The Boston Bruins might have found another intriguing if under-the-radar prospect in net with Swedish import Philip Svedebäck.
The 2021 fourth-rounder (117th overall) left Europe for the challenge of the USHL, where he is spending the 2021-22 season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Stockholm native has only started two games thus far, but is off to an excellent start, going 1-0-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .942 save percentage against two top offenses in the Tri-City Storm (overtime loss) and Green Bay Gamblers (7-1 win). In both starts, he faced 30-plus shots and showed good poise and athleticism.
“It feels better and better during the weeks,” Svedebäck told New England Hockey Journal recently, referencing the robust practice schedule USHL teams have between weekend games. “It’s an adjustment both on the ice and outside, with the language and a completely different culture, so it’s been a lot of thinking about getting into routines so that everything looks the same every day and getting to a good situation.”
Svedebäck turned his early success in North America into an NCAA commitment with a top program in Providence College.
Under Nate Leaman and his staff, Friars goaltenders have thrived in the Hockey East. From NCAA championship-winning Jon Gillies (Concord, N.H.) to Nick Ellis, Hayden Hawkey to (Harvard transfer) Michael Lackey and now Jaxson Stauber, PC has gotten a lot of good mileage from their netminders, and Svedebäck appears to be the latest find to continue strong play between the pipes.
“Mike Dunham has gone in to see those (USHL) games as well, and has been in regular touch with Philip,” Boston GM Don Sweeney said. “(Dunham is) excited about him as a prospect for us. Great size, moves well. Just has to start to acclimate a little bit to the North American style; where shots come from, a little more volume, and, continue to fine-tune and grow his game.”
For Svedebäck’s part, the adjustment from Swedish hockey has not been easy. The USHL is the top junior league in the USA, and one of the top amateur circuits in the world. More and more players from Canada and Europe are opting to follow the NCAA development path, and there is no better proving ground for future D-1 players than the Chicago-based USHL.
“The biggest adjustment is the game is more of a crash the net mentality compared to Sweden, which is more like moving the puck sideways and trying to find good plays all the time,” he said. “You always have to be ready because some teams just throw pucks to the net (constantly) and hope for bad rebounds. You have to be ready to be really focused on the rebounds and not having bad rebounds come out. Of course, with a smaller rink, everything comes a little bit faster and different angles and all that compared to Sweden. I struggled with it in the beginning, but I’m used to it now and getting better and better.”
Svedebäck said that the shooters in the USHL are so skilled and dangerous that tracking the puck has been critical in his early success.
“That is really key,” he said. “If you don’t see the puck, it’s hard to save it. So, you have to find ways to see the puck, especially now on the smaller rink too, because there are a lot more people in front of you and so you have to find a way to see it and save it.”
The B’s have been particularly strong in net over the past decade, with Tuukka Rask emerging as an elite NHL netminder in 2012-13. Rask and veterans Anton Khudobin and Jaroslav Halak gave the team superb tandems from 2016-21, but with the former on the shelf, as he recovers from hip surgery, it is up to Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark to carry it forward. Should Rask be needed, the team has “left the door open” in the words of president Cam Neely and GM Don Sweeney for him to return.
What that means for Svedebäck is that he is on the long program, playing one more year of junior hockey with Dubuque, followed by however many seasons he’ll need in the Hockey East to develop before the team is ready to sign him.
In the meantime, Svedebäck is settling in well in Eastern Iowa, playing for a top organization with good stability and strong coaching under former Boston College star and Jerry York’s longtime assistant/associate coach Greg Brown (Southborough, Mass.). Brown is in his first season with the Fighting Saints after spending the last three years as an assistant with the New York Rangers.
“I like the coaches a lot,” Svedebäck said. “It feels good to talk to them and they know a lot. They help me if I have questions.”
There is an oft-repeated misconception that the USHL is an inferior level of competition for older players, but the reality is- every prospect develops on a different timeline. The top players in the league are typically older: 19- or 20-year-olds who are making the most of their junior eligibility before moving on to the NCAA. That extended seasoning playing juniors in the USHL allows for them to be far more impactful as older, more experienced freshmen in college. Some players absolutely are ready for D-1 hockey at age 18, but for those who don’t make that jump right away, there isn’t a stigma for them staying in a top league like the USHL so long as they can assert themselves at that level.
“They (USHL forwards) are good, especially in Dubuque,” he said. “We have a lot of skill players, so the level of the practices are really good and it feels like everyone is competing, so it trains me too. I want to get better every day, and I have a good goalie partner- Paxton (Geisel)- he makes me better every day and we keep pushing each other every day.
As for Svedebäck, he’s shown a lot of poise and promise in net thus far. He’s been alternating starts with 2022 draft-eligible Paxton Geisel in the early going, but if Svedebäck continues to play like he has, watch for him to grab more of the starter’s share. Having two top goaltenders is a good problem to have in Dubuque, but the Bruins look like they found a pretty good one in their latest goalie prospect.
“He’s in a great situation to play in the USHL,” said Sweeney. “It’s a great league. It allows him to develop at his own pace and go off to college and continue that. Mike’s done a good job of connecting with Philip, and we’re excited about him as a prospect and hopefully, a future player for the Boston Bruins.”
Style analysis
Size: At 6-foot-3, Svedebäck has length in his limbs, allowing him to provide expansive net coverage in the butterfly. He’s got a solid build and thicker core, meaning he can stand up well to heavy traffic and forwards who try to crash his crease.
Lateral movement: Looks like a pro with his smooth, cross-crease movement. Less is more- not too overactive and does a good job of conserving energy with his economy of motion. Gets a powerful push from side to side and gets to his spots on the ice quickly.
Reflexes: Possesses the requisite fluid agility and quickness. Able to make the athletic, desperation save when forced to. Denied several grade A/back door chances against Tri-City in his first regular-season USHL start.
Hands: Not just a blocker- directs shots away from his net and catches pucks cleanly.
Focus: Puck tracking is superb; fights through screens to locate the puck and puts his whole body into it, not just following the play with his eyes.
Rebound control: Effective, but like most younger goalies, tends to let hot rebounds come out to danger areas off his pads. He does well with his hands to move pucks away from the slot and into corners but will need to swallow more shots into his midsection and use his leg pads to kill more rebounds to his feet where he can smother and get the whistle.
Intangibles: Good competitiveness. Also patient- lets shots come to him and does not panic. Used to seeing a lot of shots overseas and that has helped him to adjust to the smaller ice surface where the scoring chances come faster and more furious than what he’s used to.
Outlook: So far, so good. Svedebäck has the look of a solid pro prospect and like Swayman four years ago, the critical years to build his body of work are in front of him. He has the size, talent, focus and mental makeup to be a top junior and D-1 goaltender. Where that goes from there remains to be seen, but it isn’t hard to see why the B’s took an early flier on him.
