Analyzing Carl Soderberg

Carl Soderberg

After a long drawn out, back and forth, controversial process, Carl Soderberg was finally awarded to the Boston Bruins Saturday evening. The Swede was denied exit by Sweden’s Hockey Federation because of a supposed contract breach. The Federation claimed he was under contract with them, in addition to Linkopings (Soderberg’s SEL club). The B’s had negotiated for his rights and then proceeded to sign him to a three year contract. The NHL was forced to intervene, ruling that Soderberg’s release from Linkopings voided any other contractual obligations, thus freeing the forward and allowing him to join the Bruins.

Player Profile:

The St. Louis Blues selected Soderberg in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Boston acquired his rights in a trade that sent goaltender Hannu Toivonen to the Blues back in 2007. The highly regarded 27-year old has spent his entire professional career (10 seasons) playing in Sweden.

Carl Soderberg’s offensive talent is well documented. The 6-foot-3, 207lb, winger recorded 31 goals and 29 assists (60 Pts) in 54 games this year playing for Linkopings HC of the Swedish Elite League.

For a bigger guy, Soderberg possesses a polished skating ability. He is agile on his feet and has the capability to explode past defenders at will. The power-forward shoots the puck with great accuracy and can score from a variety of different areas. Not only does he have a refined scoring touch around the net, his terrific vision and passing ability makes he him a duel threat in the attacking end.

His defensive skills are still continuing to improve as he steadily matures into a two-way player. In the mean time, Soderberg’s size, strength, speed, and sound technical abilities will be more than sufficient in providing for the Bruins.

Expectations:

Don’t expect Carl Soderberg to be any sort of savior that leads the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title. Instead, view him as an important piece to the puzzle. Boston’s success still hinges on the health of Patrice Bergeron and the production from their current top forwards. He will join the B’s immediately upon arrival and should serve as an immense offensive upgrade no matter where he is slated in the lineup.

Adding another weapon to the mix just in time for the playoffs increases the Bruins chances for success, it does not guarantee them anything. It’s clear this guy can light the lamp, of course the rate at which he will be able to do so remains to be seen. Playing in a new league will take some adjustments. Soderberg needs to prove he can withstand the increased physical grind of NHL hockey.

He projects as a top six forward in the Boston lineup. He would benefit from playing alongside a guy like David Krejci. For now, Claude Julien will likely play the newcomer alongside a defensive minded player, such as Chis Kelly or Rich Peverley.  Once Soderberg arrives and practices with the team, everyone will have a better understanding as to where he will be placed.

What impresses me most about Carl Soderberg is his puck handling abilities. In watching several videos of Soderberg, it appears he is extremely strong on the puck and can dangle through traffic if need be. The manner in which he does so reminds me of the way Jaromir Jagr handles the biscuit. He drives the net similar to Milan Lucic, and has a quick release similar to that of Tyler Seguin. This kid looks promising.

Watch Soderbeg here: Soderberg's 2011-2012 Linkopings HC highlights
He is number 17 in blue and 17 in white.