The Philadelphia Flyers have inked one of the top scorers out of Sweden, as Oskar Lindblom today signed his entry-level contract with the team. No financial details were released, but it will be a three-year entry-level contract.
Lindblom, a fifth-round pick for the Flyers in 2014, is coming off an incredible season in which he scored 47 points in 52 games, good enough for fourth in the entire league. He trailed three veteran forwards including Joakim Lindstrom, a former NHL forward who has put up elite numbers in Sweden every time he returns. Each of the three are at least 29, showing that Lindblom can compete with fully-grown men even at his young age.
His skating and skill is easy to spot, but it’s the fact that he’ll go into the “dirty” areas in front of the net that should help him most at the next level. He’s not exactly huge—though 6’1″ 192-lbs is nothing to sneeze at—but his ability to finish in traffic around the net is excellent. He’ll look to pass to the open teammate first, but isn’t afraid to take a shot when in a prime scoring area.
Last year after his SHL season finished, Lindblom came to North America and played eight games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on an amateur tryout. He showed that his scoring touch would translate to the North American professional ranks, registering seven points in eight games. He very well may skip over the AHL this time around and break camp with the Flyers as an option on the left wing.