If Steve Yzerman's getting it right in the second round, he found a strong candidate in late June who could catapult his way into the big club a few years from now. Eddie Genborg is THE prospect to watch this season if you're looking for a player who has a bit of everything but can rise above the jack-of-all-trades level.
Look at Genborg's size - 6'2, 198 lbs - and it's already well-suited for the NHL. That alone gives me power forward vibes, and so does his high-energy, physical, two-way game.
If you were to have asked me where I'd realistically have seen a player like Genborg going off the board, it would've been the mid-to-late first, early second at the absolute least. That said, chalk him up as a much-needed steal.
Eddie Genborg will do some damage in the Detroit Red Wings system soon
How soon is soon? Give it two seasons when his contract is up in Sweden, and he'll be in Grand Rapids. Give him a year with the Griffins, and he'll make his debut with the Wings in 2028-29.
Not that he'll transform into a full-time player that year, but I won't be surprised to see him taking up a spot on the ice while wearing the Winged Wheel. If his time in J20 showed us anything, it foreshadows what Genborg's capable of: 34 points and 19 goals in 28 games last season, and he saw another 28 matchups with his SHL club, but played limited minutes.
This season, he's heading to Timra IK, and you should see him playing full-time minutes there, or at least it'll be the case at some point. If you're into watching SHL hockey, pay attention to Genborg's hard-hitting style, and know it'll probably be something the Wings will need on its big club three to four years from today.
Steve Yzerman finally hitting a home run in Round 2?
I just looked at the Red Wings second-round picks under Yzerman and, yeah, there's nothing. The last second-round pick to see solid ice time? Jonatan Berggren, who came aboard one year before Yzerman took charge.
While we won't know anything much about what Genborg can do in North America for a while, I like him for more than just potential. Still, it doesn't mean someone else can't break out either, but even if they do, Genborg's potential has already skyrocketed to No. 1 thanks to his blend of productivity and hard-nosed play.