With 12 points in 14 games, it’s safe to say that Victor Olofsson has met and possibly surpassed the Avalanche’s expectations set for him.
“He’s doing a great job with the ice time that he’s been given,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “Like any player, some nights, he stands out more than others, but he’s got really good detail to his game when it comes to the structure that he plays with — his puck decisions, he’s been committed on the checking side of it. We know this is a guy that can shoot; he can score. He seems like he’s getting a little confidence … from a player that we signed late in the offseason, he’s been exactly what we were looking for.”
The Ornskoldsvik, Sweden native signed a one-year contract with the Avs on Aug. 20 for $1.575 million. He has adapted quickly to the Avs’ system and developed chemistry with his linemates, fellow Swede Gabriel Landeskog and Jack Drury.
“Every game you play together, you get a little more comfortable. So it’s been rolling good, but we got to keep playing even better,” Drury said.
The 30-year-old forward was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2014 (7th round, 181st overall), but spent his first four professional years playing in the Swedish Hockey League. He played six games with the Sabres in the 2018-19 season and spent the next five with the team. He signed a one-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights as a free agent on July 2, 2024.
“Young player, lots of ability and talent and can score. You saw it in Buffalo already — significant contributions on their power play early in his career. Work to sort of round out his entire game through his course of his time in Buffalo. But what we saw with him going to Vegas last year is he was able to play on a really good team … the structure (of) the game that a team plays helped make him a better player,” Bednar said. “He was really good with (Jack) Eichel, (Mark) Stone, (William) Karlsson, some of the top six, played a lot of minutes in the top six with those guys last year, and did a really nice job.”
Olofsson has adapted quickly to his new team. He hasn’t just produced in 5-on-5 situations. He’s also been an asset to the top power-play unit with Nathan MacKinnon, as well. Two of his five goals have come on the man-advantage.
“We did see playing with better players, more experienced players, some high-end players like Eichel, that he was able to not only play with them, but help them, and then produce on his own too,” Bednar said. ” So, just kind of turned into a good fit for us. We were looking for wingers in our top nine that could help us score more, and he’s certainly shown he can do that.”
Olofsson is confident in his game, which has been evident in his success playing alongside elite players such as MacKinnon and Landeskog.
“They’re world-class players, and it obviously makes it a lot easier playing with guys like that,” Olofsson said. “It’s a lot of fun learning from them as well, and just watch them every day in practice. It’s pretty cool to see. So it’s a lot of fun.”
The Avs lines will change when Logan O’Connor returns from injury. How they’ll change and where Olofsson will end up is not yet known. Regardless of his position or linemates, he has demonstrated consistent productivity.
