159. overall C/W Elmer Söderblom

[Nut Upstrom]

I don’t know man, Josh Anderson gives me Abdelkader vibes. Grinder who overachieved when playing up on a thin lineup.

Soderblom with better balance and strength ends up a better version of JVR or Kreider.

Josh Anderson never played up in CBJ's line up. He's always been third or fourth line and second unit pp if he was lucky. You need to watch a healthy JA if you get Abdelkader vibes off of him. Hopefully he is healthy this season.

I don't see any Josh Anderson in Soderblom, unfortunately.

 

[MBH]

I'm not necessarily saying that Soderblom faces identical obstacles to those that Axel Holmstrom faced. I'm saying that Soderblom still hasn't established himself as a legitimate SHL forward, and that, even if he does, it's a long road from the SHL to the NHL. I obviously want the kid to succeed, but some folks seem ready to pencil him into our middle six a few years down the road and I think that's very ambitious.

I'm talking about assets. Skills. Ability. Physical ability.
Holmstrom didn't have it.
Obviously, Soderblom has a lot to prove. He's got parts of his game (defense/skating/passing) that need work.

But if you're not hyped about watching your 6th round pick look like the MVP of a team with 3 top 10-picks...



When I looked at Soderblom in the summer of 2019 - he stood out.
But just in a "Wow, that big guy has some moves and decent skating for a guy his size."
But I've seen
* Tremendous improvement in the power of his skating.
* Even better, faster hands.
* He's bigger and heavier and just overpowering guys when he's not dangling or reaching past them.
* Industrious effort on the boards. Not a hitter, but he kept possessions alive with size and effort on the boards.
* The ability to skate through neutral ice with possession and beat defensemen 1-on-1.

If you expected this and weren't surprised by it... well...
You were in the know.
A lot of us weren't.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

I'm talking about assets. Skills. Ability. Physical ability.
Holmstrom didn't have it.

I'm not trying to derail this into a Holmstrom thread, but he was a 6'1 center breaking the Sedin's SHL playoff scoring record for a junior player with 18 points in 15 games. To me, that's a lot more impressive than Soderblom's WJC performance.

But if you're not hyped about watching your 6th round pick look like the MVP of a team with 3 top 10-picks...

I don't think he was the MVP of the team. I am hyped for Soderblom, he had an impressive tournament and I also liked what I saw from him at camp. He's put up good numbers in the U20s that will hopefully start to translate better into the Frolunda men's team. The confidence he's gained from the tournament could certainly help with that.

I like where Soderblom's game is at. I also liked where Ryan Sproul's game was at in Soo. I liked where Dennis Cholowski's game was at in Portland. I liked where Axel Holmstrom's game was at in Skelleftea.

I can simultaneously recognize that a) Soderblom had a really nice tournament that should put him on more folks' radars and should give him confidence to make a bigger impact with Frolunda during the second half of the season, and b) the WJC isn't always a reliable indicator of a player's ability and a D+2 winger putting in impressive shifts and scoring 3 points in 5 games isn't going to fundamentally change my view of that prospect

 

[MBH]

I'm not trying to derail this into a Holmstrom thread, but he was a 6'1 center breaking the Sedin's SHL playoff scoring record for a junior player with 18 points in 15 games. To me, that's a lot more impressive than Soderblom's WJC performance.



I don't think he was the MVP of the team. I am hyped for Soderblom, he had an impressive tournament and I also liked what I saw from him at camp. He's put up good numbers in the U20s that will hopefully start to translate better into the Frolunda men's team. The confidence he's gained from the tournament could certainly help with that.

I like where Soderblom's game is at. I also liked where Ryan Sproul's game was at in Soo. I liked where Dennis Cholowski's game was at in Portland. I liked where Axel Holmstrom's game was at in Skelleftea.

I can simultaneously recognize that a) Soderblom had a really nice tournament that should put him on more folks' radars and should give him confidence to make a bigger impact with Frolunda during the second half of the season, and b) the WJC isn't always a reliable indicator of a player's ability and a D+2 winger putting in impressive shifts and scoring 3 points in 5 games isn't going to fundamentally change my view of that prospect

With Holmstrom, I was always too skeptical of his skating to believe in his upside.

