The Athletic’s Corey Pronman posted an article discussing his “all-stars, surprises and disappointments” at this year’s World Junior Championship in Edmonton, and one Red Wings prospect made his “surprises” list:
Elmer Soderblom, LW, Sweden (Detroit)
Soderblom has been rising since he was a sixth-round pick by Detroit in 2019. He’s a very large human who has tremendous puck skills. His ability to go one-on-one against opponents and make tough plays in small areas was consistently on display as one of Sweden’s most dangerous offensive players. He hasn’t gotten it done versus men primarily due to his poor skating, which will be his main issue in the NHL, but he’s certainly a player trending up and looks like a guy who could play NHL games one day.
Continued (paywall); you can always work on your skating. I’m not sure if you can work on possessing the hockey sense or innate talent necessary to score two of these kinds of goals, and make it look natural:
Get a workin’ on moving those big feet, Elmer.
