PROSPECT PROFILE: Olafson not shying away
Edmonton, AB – As the saying goes, “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog,” which is something Edmonton Oil Kings forward prospect Kylynn Olafson is hoping to prove.
Listed at just 5-foot-6 and 132 pounds ahead of the 2019 WHL Draft, the Lanigan, Saskatchewan product has a game that plays bigger than his measurements.
“The key for the skilled, smaller-bodied guys is that they have to able to skate,” said Oil Kings Director of Scouting Jamie Porter. “They don’t have the be involved in every physical play, but they can’t be shy either. You’ve got to have energy to your game and Kylynn has that. We’ve never seen him have any issues when the game is physical. He doesn’t stay away from the high traffic or dirty areas and has been able to create offence in those types of games.”
The Oil Kings used their seventh-round selection in the 2019 WHL Draft on Olafson after he put up 17 goals and 19 assists in just 26 games with the Humboldt Broncos U15 AA team while also serving as the team’s captain.
“He had a pretty good season that year, was over a point-a-game guy,” added Porter on the team’s decision to select Olafson. “He’s got a pretty good engine to him and brings a lot of energy. He certainly has some skill to his game and has shown us that he can play with other pretty skilled players.”
Following that season, Olafson made the jump to the U18 AAA ranks suiting up with the Tisdale Trojans. Despite playing against players two years older than him, Olafson continued to produce. In 39 games last year with the Trojans, he recorded five goals and 14 assists to go along with 30 penalty minutes.
In October 2019, Olafson, along with fellow Oil Kings prospect Eric Johnston, helped lead Team Saskatchewan to their first-ever WHL Cup title. In the gold-medal game, Olafson notched a goal and an assist, with his goal holding up as the game-winner in a 4-2 win over Team Manitoba. Ahead of the tournament, he was named an alternate captain for the team.
Olafson looked poised to improve upon his numbers entering his second season with the Trojans this year, scoring twice in his team’s opening three games before their season was prematurely cut short due the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“Tisdale was one of the first teams to shut down completely and send their players home,” said Porter. “He lives a couple of hours away, so he’s gone back to Lanigan to live with his parents where he does have an opportunity to skate as well as get a little bit ahead of his schooling.”
Olafson, now listed at 5-foot-9 and 150 pounds, is the youngest of four brothers (Brayden, Spencer and Parker) to parents Brent and Valerie.
