NHL Prospect Profile Philip Broberg

Statistics

Scout Quotes

Eliteprospects.com

Philip Broberg is a smart two-way defenceman with undeniable skill. His fluid skating ability allows him to punish over-extension immediately with how quickly he can start plays from his own end. What his impressive mobility tends to overshadow, though, is his positional play. While he doesn’t always make the high percentage play, he is very perceptive and thinks his decisions through.

On the fly, he pays close attention to where the puck’s going and where it’s been. This allows him to read the play early and make the most of any time and space found. All-in-all, Broberg could be the most complete defenceman in his draft class. He’s got elite mobility and hockey sense, and he doesn’t give up his own end.

AJ’s Thoughts

I’ve always been biased towards great skaters and there may not be a better skater on the back end in this draft than Broberg. He’s a creative playmaker who excels in transition and the speed he’s able to generate through the neutral zone consistently puts stress on opposing defenses.

The mobility is NHL-ready today but the rest of his game has a long way to go. He can create for others and his performance at U-18s was the best I’ve seen from him so there’s plenty of reason to believe he’s trending in the right direction. I like a lot of his play offensively and his shot should translate to the next level.

Defensively, boy I dunno. He has a long way to go in that end before I’d trust him with NHL minutes. I think he takes chances in search of offense and I don’t think he’s particularly effective with his size, which does standout. I’m not a fan of how hard he pushes the envelope offensively as he tends to make as many mistakes as positive plays. He’s a true high-wire act.

Highlights

Avalanche Fit

I think he’s going somewhere between 4 and 16 so I haven’t spent much time thinking about Broberg’s fit in Colorado. I don’t think he’s going to available but if he gets to 16, he’d fit in very nicely on Colorado’s future blue line. His skating would be an immediate fit next to the Makar/Girard duo that’s going to take over the world in the next few years.

He’d have time to develop his game because Colorado’s blue line is pretty full at the NHL level and being a lefty would certainly help because Meloche and Timmins are their top D prospects and both are RHD. In a lot of ways, he’s a great fit and makes a lot of sense. His questionable defensive upside makes him more of a gamble though because another offense-first player on the defense isn’t really what Colorado should be after right now.

Taking Broberg would be a Nashville/Anaheim style of selection where Colorado has Broberg on top of their board at 16 and instead of finding reasons not to take him, the pull the trigger and worry about the consequences later. Tough to argue with that approach.

Rankings

Ranked #8 by TSN/McKenzie

Ranked #5 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Skaters)

Ranked #17 Future Considerations