The Philadelphia Flyers have signed prospect Linus Hogberg to an entry-level contract.
Flyers Sign Prospect Linus Hogberg
Hogberg was a fifth-round selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, at pick 139. His first professional contract does not start until the beginning of the 2020-21 NHL season and is worth $925,000 per season.
Amateur Play
Since being drafted, the Swedish born defenceman has been playing with the Vaxjo Lakers of the SHL. He was also a member of the Swedish U19 and U20 teams, participating in the World Juniors tournament in 2018. Hogberg won a silver medal at the competition.
Hogberg played 50 games with Vaxjo this past season. He scored a career record 14 points from the blue line since he joined the main roster. While Hogberg has never truly been a highly talented offensive presence, his defensive skill is what makes him valuable. Hogberg has also displayed high-level discipline, with a mere 12 penalty minutes in 2019-20.
Pro Outlook
As we look at the Flyers’ current roster, there are multiple high skill defenders present. Justin Braun, Ivan Provorov, and Shayne Gostisbehere all hold NHL roster spots. Hogberg will more than likely find himself playing with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. He will need to work hard to develop his game in order to make the NHL roster.
As he develops his game further in the AHL, Linus Hogberg has the talent to eventually make an NHL roster. But he lacks size. Standing 6’-1” and 176 pounds, Hogberg does need more weight. He has the height to play at the NHL level. But he will find that his fellow Flyers’ defencemen all carry roughly 25 pounds more than him. If Hogberg can bulk up, it could drastically improve his ability to keep up in the physical game at the NHL level. While he still has work to do on his NHL game, he has now taken the first step as his first pro contract has been signed.
Main Photo:
