Flyers' 6-foot-4 heart prospect has hockey bloodlines and need to work

Flyers’ 6-foot-4 center prospect has hockey bloodlines and desire to work initially appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The advantage of Jack Berglund is he has lots of qualities a workforce would need in a prospect.

He performs a premium place, he has a 6-foot-4, 210-pound make-up, he takes satisfaction in taking part in the total size of the rink and there is offensive upside.

The wonderful thing about Berglund is he is aware of the place he will be higher and desires to get higher.

The 18-year-old heart admitted that skating is his largest weak point. No teenage prospect is ideal. With Berglund, who was one of the Flyers’ two second-round picks in the 2024 NHL draft, his foot pace is not there but.

“I am simply making an attempt to get higher daily with the skating as a result of I’ve different instruments,” he mentioned two weeks in the past at Flyers growth camp. “If I get that proper, I believe I could be a nice participant sometime.

“It begins off the ice. It’s a must to grind there off the ice, do the work that it’s important to do. For me, it is extra quickness and explosiveness that I’ve to do to get quicker on the market.”

Berglund was the 14th heart taken in final month’s draft and the 51st total choose. The Flyers had that choice as compensation for not signing 2018 first-rounder Jay O’Brien.

In Berglund, they’ve a Swedish prospect who likes to observe the Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek and the Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen.

“I attempt to comply with these guys and take inspiration,” he mentioned. “I believe they’re each actually good gamers, work exhausting daily, actual function fashions which might be [making] a distinction on the market.”

Berglund has his father to lean on, as effectively. Christian Berglund performed for the Devils and Panthers within the early 2000s.

His first profession NHL aim got here in opposition to John Tortorella’s 2001-02 Lightning workforce. 5 days prior, his second of 86 profession NHL video games got here in opposition to the Flyers on the Wells Fargo Middle (then the First Union Middle). John LeClair, a Flyers alternate captain then, was on the ice earlier this month working with the younger Berglund at growth camp.

“He is tremendous supportive,” Berglund mentioned of his dad. “I am glad to have him by my facet.”

Heading into the draft, Berglund was the Twenty eighth-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting, leaping 10 spots from his midterm mark. General, he was ranked as excessive as fifty fifth by TSN’s Craig Button and as little as 131st by EliteProspects.com.

Berglund had 34 factors (15 objectives, 19 assists) over 41 video games final season for Farjestad BK in Sweden’s prime junior league. He bought a style of the SHL, Sweden’s prime professional league, scoring a aim over eight video games.

He additionally competed for Staff Sweden on the 2024 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship, placing up 5 factors (two objectives, three assists) in seven video games to assist his nation take house bronze medals.

“I simply tried to work exhausting within the offseason earlier than the season,” Berglund mentioned. “I bought nice alternatives from my coaches and my membership at house in Sweden, bought to play so much and play within the SHL, as effectively, bought to play for the nationwide workforce. It was simply tremendous enjoyable to get these experiences and alternatives, tried to care for that and make the most effective of that.”

The Flyers have badly wanted extra facilities matriculating by way of their system. They used three of their first 4 picks on facilities final month in Las Vegas. There was a deal with draft picks and growth within the workforce’s rebuild underneath normal supervisor Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones.

“That is been the messaging from up prime since Danny and Jonesy took over, they’re in search of younger gamers,” Flyers assistant director of participant growth Nick Schultz mentioned two weeks in the past. “Now we have to draft effectively and we have now to develop, that is massive for our workforce. I believe our scouts have achieved an amazing job drafting effectively the previous few years and us for growing.”

Berglund is aware of a essential a part of his growth will come all the way down to his skating.

“It is as much as me, actually, how good I wish to be,” he mentioned. “I am simply making an attempt to place within the work.”

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