Courtesy Draftin-Europe
Filip Nordberg is a big, aggressive defenseman that likes to play with authority. He wants to put pressure on his opponents and force the play. He brings a physical presence in the corners and along the boards, showing good urgency on the penalty kill. He can however be at fault for being over-aggressive and gets burned, as his agility and footwork are not good enough to keep up when he takes a bad angle on a quicker forward. Nordberg also struggles to defend the rush. His lateral mobility is suspect and he often takes penalties to nullify chances created from being beaten wide or by agile forwards along the boards. He is occasionally dangled or turned inside-out by more skilled forwards, as he was by Kaskimäki at the Five Nations in Monthey. He doesn’t look comfortable when he needs to transition quickly from skating backwards to forward, often losing a step on the opposition. In terms of defensive responsibility, Nordberg seems slightly unsure at times. He fails to get his stick into the correct lanes on the penalty kill. He needs to become more aware in the defensive zone and survey more effectively. He reacts to plays more than reading them, hopefully as a result of a lack of experience rather than low Hockey IQ. Nordberg transferred from a small club to play with Linkoping last year, but only ended up playing 8 games because of the pandemic, so this with Sodertalje is his first full season playing at the top tier junior level. That probably plays a factor in how raw his game is. He needs to get coached and trained out of his issues. What makes him a potentially worthwhile investment is the ability he demonstrates to make plays with the puck. He shows some flair moving forward with it, can make nice simple and crisp passes in transition and effective short range outlet passes. More surprisingly, he displays quick hands and the stickhandling ability needed to beat opponents one-on-one. When he suddenly activates from the offensive blueline, beating the forward in front to then drive the middle and release his threatening shot, he can look really impressive. Those moments are evidence of his upside, and his intriguing numbers back up that feeling. At the same, he doesn’t play a reliable game during possession either, as he has a tendency to nonchalantly release risky passes in the D-zone that can result in dangerous turnovers. To say Nordberg is a work in progress would be an understatement, but he certainly is an intriguing prospect
-ep.jpg)
www.eliteprospects.com
