PLYMOUTH, MI – FEBRUARY 15: Jonatan Berggren #17 of the Sweden Nationals skates up ice with the puck against the Finland Nationals during the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament game at USA Hockey Arena on February 15, 2018 in Plymouth, Michigan. Finland defeated Sweden 5-3. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)*** Local Caption *** Jonatan Berggren
One of the more touted Swedes in the Red Wing’s prospect pipeline is Jonatan Berggren. Berggren was an early second round pick in the 2018 Draft, and some experts at the time had Berggren as a first round talent. He’s show all season long why that was the case. The Athletic’s Max Bultman wrote about how his “scorching start” was everything the Red Wings could dreamed of.
Currently sitting at 40 total points with 11 goals and 29 assists, Berggren is sixth in the SHL in points, which leads his team, Skelleftea AIK. He is averaging .91 points per game.
With 29 assists, only 3 forwards under the age of 21 have more in a single NHL season – Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Sedin and Elias Pettersson.
Yes, you read that right: Berggren’s performance is so impressive, that he is being compared to Red Wings legend Henrik Zetterberg. With comparisons like that, his name might be included in top Red Wings lists in future seasons.
It would be unfair to expect Berggren to be the next Zetterberg, but his SHL stats are definitely something Detroit fans can get hyped about. His passing and puck protections are just a couple of the tools the young Swede uses to create offensive chances.
Although Berggren’s excellent assist numbers are impressive, his goal scoring ability cannot be overlooked, either. Berggren has shown flashes where his puck control matches some of the league best.
And just for fun, here’s Red Wings prospect Moritz Seider going at it with Berggren.
Berggren is one of the Red Wings best prospects and the results in the SHL should get any Red Wing fan excited for what could be. Skelleftea is sitting third in the standings, and will most likely end up going decently far in the playoffs. This will only help his development.
If Berggren continues to stay hot in the SHL for the remainder of the season, there is a very good chances that this Swede could crack the roster sometime early next season.