Elmer Söderblom brings intrigue to match his size, which, at 6 foot 8 and 249 pounds, is really saying something.
Three years after the Detroit Red Wings plucked him in from the sixth round of the 2019 draft (No. 159 overall), the 21-year-old Swedish forward is ready to showcase his skills stateside. He’s coming off a breakout season in the Swedish Hockey League, in which he recorded 21 goals and 12 assists in 52 games for Frölunda. He’s part of a short prospects tournament in Traverse City that runs through Monday, with a better evaluation on the horizon when Wings camp begins Thursday.
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Söderblom knows what he has to do to stand out in the competition for jobs.
“My strength is an attack mindset and being around the net, being tough to play against, being able to protect the puck,” he said. “Use my big frame, stuff like that. I have to keep playing my game, maybe add some more physicality and play with my size even more. That’s what I have to do to be able to take a spot.”
As Söderblom put it, “I think I’m pretty much the tallest guy on the ice, often.”
As he has matured, he has learned how he can use his size to move defenders in front of an opponent’s net, and how he can use it to have the puck more.
“A few years ago, I was not really that smooth and comfortable with my body and big size,” he said. “I’m still working on it, to use my whole body and my big size. I think it’s going better and better. I want to show my style of play and the things I’m good at.”
The Wings want to see Söderblom build on his 2021-22 performance, when he led Frölunda’s under-21 skaters with 33 points. There’s an adjustment for European players as they acclimate to the smaller North American ice sheet, and Söderblom will have to get used to doing what he does, only quicker.
“It’s a little bit more physical, too, I think,” he said. “I have to be able to take a hit, give a hit as well. Just be quick in your mind and your feet and hands.”
Management is high on Söderblom: Speaking in July, general manager Steve Yzerman said, “I’m not trying to over-hype him but we’re cautiously optimistic that he’ll be a real good NHLer. When we had him here in training camp and we do some fitness tests, it was pretty exciting to see where he was at. It wasn’t like, ‘When this guy gets stronger,’ or ‘When this guy gets powerful,’ he’s already powerful and he’s already explosive. Can you imagine as he continues to work at it, where the potential is here?”
Friday’s match against Columbus Blue Jackets prospects at Centre Ice Arena was the first time in a couple years (thanks to the coronavirus pandemic) that Grand Rapids coach Ben Simon, who runs the Wings’ prospect squad, got to see Söderblom in action.
“His skating has gotten so much better,” Simon said. “Just growing into his body, he’s become a lot stronger. You don’t teach size. When you’re that big and you’ve got that strength on your skates and he protects the puck that well, if he can play below the tops of the circles and take pucks to the net and make a living at the net front, he’s going to be exciting for Wings fans to watch. It’ll be curious to see how that projection happens and how that development continues and what kind of path it goes on, but I’m sure Detroit is extremely happy with where he’s at right now.”
Söderblom’s case will be helped if, once exhibition games begin Sept. 27, he shows he can be an asset on power plays and use his size to screen goalies. The Wings come to camp with 13 NHL-tested forwards, but Söderblom has potential to squeeze into the competition.
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“Whether he’s in Detroit or Grand Rapids, it’s going to be a different culture, a different rink size, a lot of first experiences for him,” Simon said. “So he’s got to get some traction and play consistently well. We’ve seen that with other players — there is an acclimation period and the shorter that acclimation period can be, to get comfortable in North America, the quicker he’ll have success.”
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Her latest book, On the Clock: Detroit Red Wings: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.