Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff posted a profile of Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom, noting that the Red Wings’ coach is very impressed with the 6’8″ forward’s moxie:
“I think it speaks to the organizational depth right now to have those kids come up and find a way to contribute,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “(Assistant coach) Trent Yawney and I don’t have any past experience, everything’s brand new for us. We just play them and see what we get out of them. They’ve responded. They’ve made good on their end of the bargain when they come up and play hard and they keep themselves in the lineup.”
In Soderblom’s case, he’s definitely delivering the goods. The 6-foot-8, 246-pound Swedish left-winger has 2-3-5 totals in nine games since his recall. That includes a five-game point streak, four games of which were played on the road.
“He looks like he belongs more and more every night,” McLellan said. “The size, the reach, but then the silkiness of his hands, the ability to make some plays. I have a lot of confidence in putting him on the ice right now. I’m not afraid or trying to hide him, or anything like that.”
There was always going to be intrigue in Soderblom’s case. The raw materials that he possesses alone kept the what if question on the forefront of people’s minds.
As the old saying goes, you can’t coach big. And you certainly can’t coach someone to play like they’re 6-foot-8.
What if Soderblom would master the art of using his size to his advantage? The possibilities seemed endless.
