Detroit Red Wings: Can Jonatan Berggren build on rookie campaign?

The Detroit Red Wings are in full swing in the offseason. Several of their players are playing in the IIHF World Championships, some players are rehabbing injuries, others are enjoying some time off, and the front office is embarking on the draft season and then free agency.

But beyond that, it’ll be time to start thinking about training camp and how the Detroit Red Wings might shape up next season. It’s too early to know what the roster might look like next year, but when it comes to some players, there are some takeaways from 2022-23 and hopes for 2023-24 that can be talked about.

One of those players is Jonatan Berggren, who did a great job in his rookie campaign. He had an outstanding season in 2022-23 and performed exceptionally well, showing off plenty to like when it comes to his tools and skillset after a year spent in Grand Rapids.

The Red Wings have to be hoping that he can come back in 2023-24 and still find a way to be an integral part of the team’s forward core. Even if he stays in a bottom-six role, the rookie campaign has to be viewed as a building block for him.

Detroit Red Wings are hoping Jonatan Berggren keeps progressing.

Berggren showed some offensive tools and good progress after settling in with a solid performance after his rookie season. He tapped into some offense and showed some really intriguing playmaker skills.

He played in 67 games, where he scored 15 goals and added 13 assists for 28 total points. It was a solid rookie campaign and a great way to get himself started at the NHL level. He did a good job establishing himself when he was on the ice and proving he could benefit the team’s bottom six in an offensive role.

The Red Wings might be able to squeeze some more out of him and see him continue to improve. He may just be able to keep taking some strides in his development. He’s been working with Team Sweden overseas, and things seem to be going well, besides one hiccup.

According to Detroit Hockey Now, the Swedish forward nearly got hit by a tram while heading to training with a teammate. Indeed, the good news is that he is okay, but a scary situation nonetheless. Berggren is okay and looking to continue his development to return and be solid for the Red Wings in 2023-24.

There’s hope for Berggren to keep improving. He seems like one of those players who has more in the tank and could continue progressing and developing over his first few seasons in the NHL.