I don't know how many minutes you've watched Soderblom in the last 18 months.
For me? It was zero. Other than twitter/youtube highlights, I haven't watched him since the prospect tournament.
So when I get to see a player in action, game after game, shift after shift, it has the ability to FUNDAMENTALLY change my view of a player.

Unless you're a pro scout who watches these guys on a regular basis, I'm not sure why you wouldn't let a WJC tournament fundamentally change your view of a player.

 

[SirloinUB]

Unless you're a pro scout who watches these guys on a regular basis, I'm not sure why you wouldn't let a WJC tournament fundamentally change your view of a player.

Obviously these tournaments can offer hints into development but to view these results in isolation and allow them to "Fundamentally change your view" is crazy.

Its a small sample size in an atypical environment/situation that leads to a skewed understanding of what a player is. Remember Frk in the U20s? He was excellent and how did that turn out?

 

[Konnan511]

From over a year ago:

For someone 7'2", he sure does have the hands of someone much smaller. He'll be the quickest riser come mid season polls.

Obviously these tournaments can offer hints into development but to view these results in isolation and allow them to "Fundamentally change your view" is crazy.

Its a small sample size in an atypical environment/situation that leads to a skewed understanding of what a player is. Remember Frk in the U20s? He was excellent and how did that turn out?

This tourney is a small sample size, but if you've watched him since last training camp and forward, you could tell this could is a baller.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

With Holmstrom, I was always too skeptical of his skating to believe in his upside.

Agreed.

Unless you're a pro scout who watches these guys on a regular basis, I'm not sure why you wouldn't let a WJC tournament fundamentally change your view of a player.

A few reasons

1) It's a tiny sample size.

2) Parity between nations is super slanted, so even the few games we do see often aren't a great representation of how a player functions in a more traditionally competitive environment.

3) Because players only practice together for a couple of weeks prior, international tournaments, especially at the youth level, usually dumb down systems significantly. For that reason, players with physical advantages often outshine players who function better in the more sophisticated systems of the professional leagues.

4) Geographic differences, Euros playing on NA ice and vice versa, some players coming in from leagues that have been playing (Europe, NCAA), some players coming in rusty (CHL primarily).

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Josh Anderson never played up in CBJ's line up. He's always been third or fourth line and second unit pp if he was lucky. You need to watch a healthy JA if you get Abdelkader vibes off of him. Hopefully he is healthy this season.

I don't see any Josh Anderson in Soderblom, unfortunately.

Admittedly, I've only seen Josh Anderson last season and I caught myself saying, "How'd THAT guy score 20 goals?".

However, in the 2 seasons prior to his injury he played 18 and 17 minutes a night. Not exactly 3rd line minutes.

 

[MBH]

Agreed.



A few reasons

1) It's a tiny sample size.

2) Parity between nations is super slanted, so even the few games we do see often aren't a great representation of how a player functions in a more traditionally competitive environment.

3) Because players only practice together for a couple of weeks prior, international tournaments, especially at the youth level, usually dumb down systems significantly. For that reason, players with physical advantages often outshine players who function better in the more sophisticated systems of the professional leagues.

4) Geographic differences, Euros playing on NA ice and vice versa, some players coming in from leagues that have been playing (Europe, NCAA), some players coming in rusty (CHL primarily).

What sample size did you have before this?
Seriously.
Unless you're watching every Frolunda game or all his junior game - it's absolutely laughable to complain about the "sample size" of the WJCs.

You're arguing yourself into a corner where "less information" is better than "more information."

Soderblom created chances in every game I watched - so the parity argument doesn't mean much.

 

[Ed Ned and Leddy]

What sample size did you have before this?
Seriously.
Unless you're watching every Frolunda game or all his junior game - it's absolutely laughable to complain about the "sample size" of the WJCs.

