Jonatan Berggren was a consensus first round pick in 2018. Surprisingly, he was not selected on Day 1 of the draft and was picked by the Detroit Red Wings as the second pick in round two at pick #33. After playing parts of four seasons in the SHL with Skelleftea, Berggren will bring his talents to North America next season.
Was Jonatan Berggren a steal for the Red Wings in the 2018 draft?
Red Wings’ 2018 Draft Looking Similar to 1989?
In 1989, the Detroit Red Wings drafted generational players Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov, along with Vladimir Konstantinov. It proved to be the kind of draft that helped the Red Wings secure 25 consecutive playoff appearances and four Stanley Cups.
Similar to 1989, the 2018 draft may end up producing several high end players for Detroit. Filip Zadina and Joe Veleno were selected in the first round. Both look to have the makings of being significant pieces of the Red Wings future. In the second round, Detroit selected Jonatan Berggren and Jared McIsaac. Both prospects seem to be close to making an impact in Detroit’s rebuild.
Was Berggren a Steal?
He recently played his first injury-free season of professional hockey. Berggren had a breakout season with Skelleftea as he tied for seventh in the SHL in scoring with 45 points in 49 games. This included the second most assists in the SHL with 33.