Abel to Yzerman

Abel to Yzerman

Jonatan Berggren Ready For The World Championship And Options At #9

05/09/2023 at 8:32am EDT

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now,

It truly is third-time lucky for Detroit Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren when it comes to playing for his homeland at the IIIHF World Championship.

Last year, following a strong rookie season with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins, he wound up testing positive for COVID-19 just prior to the tourney and wasn’t able to play for Sweden. in 2021, he was a surprise late cut from the Swedish squad.

With Sweden set to open the tourney on Friday against his Detroit teammate Moritz Seider and Germany, it’s all systems go for Berggren.

“Hopefully it will be the third time,” Berggren told Aftonbladet.se, still sounding somewhat apprehensive that something might still go wrong to prevent his senior international debut.

“It’s never fun to get poked or get sick. It’s a feeling I don’t want to experience again.”

Collecting two assists in a 3-0 pre-tournament win over Switzerland, both Berggren and Red Wings teammate Lucas Raymond are making their mark for the Swedes. Raymond has two multi-point games in tune up action.

continued

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

The top of the 2023 class is considered heavy on forwards, with Bedard and Michigan's Adam Fantilli coming in as the top two. They have good company. Center Will Smith (USNTDP) is an elite playmaker and goal scorer who projects to be a top-line performer. Center Leo Carlsson (Orebro, Swedish Hockey League) is a multidimensional power forward with great mobility and high-end puck skills. Yzerman has chosen a European player with his first pick four years running.

Matvei Michkov, a Russian winger who played in three leagues including the KHL this past season, is an elusive playmaker with an eye for sneaky moves and a willingness to go to or through hard areas. His creativity is top-line quality.

Ryan Leonard (USNTDP) stood out at the U18 World Championship, where his eight goals and nine assists in seven games helped the U.S. win gold. He's a high-end competitor equally adept at shooting or making a play, and he thinks the game at an elite level.

Zach Benson is both forceful and elusive, maneuvering the puck in tight areas and going to the net to position himself for tips or rebounds. He's an all-situations type of forward, trusted by his coaches to be on the ice when the game is on the line.

David Reinbacher is the top-rated defenseman, and a coveted right-shot. He's a key part of his native Austria's national team, and spent this past season playing in Switzerland. Uses his reach (he's 6 foot 2) to take away time and space and plays both special teams. Potential to run a power play with his ability to distribute or get his shot through from the point.

more ($)

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Abel to Yzerman

Welcome to Abel to Yzerman, a Red Wing blog since 1977. No other site on the internet has better-researched, fact-laden and better prepared discussions than A2Y. Re-phrase: we do little research, find facts and stats highly overrated and claim little to no preparation. There are 19 readers of A2Y. No more, no less. All of them, except maybe one, are juvenile in nature. Reminding them of that in the comment section will only encourage them to prove that.

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 3 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 3 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 4 hours ago
Comment by calquake in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 5 hours ago
Comment by StargateSG1 in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 5 hours ago