You're arguing yourself into a corner where "less information" is better than "more information."

Soderblom created chances in every game I watched - so the parity argument doesn't mean much.

No, I'm quite literally arguing the opposite.

A neutral observer watching only this tournament with zero prior knowledge would likely think Devon Levi is a stronger goalie prospect than Yaroslav Askarov. Could Levi end up a better player than Askarov? Sure, it's possible I guess. But it would be foolish to base your opinion of players from one tournament and ignore the broader context of the players' prior performance, whether you yourself have watched it or not. Personally I haven't seen much of Askarov in the KHL, nor have I seen a single minute of Devon Levi in the CCHL. For the most part, I've only seen the players in international tournaments. But I'm not going to sit here and say that Devon Levi is a better prospect than Yaroslav Askarov due to my viewings, because I understand that Askarov has performed consistently in Russia for years while Levi has never shown consistent performance at a high level.

Whenever I watch Tampa Bay, Tyler Johnson looks like a perennial All-star. But I would never suggest that we make a perennial All-star trade offer for Tyler Johnson, because I recognize that I can't see the bulk of his performances and I don't let my limited viewing unfairly skew my opinion of the player.

Same is true for Soderblom. I've seen him in camp, a few Frolunda games, a few WJC games. I like what I've seen. Maybe not as much as you do- I thought he was good, not great, this WJC. Two of his three points came from a fun but pretty gimicky net-front move that I strongly doubt translates to pro leagues on a consistent basis. I thought he showed a high compete level, works hard along the boards, shows good hands, etc. But I'm not going to go as far as some fans here and say that he's a better prospect than Michael Rasmussen, who has produced better in his D+2 year in the NHL than Soderblom has in the SHL.

 

[Henkka]

Tableau Public
Söderblom and Swedish expected primay points.
4th line level at 5-on-5.

 

[lomekian]

I'm not trying to derail this into a Holmstrom thread, but he was a 6'1 center breaking the Sedin's SHL playoff scoring record for a junior player with 18 points in 15 games. To me, that's a lot more impressive than Soderblom's WJC performance.

Crucial point here is that Holmstrom was smart and determined but lacked any outstanding attribute 'freebies' and then blew his knee which diminished his ok skating to the point where he stopped being a likely NHL guy.

 

[lomekian]

Soderblom still has questions about motor, shot, passing and defensive coverage re the NHL level, but we can now be confident that on top of NHL + size, he has worked out better how to use his good hands and pretty good skating in a manner that utilises his size. What we can say is that if he stays injury free, we can be confident that a late round pick is showing enough to at least get a decent look at NA pro hockey, and is not that far off pencilling himself in for a proper NHL look. If he progresses over the next 2 years at the same rate as the last two, he'll be a roster player, which is a steal.

Lots to work on, but you've got to be excited by a prospect who keeps exceeding expectations.

 

[Gniwder]

Crucial point here is that Holmstrom was smart and determined but lacked any outstanding attribute 'freebies' and then blew his knee which diminished his ok skating to the point where he stopped being a likely NHL guy.

I think you just described Svech too.

 

[Hatter of the Beach]

Has 6 points (3-3) in 9 games this season after only scoring 5 in 28 last year.

Still a very intriguing prospect

 

[Killerjas]

I think he will be a bottom 6 winger at best, but yeah getting that with a 6th rounder is a huge win

 

[cjeagle]

SHL Spotlight: Elmer Söderblom

Elmer Söderblom is off to a great start in his second "real" season in the SHL. In this edition of the "SHL Spotlight" series, he shares his thoughts on Frölunda as an organization, the league, his own play and much more.

