Big Swedish d-man is just the kind of defender Edmonton Oilers are looking for. Maybe, just maybe

Article content

2021 Edmonton Oilers prospects
#17 Filip Berglund

Previously: #17 in 2020 (Dec.)

Article content

Big Swedish d-man Philip Berglund is just the kind of defenceman that the Edmonton Oilers are looking for.

Maybe.

Just maybe.

Berglund has the size, the shot and he can zip a pass. But is he agile enough to keep up with the NHL game? Is he sharp and tough enough to consistently block opposing forwards from making attacking plays around the net?

I had a poor first impression of Berglund the first and only times I’ve seen him play, earlier this past 2020-21 season when he was playing hurt in the Swedish Hockey League.

But there’s plenty to like about this 24-year-old player, starting with his good size, 6-feet, 2-inches, 210-pounds. He’s coming to North America late for a drafted player — he was taken in the third round in 2016 — but he’s made good use of his time in Europe. He’s got abundant experience in Sweden’s top league, where he’s already played five full seasons and seen his ice time rise from 9:30 per game in 2016-17 to 19:37 last year, 2020-21.

Article content

On the Oilers I see him fourth or fifth on the organization’s depth chart for right side d-men, behind Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Evan Bouchard for sure, and possibly behind Dmitri Samorukov, a lefty who excelled on right defence for CSKA last year.

He entered the Oilers organization when the team was hurting for depth at right defence. In his draft year of 2016, top scout Oilers Bob Green said: “He’s a big right-hand shot defenceman, can really move the puck, good hockey sense.”

And the NHL Draft Black Book reported: “Despite the large frame and not the fastest stride, Berglund actually has good finesse with the puck. He controls the puck very well and uses his size to protect it. Berglund has good instincts both when starting the transition out of his own zone as well as in the offensive zone. Not only does he not struggle with starting the transition, he looks pretty comfortable for a big man in those situations and will handle the puck without any panic in his game. He has good vision and can regularly execute accurate passes… When defending Berglund’s size helps and his defensive instincts are decent, but he is not a very physical player when considering his frame.”

Article content

Edmonton is looking for large men on defence who can block attackers and quickly and accurately move the puck to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, hitting them in stride as opposed to ringing the puck off the boards. Those early scouting reports indicate Berglund (pronounced “Berry-lund” by Swedish hockey announcers) just might be such a player.

Article content

In May 2020, the Oilers signed Berglund to an Entry Level Contract, but he played on loan for Linköping HC in Sweden rather than come over to Bakersfield for 2020-21.

That’s where I caught up with him, seeing a few of his games on video last fall. I didn’t know it at the time but he was playing with an injury that would soon knock him out of action for more than a month.

After his Oct. 17 game against Skelleftea, I reported that I had expected more from the minute-muncher. He was a big player but after watching Oilers prospects like Philip Broberg and Theo Lennstrom, he seemed a bit stiff, mechanical and lacking in creativity. On the plus side, he fired off strong passes and shots and defended well enough. With his long reach and good stick, he was able to shut down many attacks with swift stick-on-puck jabs of his blade.

Article content

I saw him again on Nov. 11 against Djurgardnes, but he hadn’t improved. He got beat cleanly a number of times. He was coming across as one of those big, strong, less than mobile d-men, who are OK at passing, strong at shooting but could use more agility, a Barry Long or a Kurtis Foster type.

But, as mentioned, I didn’t know he was then banged up with an upper body injury. A few days later he was on injured reserve.

Overall his goals and point scoring took a big drop last year, as did his goals plus-minus. I’ll write it off as a year lost to injury.

In early April, Berglund was slotted to come over to play out the season in Bakersfield, but due to COVID restrictions he was never able to get a work visa to travel from Sweden to the USA. That should now be worked out.

Article content

Expectations for 2021-22: That he earns a job on Top 4 in Bakersfield, gets special teams time there and establishes himself as a strong AHL player, maybe even getting a few games with the Oilers when injury strikes.

Previously in this series: