Last year, the NHL’s top defenseman was 23-year-old Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche.
His record? 86 points, including 28 goals (!) in 77 games, a differential of +48 and a presence on the ice to thrill.
18-year-old Adam Engström, a native left-hander from Södertälje (Sweden) that the CH selected in the third round of the last auction, concedes five years and 178 NHL games to the spectacular No. 8. But that does not prevent him to think big. Very large.
“I want to become the best defender in the world,” says the young man at the end of the line and without restraint in a convincing tone as possible.
“I always wanted to be the best. It is with this mentality and this objective that I put on my work boots every morning.
We are often used to hearing a hope tell us that he “wants to do well in his debut with the pros”. Some young people, and they are rarer, sometimes take the risk of expressing the desire to be “dominant” there.
But Adam Engström, clearly, is not like the others. Number one in his profession? Really? And this is not even the first time, in recent months, that he has verbalized this desire.
Discovery of a skater with a profile as mysterious as it is interesting.
A puzzling improvement
Engström was 14 when he joined the ranks of the organization of Djurgårdens IF, a club playing at senior level in the Allsvenskan (Swedish second division).
According to his coach last year Michael Holmqvist, the athlete, when he joined the team in 2018, started from very far … on several levels.
“I’ve known Adam for a while and he wasn’t one of the best defenders in the organization when he started with us. Not at all, even! Except that he redoubled his ardor and experienced fantastic progress. His decision-making is really better. He also spent the last season in an identical role to that of Calle Odelius (2022 Islanders second-round pick), who also played for me.
“He and Adam were both on the power play, on a different pair. With these two, it’s like having two first pairs! This situation alone demonstrates the type of guy that Adam is: a constant worker who neglects no detail to progress.
Driven to attack, aware of the importance of defending well
At the end of this 2021-2022 campaign mentioned by Holmqvist, the defender has, in 45 games, collected 28 points, including eight goals. Good numbers for ninth in scoring among all backs in the Swedish junior league (J20 Nationell).
When asked for an in-depth analysis of his game, Engström goes for that answer.
“I think my hockey sense is one of my greatest strengths. I also like to carry the puck. One of the things I would like to improve is my defensive game. I know for a fact that players who want to reach the best league in the world have to be good in their territory… especially the defenders! I also want to be stronger and more physically imposing.”
It’s interesting to hear Engström discuss the importance of working on improving his size and strength. But he will also have to know how to use these two assets wisely when he has made the desired progress.
The author of these lines found, over several viewings of the defender’s games, that he almost never had the reflex to use his body to separate the carrier from the puck. This is definitely an aspect where he can/must do better.
For his part, an experienced scout of the Canadiens contacted in the context of this post describes the young man with a lot of optimism.
“He’s a solid defender in all three areas who has been showing more good offensive qualities lately. Honestly, I think we’re on to something good with Adam. He has a winning mentality and skills that deserve attention.
Photo credit: Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal / QMI Agency
If Engström is serious about becoming the best guard on the planet, the idea of emulating one of the most dominant guards in the NHL right now is definitely a great idea. The young adult seems to understand it and has been drinking, for a long time, many sequences from a compatriot who has an impressive track record in the Bettman circuit,
“My main role model is Victor Hedman. Everything he does is so fluid!” says the defender with a smile in his voice before continuing.
“But I think a player I’m akin to in terms of on-ice habits is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. I don’t know if the comparison is perfect, but I think I have several points in common with him.
Both Michael Holmqvist and the CH scout finally insisted that Engström’s greatest quality was, according to them, his ease in carrying the puck.
Promising start in Rögle
At the end of the last campaign, the hope of the CH chose to leave Djurgårdens IF to join the organization of Rögle BK, a club of the SHL (Swedish elite league).
Why this change?
“I had several good discussions with the leaders and leaders of this club in recent months, explains the main interested party. I know that the team is famous for developing its young players well and that is obviously something that resonates with me a lot.
So far, it is clear that the choice of defender smiles on him. In his first match with Rögle’s junior team, he put on quite a show, picking up four points.
Then, on his second appearance, the left-hander did it again with two assists… when he had just played a game with Rögle’s senior team! Two very good duels in the same evening. Not bad is not it?
The CH scout confirms that Engström is currently held in very high esteem within his new club.
“He is very well advised developmentally. The brothers Chris and Cam Abbott accomplish a colossal work in this direction. So far, in addition to his good performance with their junior team, Adam is impressing in the SHL and I have been given overwhelmingly positive feedback about him. The leaders of the club like him very much.
“Not all players have this courage…”
We told you above that we were not the only ones to whom Adam Engström had confided in wanting to be “the best defender in the world” in recent months. Well can you imagine that he not only pointed this out to his coach last year during an individual meeting at the start of the season, but he also threw out the statement… to the leaders of the Canadiens de Montreal!
“He told us the same thing!” Confirmed the CH recruiter, laughing when the author of these lines reported to him the remarks previously made by Engström in an interview.
“I had heard that before, but not all players have the courage to say that to the leaders of an NHL team…”
Michael Holmqvist adds this, concerning the monster ambitions of his former protege.
“You know what? He works so hard that I can’t help but think he’s doing everything it takes to be that guy (the best fullback in the world). Will it become? I’m not saying that will be the case. But with his impeccable work ethic, he at least gives himself a chance to achieve this objective which, I agree, is not a bad thing! (laughs)”.
Photo credit: Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montréal / QMI Agency
And even if he does not become the most dominant defender on the planet, Engström, our interlocutors say, has everything he needs to one day give quality hockey to CH.
“I think he can become a good all-round defenseman in the NHL, honestly. And it could happen sooner than you think, says Holmqvist. He is so hardworking. The next step will be to demonstrate what he can do in SHL over a long period of time.
The experienced employee of Sainte-Flanelle thinks much the same thing.
“We see him eventually in the NHL, but he has to start off with a great senior season this year. That will tell us a lot about the future.”
The season on the Old Continent is still very young, but let’s put it like it really is: the start is extremely promising for Adam Engström.
Let’s see what it will look like when it arrives now.