has blazing speed on the rush, and can make any unsuspecting opposing player look silly if he manages to get even the slightest step on them. He's aggressive on the forecheck, keeps his feet moving, and has good edge work to move around in-tight and stay on his feet.
His strength is also present, especially against players of his similar age group, using his frame to protect pucks and win battles in front of the net or along the boards.
Where Nordmark's draft stock has him down the list a bit is he was able to dominate and be an offensive threat at the junior level, but didn't show all too much in his brief stint in the SHL. And while he was relied upon to play in all situations at the junior level in Sweden, his presence at both ends of the ice will need to be sharpened as he moves up the ranks and plays professionally in the coming years.
However, Nordmark is still a younger prospect, having only turned 18 last month.
A couple more seasons playing in Sweden will likely do wonders for a player like Nordmark. If he can carry the same level of offensive swagger to the top men's level with Djurgårdens IF, while also becoming more of a reliable two-way presence and more engaged in his own end of the ice, there's a strong chance that game will transition well to North America once he makes the jump.
Nordmark should surely be a first-round pick on the offensive talent alone. It'll just come down to how high teams value him once the draft gets underway.
