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A decision has been made on where, 2019 first round pick, Philip Broberg will play next season.
A July 5th report coming from Sweden’s Hockey Sverige says the 18-year-old defender made the decision to return to his home country to play for Skellefteå of the Swedish Hockey league (SHL).
Outside of Sweden, there was a chance that Broberg could have played in North America next season. The Hamilton Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) hold Broberg’s CHL rights and Ken Holland mentioned them as being an option along with Skellefteå earlier this month.
Broberg’s OHL rights are owned by Hamilton; according to Ken Holland, it sounds like that could be an option moving forward.
— Jack Michaels (@EdmontonJack) June 22, 2019
The Edmonton Oilers recently signed Broberg to an entry-level contract this past week. He will be the first 1st round pick selection by the Edmonton Oilers to not appear in an NHL game in the season after his draft year since Darnell Nurse in 2013/14.
There was speculation that Broberg could play in the AHL this coming season, with Edmonton’s affiliate in Bakersfield, but Ken Holland said that the Oilers were not considering this as a realistic possibility. This coincides with Holland’s long-held practice of being patient with young players and allowing them to develop for long stretches of time before promotion.
Do you think the SHL is the right league for Philip Broberg? Let me know in the comments