RW Niklas Nordgren, HIFK - 74th overall 2018

[Rick C137]

It's been a while since 2014-15 when Hawks beat TB in the finals....and it's been 14 years since Lightning won the Stanley Cup. I wouldn't call that anything to write home about. The missing ingredient could very well be on the physicality side of the game that generally comes with size.
In case anyone missed it, Caps were destroying other teams with physical hockey on their way to the SC. Literally every playoff series was physical, in fact. If Hawks insist on going small, the character becomes even more important for smaller players who will need to play in the trenches, especially at crunch time.

Look who Tampa has lost to in the playoffs. 3 straight playoffs they’ve lost to the cup champion. 2/3 times to a team just as small as them. Pens were in the bottom half of the league in size and we’re not a physical team and they ripped off two straight cups (while beating the caps both years while they had those same physical players). Chicago was the least physical team in the playoffs in 2015 and we all know how that worked out. Physicality is for sure a nice add if you can get it but it needs to come along with speed and skill which the Capitals had a bunch of. Kinda like Clyde said before me it’s a really simplistic view to credit just the physical play for the cup when they were an incredibly skilled team.

I’m not sure if Tampa has a missing ingredient, they’re just a testament to how hard it is to win a championship in this league. Not only do you need to be one of the best teams but you need a great deal of luck. They’ll get theirs.

 

[Pez68]

Exactly. Pittsburgh won back to back cups and both times were a bottom 5 or bottom 10 team in the NHL, size wise.

 

[Son of Petter]

Was Nordgren called up on the big squad? Looks like on Elite Prospects that he may have?

 

[migi]

Was Nordgren called up on the big squad? Looks like on Elite Prospects that he may have?

He is not playing with the men's team today in season opener.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Was Nordgren called up on the big squad? Looks like on Elite Prospects that he may have?

Nordgren hasn't played yet in HIFK's liiga team.
He's playing in HIFK's A juniors right at the moment.
In 4 A juniors SM liiga game Nordgren has tallied 4 assists ( 1,00 PPG)

 

[EbonyRaptor]

Nordgren hasn't played yet in HIFK's liiga team.
He's playing in HIFK's A juniors right at the moment.
In 4 A juniors SM liiga game Nordgren has tallied 4 assists ( 1,00 PPG)

He got an assist today in HIFK-U20 win.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

He got an assist today in HIFK-U20 win.

Yes he did.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Sorry late update.
But better later than never.

If you guys ( Blackhawks fans) wanna see Nordgren playing best way for that is get ruutu+ subscription.
Ruutu+ owns broadcasting rights A juniors SM liiga games.

First subscription month is free but then it'll cost 9,90 Euros ( approximately 10 euros) per month.

 

[AmericanDream]

kid has looked good, now we need to see what he does when/if he gets called up

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Plays this season's first liiga game tonight vs Jukurit.
Nordgren is HIFK's 3rd line with Teemu Tallberg and Tommi Santala.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Good game for Nordgren tonight vs Jukurit.
Niklas logged icetime 15:26 had 6 shots to the net and scored game winning goal which was also his first career goal in SM liiga. Plus-minus reading was +1. HIFK won Jukurit game 4-3.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Niklas Nordgren's 1st liiga goal.
That first goal of the video belongs to 2020 NHL draft prospect Anton Lundell.

 

[pvr]

Niklas Nordgren's 1st liiga goal.
That first goal of the video belongs to 2020 NHL draft prospect Anton Lundell.

I understood one word out of the commentary... “Blackhawks”.

 

[migi]

I understood one word out of the commentary... “Blackhawks”.

There is literally nothing more than that.

First goal in mens league, finally. Haha.

This Lundell kid is going to be good.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

 

[hawksfan50]

So he now has 2g 1a in 4 Liga games played ..

 

[LDF]

that was a sweet pass,

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

So he now has 2g 1a in 4 Liga games played ..

With better linemates Nordgren would have scored more points than 2+1.
Nordgren has played mostly in 3rd line with Teemu Tallberg and Tommi Santala.

Nordgren has also got some minutes in HIFK's 1st powerpaly unit.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

that was a sweet pass,

Anton Lundell is one TOP centers available 2020 draft.
Not a Lafreniere's challenger to 1st overall but he could be first Finn to get his name called somewhere TOP10.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Nordgren's powerplay goal vs Tappara.

 

[StiffSquid]

1g 1a for Nordgren today. He seems to be doing great.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Just playing with EliteProspects a bit, comparing Nordgren to other players in Liiga.

Out of all players under 23, Nordgren (18) is 7th in PPG. However, EP has not yet updated for today's game, which now brings him to a PPG rate, which bumps him up to a tie with fellow Hawks prospect Roy Radke for 2nd. Radke has played only a single game in that league, so I'm pretty confidant that PPG will drop.

Nordgren, on the other hand, has played less than half of the games compared to the players currently listed ahead of him in that category (except for Radke). So small sample size does play a role, but it's still rare for a player to be PPG in that league when they're 21 or 22, especially so when they are only 18. If he can somehow keep this up for the entire season, he will skyrocket in prospect rankings (not just for us, but NHL prospects in general).

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

 

[hawksfan50]

An actual shot goal! The kid has a "shot" that beats goalies ! Our own Kucherov? WE CAN only hope!

 

[Kevin Musto]

An actual shot goal! The kid has a "shot" that beats goalies ! Our own Kucherov? WE CAN only hope!

He's basically Finnish DeBrincat