Edmonton Oilers Select European Phenom Defenseman Philip Broberg

Philip Broberg has all of the tools to turn into a top pairing puck moving defender for the Edmonton Oilers.

There has been plenty of excitement leading up to the Oilers pick at #8 with there being plenty of questions as to what the Oilers would do.  There were a few off the board picks ahead of Edmonton Oilers, most notably the Detroit Red Wings selecting Moritz Seider at 6th Overall.

The likes of Trevor Zegras, Cole Caufield, and Matthew Boldy were all available when Ken Holland went to the podium, but ultimately the Oilers new GM selected Swedish left shooting defenseman Philip Broberg.

Who Is Philip Broberg

The Swedish defenseman was voted as the top defenseman at the U18 tournament last year.  At 6’3 203lb defender already has NHL size and he has the speed to match.  It is very rare to see a defender have the type of top speed and feet that Broberg has, that makes him an incredibly special player to watch.  His ability to drive towards the net is certainly elite.  He has played against men as well all of last year in the Swedish Hockey League showing he can certainly handle tougher opposition.

The defenseman went 6-8-14 in 17GP at the U18, and produced 2-7-9 in 41GP in the AIK.  His offense numbers are questionable overseas but it is a notoriously difficult league to score in.  Still it should be noted.

Next season Broberg will play for the SHL team Skelleftea and after that will likely make his way to North America after that.  He shouldn’t see an NHL game for at least two or three seasons which might disappoint fans who were hoping the Oilers would draft a more immediate impact player.

Having a player with dynamic speed like this will certainly go well with the elite Connor McDavid.  The Oilers have drafted a brilliant young defensive group that will one day be amongst the best in the NHL.  Klefbom, Nurse, Broberg, Bouchard, Larsson, Samorukov, Jones, Bear, Persson… the Oilers have a ton of options right now and with the needs up front still this likely means we see a couple of these names dealt this summer for some help on the wing.

What are your thoughts, do you like the selection made by the Edmonton Oilers?