After spending much of the past month publishing various Draft preview articles, we’re down to the final two.
We began by looking at some of the names under consideration for the LA Kings selection at No. 5 – Bowen Byrum, Trevor Zegras, and Dylan Cozens; just to name a few. More recently, we’ve been profiling some of the players who could be under consideration for the team’s selection at No. 22 next Friday evening in Vancouver.
In our second-to-last piece from this year’s series, we have a European defenseman – somewhat of a rarity in a draft class that will most likely be dominated by players from the US National Program among the first couple dozen selections. Sweden is becoming one of the premier nations as far as providing NHL talent. At last year’s NHL Draft, Sweden had the third most draftees with 28. Only Canada (71) and the United States (55) had more. From the Kings current roster, center Adrian Kempe and newcomer Carl Grundstrom proudly rep the blue and yellow of their native land.
In this deep dive, we’re highlighting the skills of a utility blueliner who should provide a lot of tools to any organization. He’s currently developing in the same program which once honed the skills of Mattias Norstrom (BTW – if you’ve never read our article where the former Kings captain talks about the 2012 Stanley Cup, be sure to check it out here).
PHILIP BROBERG
Vitals
Date of Birth: June 25, 2001
Height: 6’3
Weight: 200 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
2018-19 Season
Broberg spent his entire 2018-19 season with the AIK organization, recording nine points (2 G, 7 A) in 41 games at the Allsvenskan level. Representing AIK in the SuperElit league, he tallied eight points (2 G, 6 A) in eight contests.
AIK Alumni
While there doesn’t appear to be anyone from the Kings who played with AIK-Allsvenskan, the AIK organization was once the stomping grounds for former Kings players Mattias Norstrom and Esa Pirnes.
International Play
Broberg represented Sweden in multiple tournaments this season. He started the season at the Hlinka Gretzky tournament wearing Tre Kronor, tallying four points (3 G, 1 A) in five meetings – helping Sweden earn silver. At the U18 WJC, he scored six points (2 G, 4 A) in seven games, en route to winning gold on home ice. Later, at the U20 level, Broberg suited up in four contests and picked up an assist.
Use The Force… Philip?
Results from the recent NHL Draft Combine show that Broberg finished in the Top 25 for two of the physical tests conducted – the Force Plate: Squat Jump (17th) and Force Plate: No Arm Jump (22nd).
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
- 26th by The Draft Analyst, who has kept him ranked in the first round all year long.
- 9th in McKeen’s Hockey’s final rankings. They actually had quite a bit to say in their review about him; namely, he’s among the best skaters in the draft class, and he has a good deal of size and strength that he’s still learning to use as he’s getting more comfortable taking the body.
- 9th by Corey Pronman of The Athletic. He also states Broberg is up there with Jack Hughes as far as being one of the best pure skaters among this year’s crop of prospects.
See For Yourself
Below is a compilation of plays involving Broberg at this year’s Hlinka Gretzky tournament and WJC:
Final Comments
As even the most casual hockey fan has heard by now, today’s NHL is said to be gravitating toward more speed. So when you have the option to pick one of the best pure skaters in a peer group, Broberg instantly becomes part of the conversation.
He is a big player, still learning to use his size and strength. Off the ice, an interesting aspect to Broberg’s overall development arc is the flexibility an organization can employ with him. Because he’s going to be drafted out of Europe, he would be eligible for the NHL, AHL — or even the ECHL — as far as professional hockey in North America goes, or he can continue to marinate in Europe. As an additional alternative, he was taken in the CHL Import Draft by the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs; thus he could go that route to get acquainted with the smaller ice surface while playing against younger competition.
NOTE: David Hofreiter was the lead contributor in the gathering of information used in this article. You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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