The Player

And using his big stature, 6'8", 220 lbs, he's making the opposing d-men work hard, often moving in from the wing to wreak havoc in front of the net. And if you've watched him play, you know he does it in a very smooth way. How is that? Well, he has been playing hockey for most of his life, but he also did Greco-Roman wrestling with his brother Arvid when he was younger.
"Hockey was our primary sport. I've been playing soccer as well. But I did wrestle for a few years I think it was our dad who saw the benefits from it... he says, realizing there was another reason as well: "Or..we were fighting a lot, me and Arvid. So we thought it could be a good thing for us. The physical training of wrestling is very good and you do get your body in order and you practice controlling your body in another way. So, yeah, I guess it has played a role"

Speaking of the future. Elmer Söderblom was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round, 159th overall, back in 2019. Does he dare to dream of the NHL?
"Yeah, of course one can dream. But at the same time, you need to focus on what's here and now. I take one day at a time," he says.
I ask if he is in touch with the Red Wings organization.
"Yeah, Niklas Kronwall has been in Sweden quite a lot so we've been talking some. I get the feeling they've got a good feel for where their prospects are at," he says.

 

[golffuul]

SHL Spotlight: Elmer Söderblom

Elmer Söderblom is off to a great start in his second "real" season in the SHL. In this edition of the "SHL Spotlight" series, he shares his thoughts on Frölunda as an organization, the league, his own play and much more.

The Player

And using his big stature, 6'8", 220 lbs, he's making the opposing d-men work hard, often moving in from the wing to wreak havoc in front of the net. And if you've watched him play, you know he does it in a very smooth way. How is that? Well, he has been playing hockey for most of his life, but he also did Greco-Roman wrestling with his brother Arvid when he was younger.
"Hockey was our primary sport. I've been playing soccer as well. But I did wrestle for a few years I think it was our dad who saw the benefits from it... he says, realizing there was another reason as well: "Or..we were fighting a lot, me and Arvid. So we thought it could be a good thing for us. The physical training of wrestling is very good and you do get your body in order and you practice controlling your body in another way. So, yeah, I guess it has played a role"

Speaking of the future. Elmer Söderblom was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the sixth round, 159th overall, back in 2019. Does he dare to dream of the NHL?
"Yeah, of course one can dream. But at the same time, you need to focus on what's here and now. I take one day at a time," he says.
I ask if he is in touch with the Red Wings organization.
"Yeah, Niklas Kronwall has been in Sweden quite a lot so we've been talking some. I get the feeling they've got a good feel for where their prospects are at," he says.

Kronwall talking to Soderblom.....Soderblom seeing more success. Seems like Kronner has found his post-playing career and looks to be really good at it.

 

[r0bert8841]

Kronwall talking to Soderblom.....Soderblom seeing more success. Seems like Kronner has found his post-playing career and looks to be really good at it.

As good as Hakan is, these last few drafts of Swedish players have all seriously overachieved, and I think Kronwall is a huge reason why. He is taking Hakans work to the next level.

 

[TheOctopusKid]

As good as Hakan is, these last few drafts of Swedish players have all seriously overachieved, and I think Kronwall is a huge reason why. He is taking Hakans work to the next level.

I think Lids and Hank are also working in official capacity there as well, aren't they?

 

[golffuul]

I think Lids and Hank are also working in official capacity there as well, aren't they?

Hank is not. Lids is doing some occasional scouting with Hakan.

 

[deca guard]

 

[Henkka]

As good as Hakan is, these last few drafts of Swedish players have all seriously overachieved, and I think Kronwall is a huge reason why. He is taking Hakans work to the next level.

I think Lids and Hank are also working in official capacity there as well, aren't they?

Hank is not. Lids is doing some occasional scouting with Hakan.

Could see it's all of them.

Never a biased one guy opinion. Håkan probably asks multiple opinions and if everybody agrees, it's a slam dunk pick. Then there' could be Yzerman and Verbeek confirming that through video material.

They just can't miss with all the eyes.

 

[lilidk]

As good as Hakan is, these last few drafts of Swedish players have all seriously overachieved, and I think Kronwall is a huge reason why. He is taking Hakans work to the next level.

Should Yzerman bring him to GR as assistant coach?

 

[golffuul]

Should Yzerman bring him to GR as assistant coach?

Probably no need unless all of Kronner's "kids" graduate to the NHL. He already comes over for development and prospect camps. And I'm sure he stops in once or twice during the year.