Coyotes trade up to draft Swedish blue-liner Victor Soderstrom 11th overall
The Arizona Coyotes selected defenseman Victor Soderstrom with the 11th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft.
The Coyotes moved up in a trade with the Flyers that sent picks No. 14 and No. 45 to Philadelphia.
Victor Soderstrom
Position: Defense
Height: 6-feet
Weight: 183 lbs
Age: 18
Club: Brynas IF (SHL)
Nationality: Sweden
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 4 | 3 | 7 |
(Stats courtesy: EliteProspects.com)
Soderstrom has the potential to be a special player. His game is perfectly built for today's NHL. As a right-handed, puck-moving defenseman, he'll be a highly coveted commodity. His stats don't jump off the page, but that's because he was a 17-year-old playing against grown men in Sweden's top professional league.
He's your prototypical Swedish blue-liner. He's a smooth skater, calm with the puck, and makes an excellent first pass. After moving the puck, he loves joining the attack. He's not afraid to get creative at the point as the last man back. It can get him into trouble at times, but he has the quick hands to make plays that other players could only dream of. Adept at quarterbacking a power play.
Soderstrom gets it done on the defensive end as well. He isn't very physical, but has a good stick, closes gaps well, and can read plays.
What they're saying
In an exercise with The Athletic's Craig Custance, an amateur scout was asked to draw comparisons between draft prospects and current NHLers. For Soderstrom, the scout decided on Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi.
"He’s another offensive player. He’s not Erik Karlsson. How offensive is he going to be? Who knows? He’s reliable. He’s dependable. He could be top 10 in the draft. He could be the second D off the board. Josi is a pretty good all-around defenseman who has some offense, too."