Edmonton Oilers select D Philip Broberg 8th overall
By Zach Laing
4 years agoThe Edmonton Oilers have selected defenceman Philip Broberg with the 8th overall pick in Friday night’s NHL Entry Draft.
The six-foot, three-inch, 203 lb. left-shot rearguard played for AIK in Swedish Allsvenskan league last season, scoring nine points in 41 games.
Broberg’s name had been floating around the Edmonton rumour mill for a few weeks now, with many media members suggesting he was the man the Oilers had been targeting all along. Those came to fruition Friday.
“I’m just so honoured to be an Oiler now and I’m so happy right now,” Broberg told The Nation Network’s Ryan Pike. “I saw some of the (Edmonton during the Hlinka-Gretzky tournament) and it looks really good. The arena’s awesome and it’s just great. (Edmonton) has a great history and I want to be part of that one day.”
There already is a connection to Edmonton for Broberg, who trains at the same gym as Adam Larsson in Sweden.
A relatively quiet prospect coming into the season, he flew up draft boards during last year’s Hlinka-Gretzky tournament last year. There, however, he turned heads scoring five points in four games.Broberg also represented Sweden in last year’s under-18 championships, where he too, had a great showing posting 14 points in 17 games. He was named the tournament’s top defenceman.
Here’s what The Athletic’s Corey Pronman had to say of the pick:
“In Broberg, the Oilers get an immensely talented defenseman and a unique player in terms of how elite his skating is for 6-foot-3. It’s a dimensional attribute and will make him stand out in the NHL. He’s not a high-end puck skills or passer, but he gets a bad rap in that area. He has skill, he makes plays, he can operate on a power play. His game is projected to be a top-pair guy who can drive play. It’s interesting to see how he fits in Edmonton, with left-handed defensemen in Darnell Nurse and Oscar Klefbom, who have some rhymes of Broberg’s game. But he’s a heck of an asset to add to a team. The Oilers have depth at defense in their organization and can take their time with him.”
“He’s the best forward skating defenceman in the draft,” Sportsnet’s Louie Debrusk said after the choice. “This guy can absolutely fly at 6’3.
“The ceiling is limitless for him and I think that’s why he’s been picked so high. He has the frame, he has the speed.”
The selection was one that turned heads, as top forward prospects like Matthew Boldy, Trevor Zegras, Cole Caufield and Peyton Krebs were still on the board. Despite that, there’s no denying Broberg is a very high-end prospect who projects to be a very good NHL’er.
Just last month, Broberg signed with Skellefteå AIK in the Swedish Hockey League — a contract that runs through next season.
On Twitter: @zjlaing
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