Say it with me, Detroit Red Wings fans. Hockey season is upon us again! Two games into the preseason schedule, Detroit checks in with a 1-1 record after last night’s 4-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. Though it is early preseason, one prospect has stood out in the eyes of many. That Detroit Red Wings prospect, Elmer Soderblom the Swedish forward.
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Soderblom’s Elite Prospects page lists him at 6-foot-8 and 249 pounds at 21 years old. He was selected by Detroit in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Over the last three years, he has played with Frolunda HC of the Swedish Elite League. Last season (2021-22) was his best of those three, as he potted 21 goals to go with 12 assists in 52 games.
Why is Detroit Red Wings prospect Elmer Soderblom raising eyebrows?
After an impressive preseason opener in which he scored a goal, management requested to see him in a top-six role.
He received a bigger role in the second preseason game. Although he didn’t find his name in the goal column of the box score, he still continued to make quite the impression.
In the third preseason skate, the Red Wings prospect netted a goal in the second period and pushed the score to 3-1 over the Washington Capitals, joining the likes of Filip Zadina and Steven Kampfer who inked their name in the box score during that period, putting the game out of reach. It’s as if they keep giving the kid the opportunity to prove himself and he is taking full advantage of it.
Will Red Wings prospect Elmer Soderblom be in Detroit to start the season?
It’s hard to make exact judgments after just threepreseason games of when Elmer Soderblom, the Detroit Red Wings prospect will make his debut. But it is certainly safe to say that Soderblom has at least put himself in the spotlight. Detroit made a lot of moves in free agency this off-season. This means it won’t exactly be easy for an unexpected prospect to make the team out of camp. It’s also fair to say that he could play himself right back out of contention for a roster spot. But, if Soderblom continues on this trajectory, the Red Wings might not have a choice but to at least keep him in North America this year.
The questions of who he would replace on the current roster will also be relevant. Could he take the place of someone like Adam Erne or Givani Smith in the bottom six? Would the team want him to stay in more of a top-six role, forcing a prominent name like Jakub Vrana to the third line? The questions will be abundant, but one thing is for certain: for a team that is on the brink of coming out of a rebuild, this is a really good problem to have.
Detroit Red Wings Remaining Preseason Schedule:
- Monday, October 3, 2022, v. Pittsburg Penguins
- Wednesday, October 5, 2022, @ Washington Capitals
- Friday, October 7, 2022, v. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Saturday, October, 8, 2022, @ Toronto Maple Leafs
From NHL.com:
This season’s 82-game slate features 26 games against Atlantic Division rivals, three games against the eight teams in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division (24 games) and two games against all 16 Western Conference foes (32 games).
Alex DiFilippo, detroitredwings.com
The Detroit Red Wings will kick off their season at Little Caesars Arena on Friday, October 14, 2022, against the Montreal Canadians.
