With the Hershey Bears in the Calder Cup Finals, it's also important to grade the Washington Capitals prospects as well. One player who is on defense and has that it factor is Hardy Haman Aktell.
With the Caps
HHA appeared in six regular season games and had an assist in the Caps win on Oct. 29 over the San Jose Sharks. That first NHL point came on a secondary assist on a goal from Dylan Strome. From Oct. 21 to Nov. 11, Haman Aktell had a plus/minus of -2 along with two penalty minutes and five shots on goal.
With the Bears
In Hershey Haman Aktell recorded two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 55 games. In the Calder Cup Playoffs he had one goal and three assists for four points in 11 games. He had a two point night with a goal and an assist against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on May 11.
Check out Sweeter by the Dozen from Monumental Sports Network to get you fired up for the Calder Cup Finals:
How he got here
Haman Aktell was drafted in 2016 in the fourth round by the Nashville Predators. He said via Elite Prosopects at the time, "I see myself as a two way defenseman and want to play both on the power play and in shorthanded situations."
Lucas Bergman of Scout would add, "I think he's a top four profile, lots of upsite."
After the draft he spent much time in the SHL before the Caps acquired him last offseason.
Advanced numbers in the NHL
Haman Aktell finished with a corsi for percentage of 52.64 percent which was the second best among rookie defenseman who played in at least three games at five on five. The expected goals for percentage came out to 52.71 percent. He also had a 53.85 high danger chances for percentage. These numbers came via Natural Stat Trick.
The top skating skpeed for Haman Aktell, per NHL Edge, clocked out to 31.40 percent which is just 3.48 below the league average among forwards and defensemen. His skating distance was at 14.57 while his top shot speed was at 137.52 kilometers per hour.
Final Grade B: HHA has all the tools and the skillset to be an NHLer. The question is how different the defense will look this upcoming offseason.