Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted an article regarding one Elmer Soderblom. He may not be a physical presence, but the 6’8,” 249-pound forward certainly offers a unique skill set as a gigantic, superbly-talented forward:
Historically as he’s moving up the hockey ladder, Soderblom hits his stride in his second season at that level. It shouldn’t be concerning then, if he should originally be struggling through his North American transition.
“I think everything’s quicker,” Soderblom said of the game on the smaller ice. “You gotta do everything a little more quicker and it’s a little more physical I think. You’ve got to be able to take a hit and give a hit as well.
“Just be quick in your mind and your feet and your hands. Pretty much just do everything a little bit quicker.”
How rapidly he can be making this transition will got a long way in determining where Soderblom is playing during his first North American pro season.
“It’s going to be a little bit different for him,” Simon said. “Whether he’s in Detroit or Grand Rapids, it’s going to be a different culture, it’s going to be a different rink size. So a lot of first-time experiences for him. He’s got to get some traction and play consistently well. We’ve seen that before with other players who’ve come over. There is an acclimation period. And the shorter that acclimation period can be to get comfortable in North America, I think the quicker he’s gonna have success.”
Continued; I’m fairly certain that Soderblom will star the season in Grand Rapids, but you never know.
