Could Jonatan Berggren Compete For a Roster Spot Next Season?
By Evan Mead
The Detroit Red Wings drafted wing, Jonatan Berggren back in 2018. After signing with the organization last season, could he make the opening roster to start the 2022-23 season?
The Detroit Red Wings have been in rebuild mode for the last half decade. Which, in doing so, has landed them a lot of top tier prospects. Now, although most of them have came from the first-round, not all of them have been first-round picks.
The Detroit Red Wings prospect pool is currently considered one of the best in the NHL. Most of that has to do with Moritz Seider, Lucas Raymond, Joe Veleno, Sebastian Cossa and Simon Edvinsson. Most of them have been first-rounders. However, there is one name im missing in that list. 2018 second-round pick- Jonatan Berggren.
Berggren, who played in the SHL with Skellefta AIK for four seasons. Playing in the SHL gave him the chance to experiance talent prior to making the jump to the states. Furthermore, it gave him the opporutnity to display to the NHL coaches what he can do. And that is what he did.
In the first three seasons with the Skellefta AIK, he didn’t really do much. But, in his fourth and final season with the team, he really showed up and played his heart out.
In 49 games with the club, he was able to contribute 12 goals and 33 assits for a total of 45 points. It was at that point that he was ready to sign his first NHL contract.
This past season, Berggren played in 70 games with the Grand Rapid Griffins. And, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Grand Rapid Griffins, that is the Red Wings affiliate team. Now, to get back on track- Berggren played in 70 games with the Griffins. IN those 70 games, he put up 21 goals and 43 assists for 64 points.
Having played in a majority of the Griffins season, and performing well, it could be time that the Red Wings take a closer look at Berggren and determine rather or not he’s ready. So, here’s our thoughts on the matter.