The Hockey News’s Tony Ferrari posted a list of “Nine Standout European Prospects to Open the Season,” and Red Wings prospect Elmer Soderblom cracked Ferrari’s list:
lmer Söderblom, RW/LW, Frölunda HC (SHL), Detroit Red Wings
The big man has been a big deal to start the season. The 6-foot-8 Söderblom has always had a boatload of skill and great hands in tight, but his mobility as a whole was questionable, to say the least. It was the primary reason the Swedish giant lasted until the sixth round of the 2019 NHL draft.
Söderblom has been a key piece to Frölunda’s attack this season as he has proven to be reliable and consistent with a real drive to improve. His mobility clearly hindered him last season as he was extremely reliant on his strong puck protection at the SHL level but against men, it wasn’t as consistently reliable. Söderblom is looking more and more like a productive bottom-six NHLer every day.
Continued; if you missed it, Soderblom scored the OT game-winner for Frolunda HC today:
Elmer Söderblom scores again (5th goal the last 5 games), and decides the game in overtime #LGRW pic.twitter.com/h86AueBHJh
— IcehockeyGifs (@IcehockeyG) October 21, 2021
I read the article and I was a bit surprised that Edvinson wasn’t mentioned. But that is OK if he doesn’t get that much publicity here. He certainly is getting it in Sweden. Of note as well in a redraft of 2019 prospects by Corey Pronman of “The Athletic” , mentions Soderblom should have been picked in the low 30’s overall.
I’m getting a little tired of Pronman’s re-hashing of the drafts, but that’s just me.