A lot has been said about young Philip Broberg but not a lot has been seen. I have been a very big fan of the player since his first World Junior Championship with Sweden. People have been very vocal about Ken Holland’s choice to go with young Broberg in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He has not provided the expected outcome fans and reporters had come to expect from him after watching him play at the World Junior Championships and Sweden so far.
I believe what some people are also ignoring or forgetting about is what happened right after he was drafted. I am, of course, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic which affected everyone globally. When Broberg came into his first camp with Edmonton, he looked very good during practices and training drills with the rest of the team. But, due to the pandemic, Philip also lost a full year of development time in North America. Fans need to remember that this was an 18 year old kid who hadn’t even reached his full extent, physically, when he was drafted. With no development for a full year as a defensemen, which I believe is the toughest position to master at a young age next to a goaltender, he lost out on a lot of key time and games to gain experience.
Now this can’t be used as an excuse because a lot of young players went through the pandemic and have been succeeding in the NHL so far. But, what we’ve seen from Broberg has been promising. In his first professional year in North America in the AHL (2021-2022), Broberg notched 4 goals and 19 assists, good for 23 points, in 31 AHL games while also having a +14 rating. In 2022-2023, in the 7 AHL games he played, 2 goals and 2 assists were scored with a -2 rating. From what we have seen from Broberg in the AHL and in the NHL has shown us, so far, that there is promise. The Oilers need to only utilize it the right way.
Above are all of Philip Broberg’s statistics from 2017
I also believe that the Oilers coaching staff made a mistake last season. Keeping Broberg up in the NHL as a 7th defensemen was not a good choice. Head coach Jay Woodcroft did not utilize the young player correctly because, as a player with limited experience, playing 5 to 7 minutes a night hardly helps in gaining any experience or development. It would have been right to send Broberg down to the AHL to play as a top four defensemen with powerplay and penalty killing time in 2022-2023.
From what Ken Holland has done so far this summer with the defence and from what he has said in his interviews, it seems Broberg will be getting a chance to prove himself this season as an NHL defensemen. This may end up being a big mistake by Ken or it may end up being a genius move. It may end up hurting the player, in terms of his career, along with his team that is going all in for the Stanley Cup. However, it may end up with Broberg cracking the shell and breaking out as a top four defensemen which is sorely needed on the Edmonton Oilers.
Will Philip Broberg grab the reins?
