Detroit Red Wings hope to have better luck with Mathias Brome than recent European imports

Detroit Free Press

Helene St. James
 
| Detroit Free Press

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Mathias Brome is in game mode, and that may just work out for him and for the Detroit Red Wings.

The Wings regularly take a flyer on an undrafted European player, hoping he can come over and help them win games.

The latest such example is Brome, a 26-year-old Swedish forward who was signed to a one-year deal last April. He’s had a good showing in training camp, highlighted by regulation and shootout goals in the first scrimmage.

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“Impact on the game is a big part,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “You can have a good skill set but if your impact on the game is negligible, then it doesn’t really help. His impact in practice and his impact in the game has been pretty positive.”

Brome (6-foot, 183 pounds) is an agile skater and hard worker who garnered attention after a breakout year in the Swedish Hockey League in 2018-19, when he recorded 15 goals and 20 assists in 52 games for Mora IK — a 14-point bump from the previous season. The Wings hope he can inject their team with a little offense and be a good two-way player.

“He seems to be smart,” Blashill said. “He’s been good on the penalty kill and he’s been good on the power play when he’s had a chance and he’s been good five-on-five. We hope he’s  a guy who can give us more depth.”

The Wings were off Wednesday after spending five straight days on the ice. They resume training camp Thursday, with scrimmages scheduled for Friday and Sunday. They open the season Jan. 14 against the Carolina Hurricanes at Little Caesars Arena.

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General manager Steve Yzerman signed Brome to a one-year, $925,000 contract. Brome was also pursued by the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals.

“I had a good talk with Steve,” Brome said. “That’s what I felt was the best chance for me to play in the NHL. That’s why I chose Detroit.

“I’m really hoping I have a good chance to make the team, but it’s up to me to do that. I’m going to take every day here and do my best and see how long it will take to make the team. … I feel like I am ready. I have developed a lot back home in Sweden. The point I am at now in my career, I really feel there is a good chance to fight for a spot on the team.”

Brome reached out to former Wings defenseman and fellow Swede Niklas Kronwall, who has been part of the hockey operations staff since retiring after the 2018-19 season.

“He explained a little bit how it is to live here and how it is to play here,” Brome said. “It’s good. I like it.”

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Brome had to quarantine for 10 days after coming over from Sweden in mid-December. He was there playing for Örebro, where he had four goals and 16 assists in 23 games.

“It was important that I played games,” Brome said. “I feel like I am ready and in the game-mode — you say that, maybe? I played 23 games at home, so I feel ready.”

Brome may be able to break the recent trend of undrafted European players who have come over with promise but left faint impression. In 2019, Finnish defenseman Oliwer Kaski was signed to a one-year deal; he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for minor-league defenseman Kyle Wood after 19 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (two goals, three assists) and never appeared in a Wings game.

In 2017, the Wings signed Czech defenseman Libor Sulak after scouting him at the World Championship; he played but six games for the Wings. The last European import to make a decent contribution was Swiss forward Damien Brunner, who was signed to a one-year deal in 2012 and joined the Wings after the lockout was resolved. Brunner had a solid rookie season with 12 goals and 14 assists in 44 games. But Brunner overestimated his value in turning down multiple-year contract offers from the Wings, opting instead to sign with the New Jersey Devils as a free agent.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her book, The Big 50: The Detroit Red Wings is available from AmazonBarnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail. 

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