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The post Norwegian Centers Should Interest Red Wings appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Eskild Bakke Olsen
We’re going to begin this story with a caveat – while it’s true that Norwegian centers Eskild Bakke Olsen and Petter Vesterheim are drawing interest from plenty of NHL clubs, DHN has not been able to confirm that the Detroit Red Wings are among those teams.
Then again, looking at the center depth chart in the Red Wings organization, how could they not be interested?
Bakke Olsen and Vesterheim were both key contributors as Norway won a bronze medal at the recent IIHF World Championship. They were playing alongside Red Wings top prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
While Brandsegg-Nygard was an NHL first-round draft pick, his suddenly coveted national teammates were passed over in their draft years. That leaves both players as free agents as far as NHL teams are concerned. And several NHL teams are lining up to talk to the two Norwegian stars.
Bakke Olsen is 24. He’s a 6-foot-2, 203-pound right-shot center. He spent the past season with Linköping of the SHL, collecting 11-21-32 totals in 51 games. With 2-3-5 numbers, he was Norway’s fourth-leading scorer at the world tourney.
He’s a presence on the ice, solid at both ends of the rink.
Bakke Olsen is seeking to take all the talk in stride.
“If you play well, you get noticed,” Bakke Olsen told Norwegian website Nitten. “There are whispers and gossip a bit, for sure.”
Vesterheim, 21, accounted for four assists for Norway at the world championship. He’s a 5-foot-11, 183-pound left-shot center. Vesterheim is best known as a puckhandler and a playmaker who plays the game with pace.
He also spent last season in Sweden’s top division with Malmö. In limited ice time, Vesterheim collected 4-9-13 digits in 51 games.
“There are NHL clubs that have asked about Petter,” Joel Larsson, Vesterheim’s agent, confirmed to Nitten.
Vesterheim gets giddy at the thought of going to the show, more so than the more experienced Bakke Olsen.
“It’s of course very cool to hear and gives me an energy boost,” Vesterheim said. “It’s not something we’ve talked about much, but it’s inspiring to know that people are following.
“The NHL is the big dream.”
Even before captain Dylan Larkin made his recent trade demand, the Red Wings were thin down the middle. The Detroit prospect list at center is limited. There’s Nate Danielson, Amadeus Lombardi, and, to a lesser extent, Ondrej Becher.
It’s certainly one of the reasons why the club opted to sign 2023 draftee Noah Dower Nilsson to an entry-level deal earlier this year.
Should the Red Wings be kicking the tires on these two Norwegian prospects? Considering their situation, why wouldn’t they be doing so?
The post Norwegian Centers Should Interest Red Wings appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
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Eskild Bakke Olsen
We’re going to begin this story with a caveat – while it’s true that Norwegian centers Eskild Bakke Olsen and Petter Vesterheim are drawing interest from plenty of NHL clubs, DHN has not been able to confirm that the Detroit Red Wings are among those teams.
Then again, looking at the center depth chart in the Red Wings organization, how could they not be interested?
Bakke Olsen and Vesterheim were both key contributors as Norway won a bronze medal at the recent IIHF World Championship. They were playing alongside Red Wings top prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
While Brandsegg-Nygard was an NHL first-round draft pick, his suddenly coveted national teammates were passed over in their draft years. That leaves both players as free agents as far as NHL teams are concerned. And several NHL teams are lining up to talk to the two Norwegian stars.
Norwegians are in demand
Bakke Olsen is 24. He’s a 6-foot-2, 203-pound right-shot center. He spent the past season with Linköping of the SHL, collecting 11-21-32 totals in 51 games. With 2-3-5 numbers, he was Norway’s fourth-leading scorer at the world tourney.
He’s a presence on the ice, solid at both ends of the rink.
Bakke Olsen is seeking to take all the talk in stride.
“If you play well, you get noticed,” Bakke Olsen told Norwegian website Nitten. “There are whispers and gossip a bit, for sure.”
Vesterheim, 21, accounted for four assists for Norway at the world championship. He’s a 5-foot-11, 183-pound left-shot center. Vesterheim is best known as a puckhandler and a playmaker who plays the game with pace.
He also spent last season in Sweden’s top division with Malmö. In limited ice time, Vesterheim collected 4-9-13 digits in 51 games.
“There are NHL clubs that have asked about Petter,” Joel Larsson, Vesterheim’s agent, confirmed to Nitten.
Vesterheim gets giddy at the thought of going to the show, more so than the more experienced Bakke Olsen.
“It’s of course very cool to hear and gives me an energy boost,” Vesterheim said. “It’s not something we’ve talked about much, but it’s inspiring to know that people are following.
“The NHL is the big dream.”
Red Wings Need Centers
Even before captain Dylan Larkin made his recent trade demand, the Red Wings were thin down the middle. The Detroit prospect list at center is limited. There’s Nate Danielson, Amadeus Lombardi, and, to a lesser extent, Ondrej Becher.
It’s certainly one of the reasons why the club opted to sign 2023 draftee Noah Dower Nilsson to an entry-level deal earlier this year.
Should the Red Wings be kicking the tires on these two Norwegian prospects? Considering their situation, why wouldn’t they be doing so?
The post Norwegian Centers Should Interest Red Wings appeared first on Detroit Hockey Now.
Continue reading...
